Head Coach

Last night the Adam Sandler flick "The Longest Yard" was on television here, an odd choice considering the Icelandic prison system is nothing like the U.S. system, and they don't play American football here. I found myself explaining to my aunt and uncle what was going on during the "game" sequences, what the big deal was with going for 2 points at the end (sorry to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it...). But in fact it is not the rules of the game that need explaining, it is the entire metaphorical framework upon which American football rests that evades Europeans. Because football is not a display of athletic prowess, like a dance without music. Rather, American football is war. The battle lines are drawn on either side of the ball, from play to play neither side knows what the other side is going to do. Secrecy, surprise attacks, strategies, brilliant responses, outthinking your opponent. The only two people really competing are the head coaches, who never touch the ball. Except in the Adam Sandler movie, where Burt Reynolds comes in for the final play (again, sorry to ruin it...).  

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