This Sunday is America’s favorite unofficial holiday. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re definitely not a football fan and have probably been isolated from the real world for a very long time.
Yes, Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. It’s the day when football fans who care nothing about the teams playing in the big game suddenly become fans of one of the teams.
People watch the Super Bowl because it’s the American thing to do. In the next few days, the comic strips will have references to the Super Bowl. And you can almost bet your bottom dollar that Sunday’s “Blondie” edition will have Dagwood Bumstead watching the game with a Super Bowl size meal.
I’ll be watching the game too, but not with the same enthusiasm that I’ve had in other years or will have in years to come.
To be perfectly honest with you, I’m not a fan of either the Seattle Seahawks or the New England Patriots. In fact, the two teams might be my least favorite in the National Football League.
That said, I’ll be pulling for the Seahawks for one simple reason: wide receiver Doug Baldwin.
Local high school football fans might remember Baldwin from his days playing at my alma mater, Gulf Breeze High School. I don’t remember if Crestview High School played Gulf Breeze during the regular season when Baldwin was at GBHS, but I know they at least played in a Kickoff Classic or spring game.
Baldwin graduated from Gulf Breeze in 2007 and went on to Stanford University, where he played for the Cardinal.
Last year, Baldwin became the second former Dolphin to play in the Super Bowl and the first Gulf Breeze football player to play for the Super Bowl champions when Seattle won the game.
Doug Baldwin graduated in the 37th graduating class from Gulf Breeze High. I graduated in the sixth class for Gulf Breeze.
I’ve never had the opportunity to meet Doug Baldwin, but I’d like to think we share some of the same football heritage. And both of us are a part of our school’s football history and lore.
I really don’t care about the Seahawks or the Patriots, but I do care about Doug Baldwin. So I’ll be watching the game Sunday and pulling for the Seahawks. It’s the least I can do for a fellow Gulf Breeze Dolphin.
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Doug Baldwin does GBHS proud