Learning Football

The most frustrating thing about shooting football, especially when you don't have long lenses like a 300 or a 400, but instead use an 80-200, is not knowing what side of the field you should be on. Which side of the field is the game-changing play going to happen on? Where is the bone-crunching hit going to occur? Or even, where is the quarterback going to throw, or where is the running back going to run?

It all comes down to the luck of the draw.

(Leah Sefton/Staff Photographer)

Sophomore wide receiver Cody Wilson rushes downfield Saturday afternoon during the first quarter against Northwestern.

For the Northwestern game on Saturday, Sept. 25, I was definitely on the wrong side of the field for most of the game. I watched, crouched on the sidelines next to the Central Michigan bench, as play after play crashed and careened near the Northwestern bench on the other side of the field. Could I have changed sides? Certainly, but I knew that if I did, suddenly all the action would migrate to the other side. Life just seems to work that way. So I waited. Sure enough, both CMU touchdowns in the first half unfolded right in front of me. In fact, most every CMU touchdown happened right before my eyes. Sometimes it pays off to have to wait. It's always nice to know there is someone on the other side, though.

(Leah Sefton/Staff Photographer)

Senior running back Carl Volny powers through Northwestern's David Nwabuisi for the touchdown in the second quarter Saturday afternoon at Ryan Field. Volny's 16-yard catch tied the game at 13-13 with 1:15 left in the half.

Shooting on the sidelines of a Big Ten football game was not so different from shooting any other game as one might think. Sure, the officials were a little more picky about who was standing where, and my press pass was scrutinized a bit more closely than at the Eastern game, but otherwise, the experience was roughly the same. The only thing that make this experience worse than my Eastern experience was the amount of people on the sidelines. The Northwestern sidelines were packed. There were referees, photographers, police, Big Ten officials, coaches, reporters, and a smattering of other people who felt they needed to be right in front of the action. The amount of people caused even more problems for me than being on the wrong side of the field. The action would play out in front of me, getting better with every shot, then suddenly, a completely blue, blurry shot right as the moment happens because someone stepped in front of my lens. I can't think of anything more frustrating.

The other challenge I experienced is my complete and utter cluelessness when it comes to the game of football. I hate football. I hate watching it on TV, I hate seeing people look like idiots as they scream at their television set, I hate the seemingly endless games. Because of this, I had no idea how the game played out. I didn't know which direction to expect our team to go. I had no idea why the crowd just went wild. No idea, most of the time, where even to look for the ball. Knowing the game you're shooting must be a huge advantage, because I have had to learn on the go. I must admit, though, watching football games in person from the sidelines has given me a new appreciation for the sport. Although I'll still never watch it on TV, mindlessly yelling at the officials over a call I disagree with.