“Graceful.” “Agile.” “Beautiful.” These are probably not words that most people would use when describing professional football players, but it is why I watch the game. The nuances of defensive strategy, the timing of plays, and whether or not its worth going for the two-point conversion are beyond me. I watch it because I like to watch grown men run, and run well.

Sunday’s Super Bowl was a gorgeous illustration of this. Simply put, it was a game well played. James Harrison’s stunning 100-yard run had me on the edge of my seat. I might have been screaming. I might have been out of my seat.  But there was only one thing on my mind, and that was watching the game. I hadn’t seen anything like it since Super Bowl XL, when Willie Parker sprinted up the field to set a then-record run.

Athletics aside, there’s something about seeing 250 pounds worth of happy that is irresistible. Hines Ward’s face lights up with a smile that is infectious. I have to smile back, whether I’m in the stands at Heinz Field, or watching on my pathetic television from my couch at home, or surrounded by screaming spectators around the bigscreen. He’s happy, I see he’s happy, and it makes me happy.

I played a game of touch football over the weekend (my first since college, when I had a short-lived career on a coed intramural team) and I slid into nostalgia along with the thick mud that covered the National Mall. The weather was warm enough to feel like spring, so just being outside sent a jolt of endorphins through my system. But it was being back at the game that provided the real high. I ran, I caught a few short passes, I talked smack to the opposing team. I was so out of my usual realm, and it was awesome. I wanted to hit the ground, I wanted to tackle, I wanted to play beyond the dainty rules of two-hand touch and get deep into this visceral sport that was about as far removed from my day-to-day existence as brain surgery.

I wasn’t anywhere close to being a hero that afternoon. But it made me wish that I was a heck of a lot better player than I was. And I really hope I don’t have to wait until next year to try.