Football is blue-collar America. It’s working class, working together. In this game – America’s favorite game – there are no isolation plays that cast a team aside. Nor are there intentional walks to avoid an obstacle. In life, like in football, the easy route is rarely an option.

Reflecting early America, football fields are wide and open, but a stout defense – like challenging terrain – can hinder the most determined advance. And great teams are united, like the states we call home. By playing this sport, young athletes learn football’s timeless qualities of leadership, responsibility, perseverance and teamwork. The passion evoked by football is as timeless as its values of sacrifice and discipline, standing forever firm regardless of society’s swings.