Beyond the W - three things sports do for farmers, families and communities

We are just two days away from one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. Super Bowl 55. Football is a lot of things to a lot of people – entertainment, rivalry, competition, a sense of community. For me, football brings back memories, growing up on my family farm in Upstate New York in the 1980’s. 

I remember that decade started with a family trip to Lake Placid, to see the site of the Winter Olympics. While we didn't have the means to be there during the Games, we all packed into my parent’s wood grain Ford LTD station wagon the week after to experience the magic of the location where the 'Miracle on Ice' occurred. Little did we know the decade would turn out to be one of the toughest the American farmer would see in the 20th century. 

Despite the tough times farming, I remember how central talk of sports was in the barn, in the vineyards, on the back of the truck. Recounting plays, betting on winners and comically grieving losses, especially those of my family’s team, the Buffalo Bills. There was something about the talking of sports that made a hard day better. 

Sports create energy, emotion, unity. Looking back at my farming days, the Buffalo Bills were so much more than a football team to my family. Rich stadium, that team, Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Marv Levy, the blue collar spirit behind the team – it did so much for my dad, our employees and my family as our farm struggled through hard times. 

Fast forward a decade and the Bills played in four Super Bowls in four years. And never won once. But now as I look back, it didn’t matter. They still did so much, created so much hope, sparked so much conversation. 

The Bills in the AFC Championships this year brought back a lot of these feelings and made me realize that sports are about so much more than winning – they are about HOPE – with upsets, come-backs, underdogs - they create vision, energy, community and unity – things we all need right now, in a world full of division. 

We need our sports, our stadiums, Monday Night Football, the World Cup, the Monaco Grand Prix, and March Madness to spark hope, strike conversation, bring people together and give the agriculture community something to banter about while they’re working through uncertainty, higher commodity prices, trade challenges and environmental pressures and building an operation for the next generation.   

So regardless of the team that you’re rooting for on Sunday, let’s enjoy what the game will bring us:

1. Community: The spirit of sports creates commonalities, connections, unity and a sense of belonging.  
2. Energy: The excitement and passion associated with sports is contagious, no matter where fans are located or what they are doing.  
3. Hope: Sports bring ambition, vision and faith that is often carried over into our lives. Hope is a powerful force. I truly believe nothing is more important for all of us than the underlying drive that comes from the hope we have for a better tomorrow.

In the days of quarantines, lock downs, political division and hardships, we need our sports, our water coolers and our coffee breaks to bring connection, community and collaboration back into our world.