That time of year has come again when every Sunday millions of Americans gather round their TV's to cheer on a bunch of men go to war over an egg shaped ball. Football season is here. Football held no interest for me until the last couple of years when I began to analyze the player’s coordination skills. My son will be shouting at the TV, “Run! Run! Come on..." and I'll be following that up with, “well, he won't make it. Look at how bad his hips are twisted. No wonder he can't run very well..." Needless to say my commentaries rarely go over well but by now my kids are starting to not only look at what happens on the field but how it happens and whose bodies are heading for injury soon. Our Sunday afternoon lessons on motor skills and physical fitness also turn into discussions on the ideas around team sports. Team sports are not something I grew up with. I was on a gymnastics team but even though you wanted your team to win; you really cared about your personal placements more. If they were good, then you did the best thing you could for your team. All that affected my ability to perform well was my training, my focus and my skill. Even the cheering of your teammates meant very little as concentration required that you ignore the noise around you, but there was still something that mattered a lot about being on a team. The reality is that everyone secretly wants to be on one. We want a team. Now a team can come in many forms and your colors can be everything from blaze orange to ballet pink. We hope that our families will be a great, first team experience but sometimes that doesn't happen and so we go looking for a new one to join. Some of us will be blessed to have a great family team and then go on to become part of many other successful teams in business and hobby. In fact, we really can't avoid being on a team. Even the rebellious high schooler, that pierces everything visible and decides to only eat soy, has chosen a team. Being part of a team brings clarity. (Except last year, for Minnesota, as we all seemed confused as to why Favre was still on the fieldJ) As humans we love to see things clearly. I don’t' know anyone who wakes up and says, " I really hope today can be more confusing. I 'm looking forward to developing that ulcer I've been working on a bit more." Being part of a team brings clarity to our place, our home base. There is no question to where we belong. It brings clarity to our actions. Our skills have direction. I know what I can do and have the motivation to do better, to improve my team. All of this was very apparent a couple weeks ago on the anniversary of 9/11. My kids and I spent the morning watching the entire memorial and archived video footage from that horrible day. Ten years ago, my son was a toddler and has no memory of the day. My daughter remembered everyone talking about "the towers" but wasn't really aware. Watching the second plane hit, the eventual collapse, seeing the people respond, hearing the accounts of those who survived - it was all tragic but during that time clarity came, teams were visible. People suddenly felt they knew where they were and used whatever skills they had to move forward. Listening to firemen remember those moments brings tears but there is also a sense of pride. Pride in one’s country and pride in one's teammates. This is why we watch football or hockey or any other team sport. It is a faint shadow of the clarity we had 10 years ago, a shadow of the clarity people had during Hurricane Katrina and something that gets at that inner most desire to know what team we are on’ why we are on it and what we should do. Having the answers to these questions brings purpose to our lives.