:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/26383645/149827881.0.jpg)
The playoffs for the National Football League started this past weekend. In a little over a month, the NFL season will be over. I used to be obsessed with the NFL back in the early 90's. It was the only sport I really cared about, and I can remember how painfully long the NFL off season was. Hockey and, to an extent, basketball were okay substitutes during the off season, but once summer hit, when there was only baseball to watch, all I could do was count the days until the NFL preseason began.
I still enjoy the NFL, but my obsession has since turned to soccer - specifically, to Major League Soccer. We are blessed with one the shortest off-seasons in professional sports, and, when the MLS season concludes, all of the European leagues are in full swing. We have soccer 365 days a year. It never stops. How awesome is that, right?
Yet, with all of this soccer available in the off season, it's just not the same, and I find myself getting anxious for the Chicago Fire and the rest of the MLS to start up again. It's like having an itch that you can't scratch. There's nothing you can do but grit your teeth and wait it out.
Only 18 more days until training camp opens.
