Sometimes I'm called upon to write speeches for politicians who attend sporting events, and this time was no different. It's always a bit of a challenge for me to write from the heart about sports, since they've never really caught my interest. So I tend to dip into the well of sports cliches and hope for the best. I'm sure the fans are more focussed on the field than they are on the halftime speeches anyway.
Jeff is wearing an old-timey football hat of the sort I remember from a Three Stooges short. These, apparently, were the helmets of the "leathernecks." They don't seem to offer much protection; hopefully Jeff won't be hit in the head by a stray football during the game.
Technically they're Leatherheads, not Leathernecks. Leathernecks are US Marines.
ReplyDelete- PT
Thanks to Earl and Sylvia for wonderful hospitality. Even if the west didn't come through with a win, we are still being treated like champions at your house.
ReplyDeleteThe old timey football players were "Leatherheads". Their style of football was more like rugby than what we see today, although early Canadian football distinguished itself on the high quality of its passing plays.
ReplyDeleteThe "Leatherheads" movie (2008) with George Clooney and Renee Zellweger actually does a decent job of recreating the old style of football, and it also portrays some of the events in the early game fairly accurately. Unfortunately, the story goes off in too many diveriging directions to make for satisfying viewing.
The helmet I am wearing in the photo is made out of vinyl, but it's close enough in looks to the real thing, I guess.