football

I went to my first game in the fall of 1957. my high school vs Lakewood. the co-captain was the older brother of a hunky classmate of mine. I was a freshman. on the team were a pair of handsome seniors -- Dick Novak (who I knew from his running the projector at noon movies) & Jack Perkins (who had memorable hair). I wrote in my yearbook: "It was a great game."

how wd I know? I knew nothing of football then & still don't. that may have been the only high school game I went to. I think I probably attended a game at Kent. I've never watchd one on tv.

but somewhere in the clutter of my house I own a football card. why? because it's the card of Jerry Smith.  I suspect my parents found a clutch of cards in one of the many garage sales they went to & gave them to me. I probably lookd thru them for a sexy face before discarding them. & I'm sure I'd read somewhere that Jerry Smith was gay.  so I kept that one.

I have no idea where it is but Jim Provenzano used an identical one in his San Francisco exhibition of gay sports & I took this picture.  it's the card on the left.

why did I even bother keeping a football card? I kept it as a sort of moment in gay history. but I knew very little abt Smith till last nite. I'd read online that something calld the NFL Network was running a doc abt him. I searchd for this network unknown to me & watchd the show. it was a fascinating look backward.

I still have no interest in football but I'm glad I watchd "A Football Life." I was born only 3 months before Jerry Smith. since I never cared abt football I never followd his career. last nite it was good to see footage of him when he was a golden god of sport. & it was good to know that at least some of his teammates respectd him as both a professional & as a human being.