By Bomani Jones | Published on: September 4, 2013 | Updated on May 29, 2017
America’s game will return Thursday, when the Ravens and Broncos meet in Denver. Well, as much as something can “return” when it never truly goes away.
Professional football, like no other sport, has become central to the fabric of life in this country. It isn’t a pastime like we once called baseball. The NFL isn’t a diversion. It’s a way of life, a big business that sells identity as much as it peddles sports. It taps into who we are, defines much of what we are, and keeps us coming back by highlighting what so many wish they were.