School is back in session, and autumn is just around the corner. The leaves will soon start changing. For some this means its time to break out the flannel after a long summer and head down to the - well - anywhere for the freshest pumpkin spice flavored snack. For others, it spells the end (or maybe the beginning) of allergy season, but in the good ol' U S of A, there is one thing that overshadows all of this: football season. So in the spirit of sportsmanship, let's look forward to some of our favorite things about the season of watching people beat other people up to run a funny-shaped ball over a painted line on a grass field.

Rooting for the Home Team

Here in America, there are plenty of things that divide us *coughpoliticscough* and can make for a pretty awkward situation (like when your next-door neighbor puts up a Trump lawn sign in their front yard), so it's a relief that sportsing usually only creates rivalries across geographic lines. Few things bring a town (or state, or region of a state) together like uniting to root the home team on, be it the home town high school boys, your nearest college ball team, or the nearest NFL team.

Football Parties

Speaking of uniting to root for your favorite team, when it comes to watching NFL on the TV, what better way to do it than to throw a party and invite all your friends (even the one who's a fan of the rival team)? Even if it's expected to be a boring 1pm game, there's not really anything else to do to pass the time on a Sunday.

Football Snacks

Speaking of football parties, it just isn't one without the right snacks. Doritos have pretty much cemented themselves as the go-to football party chip with their plethora of hilarious Super Bowl commercials. But that's not all there is. You can't have a proper party without buffalo chicken dip, the iconic little weiners, or (if you're going all out for the Super Bowl) a snack-dium.

Actually Attending a Game

Sitting (read: standing and yelling) in front of a TV is all well and good, but that's only really an option for NFL and certain NCAA games. To get the full autumn experience, you have to go to a game. There's something uniquely American about bundling up in sweaters and scarves to get the chance to root your local high school boys on in the yearly homecoming game.

Halftime Shows

No, not the Super Bowl halftime. I'm talking high school and college level, marching band halftime shows. I may be biased, because I was one of those band geeks getting my Dinkles muddy on Friday nights, but marching bands are a pretty big part of the experience. At their worst, you have to commend the poor kids for having the dedication to learn all the music and footwork. At their best, well, just give this a look:

Monday Night Football

It's true that football dominates the fall season. There's some level of football going on five of seven days of the week for at least a solid eight weeks, but Monday night brings its own special blessing. By the time Monday comes around, there's already been four straight days of football, but it's the first day of the work week and you're probably thinking man, I'd take one more game over needing to go to work. Well, MNF is a perfect compromise to ease you off the sport for a couple days after a long first day of the week.

Rivalries

OK, yeah, so everyone loves getting behind the home team, but that's pretty standard procedure. Nothing compares to the one or two times a year you get to pile all your frustrations against your team's rival. Rivalries are really what makes the season. Those are the games everyone goes to. Those are the ones that get the precious primetime spots. Those are the ones where memories are (almost) made of that time you had a few too much to drink and tried to crush a can on your forehead to intimidate the mouthy guy in the rival quarterback's jersey two rows up.

Fantasy Football

Not everybody gets into it, but of all the Fantasy sports, football is definitely the biggest one. You may play for a cash pot, make the last place place guy carry out a silly prank, compete for your very own Shiva Bowl trophy, or do it just for fun. Regardless, if you have your very own league, fantasy football is bound to make the season that much more exciting.