Last week, southwest Michigan got a taste of fall.

Temperatures cooled down, parents rushed through department stores shopping for back-to-school necessities and local football teams took the field for the first time this year.

This was the perfect time to be thrown full-speed-ahead into my favorite season, as our team was producing the new-and-improved fall sports preview, renamed The Kickoff.

I’ve always loved fall for various reasons — the cooler temperatures, the changing color of the trees, Halloween, back-to-school, and yes, fall sports.

For the better part of my life, I’ve spent the majority of my autumn nights at some stadium or another — either on the sidelines cheering, in the press box helping keep score, in the concession stand selling goodies or at the gate selling tickets to whatever game happened to be going on.

I often joke with my coworkers that I don’t “speak sports,” because a lot of the details of the games don’t make sense to me. This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good soccer match or get worked up over a tight football game. I certainly do. It’s just not the logistics of the game that draw me in.

I was reminded a lot of what I love about sports while preparing The Kickoff the last couple of weeks. The fond memories began to surface when we had a photo shoot at Westley Leon Studios with representatives from each of our local football teams.

These athletes have likely only encountered each other on the football field, and on game night, they’re each other’s worst enemies, but while standing around waiting for their turn to be photographed, it seemed as though they were the best of friends.

I heard the football standouts complimenting each other on plays from past seasons, discussing key match-ups, offering tips and even wishing each other luck this season.

This sportsmanship is what makes me love sports — but especially football season.

There’s a sort of camaraderie that bonds people together, and in my opinion, it’s when school and community spirit is at its peak.

Even fans of opposing teams can enjoy a good football game together, partaking in good-hearted trash talking at tailgate parties and then screaming their heads off across the field throughout the game.

This fandom transcends into other sports throughout the fall, perhaps because people are so fired up over the football teams, or maybe because everyone is excited to be back to school.

This is why we wanted to showcase all of the fall athletes in our coverage area in a new and improved way. In your newspapers next Thursday, you’ll find a glossy magazine featuring not only Brandywine, Buchanan, Cassopolis, Dowagiac, Edwardsburg and Niles football teams, but also all other fall sports teams from those schools. Additionally, you’ll find previews for Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State and Western football, and even some information on key NFL teams.

We know how important this season is to southwest Michigan, and we wanted to showcase that.

Just in time for the first week of school and the crisp fall weather, The Kickoff will show off many Michiana residents’ favorite part of the season, and we can’t wait for you to see it.

 

Ambrosia Neldon is the managing editor at Leader Publications. She can be reached by phone at (269) 687-7713, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.