Wear the mask.
For Patrick Mahomes and his ridiculous arm angles. For Matthew Stafford and his velocity from the pocket. For Lamar Jackson’s wizardry with the football in his hands. For the brewing quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles. For Gardner Minshew’s jorts.
Wear the mask.
For Stefon Diggs’ footwork. For Julio Jones’ catch radius. For D.K. Metcalf’s blazing speed. For Michael Thomas’ releases against press coverage. For Julian Edelman’s toughness over the middle. For DeAndre Hopkins’ hands at the catch point. For Adam Thielen’s ball tracking skills.
Wear the mask.
For seeing Tom Brady succeed in a different uniform. For seeing Tom Brady fail in a different uniform. For seeing Philip Rivers finally get a ring. For seeing Andy Reid defend his first. For seeing Joe Brady in the NFL. For seeing Tua Tagovailoa in the NFL. For seeing where Cam Newton finally lands.
Wear the mask.
For Bills Mafia. For Gang Green. For Who Dey. For Who Dat. For the Dawg Pound. For the Yinzers.
Wear the mask.
For Howard’s Rock. For Jump Around. For Enter Sandman. For “dotting the i.” For Ralphie’s Run. For Army/Navy. For the Sooner Schooner. For the Gator Chop. For Uga. For Harvard/Yale. For Williams/Wesleyan. For the Nebraska Tunnel Walk. For every rivalry game. For Death Valley on a steamy Saturday night on the Bayou. For the Stanford Band. For Traveler. For 2001 a Space Odyssey. For the 12th Man. For Country Roads.
Wear the mask.
For Trevor Lawrence and his footwork. For Justin Fields and his release. For Trey Lance and his velocity. For Jamie Newman and his new uniform. For Sam Howell and his destiny. For K.J. Costello playing under Mike Leach. For Kyle Trask and his arm strength. For Mac Jacobs and the shoes he has to fill.
Wear the mask.
Because people are still getting sick.
Because people are still dying.
This has the potential to be a tremendous fall, at both the professional and the collegiate levels. There are so many storylines to follow. So many great traditions to see again. So many great players to see step on the field.
So many lives to save.
Wear the mask.
Wear the mask so we can see those storylines and moments again in the fall.