Adorable New Liony Fan at Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions Game

I was one of the first fans to show even before the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions game against Ramat Hasharon Hammers began. There was one new Lions fan there before me, this gorgeous, humongous red tabby, male. I had never seen him there before. He reminded me of the red tabby we used to have, a female who was very fertile when we didn't give her birth control pills. Could this one be a descendant? Her kittens ended up all over.

By the end of the game, the stands were full of fans, mostly for the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions, some were just curious Israelis who wanted to see "real American tackle football," and of course there were some Ramat Hasharon Hammers fans.

Last night I did not take the bus and walk from "Tzomet Bar Ilan." One of the players, who's a neighbor, gave me a ride, and a different player dropped me off in Shiloh. But I still got in lots of "steps" following the game. It has become one of my favorite fitness pass-times. A bonus is talking to the fans and friends and family of the players. I love being able to answer "Who do you have on the team?" with "My son is the Head Coach."

As you can see from the scoreboard below, the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions won the game 48:18. Gd willing we'll continue winning, another championship IFL season.

Yes! The Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions Won Israel Bowl XII

If you had been wondering if The Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions won its third consecutive IFL Israel Bowl national championship, yes, we did! Yes, this is tackle football, like in the USA. 

The Petach Tikva Troopers played hard and well, but the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions played better. That's it in a nutshell.

Yes, as you can see from the score, 29-26 was a close game, and at one point we were behind. But lions don't give up.

The game had been scheduled for Thursday night, but since very stormy weather had been forecast, the league was able to arrange a postponement with the Jerusalem Municipality for Friday morning. It was perfect weather, dry and not too sunny. The crowd was all ages, and Hebrew was the dominant language, even though you could hear plenty of English.

Today's The Game- How did I End Up in The Bleachers?

You probably don't believe me, but not only am I not from an athletic family. None of us were sportsmen. We weren't in any of the school teams. We didn't watched sports, not on television and not in the stands. Only once did my father take my brother to baseball game, and that was because his cousin's husband somehow convinced him that they should do a father-son outing together. For a short time in high school, I went to junior varsity basketball home games and did have fun cheering Great Neck North, which probably won every game. None of my friends went to them or the varsity games, even though our school was generally first or second in all categories. Once I became active in the Great Neck Synagogue Teen Club, NCSY* chapter, that was the end of my life as a spectator.

So, it's rather funny to think that today I'm one of the loyal fans, too hyper even at my age, to cheer the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions from a seat. I guess that I'm considered one of the "local characters" by the team and other fans. "Why?" You're probably wondering.

When my youngest child came back from his post-army sojourn in New York, he was hooked on American tackle football. He tried out for Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions and became part of the defense. And we started going to the games to cheer for him and the team. At that time the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions was a middling team and didn't win any championships. But I enjoyed watching, being with most of my children, getting to know other fans and the energy surge I felt even as a spectator. After a number of years, my son was appointed head coach, and in his second season, which would make a great movie, the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions won the IsraelBowl X Championship! That was two years ago, and last year we also won.

Today at 11am in the Kraft Family Sports Campus, we'all watch IsraelBowl XII and cheer on the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions and pray for a third record-breaking championship in a row, Gd willing. Yaala Big Blue!

*Davka, one of the players in Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions is the grandson of NCSYers from the 1960s.