I have been asked several times, usually by previous girlfriends, why I'm so into football when I'm such a nerd in every other aspect of my life.
There are a lot of reasons.
When it's played at the highest level, I think a lot of people miss the level of strategy that goes into it. One of the greatest games I ever saw was Payton Manning playing for the Colts with Ray Lewis playing middle linebacker for the Ravens, and seeing the expert tacticians playing off each other.
That said, despite the fact that there's a history of racism in sports, just like there's a history of racism in everything, sports tend to be the ultimate meritocracy.
All anybody ultimately cares about in sports is winning.
There aren't any nepobabies. Antoine Winfield Jr isn't one of the top safeties in the NFL because his dad was a great corner. He didn't get his job because of his dad. He got his job because he's freaking great.
Yeah, genes help. If your dad is 6'7", you're more likely to be tall and have an advantage. Still, you need to be good.
Jim Kelly was my favorite player growing up. He's a Hall of Famer. Chad Kelly barely ever got a roster spot, and he's already out of the league.
When you're watching an NFL game, you know that you're watching the best players in the world. In this day and age, it's absurd to pretend that anybody is looking at the draft board and thinking about race, or who the player's father was.