As I have said so many times, I am not a sports fan. I have, however, recently  begun to appreciate how sports can bring people together.

My husband Philip, as most of you do know, is an avid Jets fan. So is my brother. And so I was glad to answer the phone when my brother called on Saturday night to offer to watch the Jets-Patriots game with my husband. I happily invited my brother over and even offered to make chicken wings for him and Philip.

My daughter, Sydney, is also a Jets fan and at school in Buffalo. She kept texting throughout the day asking to be kept up to date as to the score of the game.

On Sunday morning, I got the expected telephone call from my friend Nancy. Nancy and I have been best friends since high school and she has been living in Rhode Island with her husband, Vinnie an avid Patriots fan, for over twenty-five years. Nancy and I jokingly teased each other about the prospects of the respective teams and then spent time catching up with each other.

Lastly, several of my friends from college have been living in Massachusetts for also over twenty-five years. And so there were also the fun and playful emails and text messages from my friend Seth.

Thus, while I was not “technically” watching the game, I walked around the house with a big smile on my face gladly staying connected with family and good friends through football.