Football isn't just a sport. It's a weekly festival, a social binding agent, a gladiator spectacle with nachos. For some, it's religion. For others, it's a reason to yell at the TV with impunity. But what is it about football, particularly the full-contact, whistle-blowing, commercial-heavy gridiron version, that has us so hooked?

Part of the answer lies in the visceral nature of the game. Unlike chess, football is physical to the point of absurdity. Grown adults in body armor crash into each other over what is essentially a leather egg. There's drama in every play. You don't need a PhD in physics to appreciate a one-handed catch while somersaulting over a defender like a caffeinated acrobat.

But it's not just about the big hits or the touchdown dances. Football gives us structure. It gives us seasons, rivalries, underdogs, and heroes. It's myth-making in real time, performed on turf, in HD, preferably while we sit on a couch eating little smokies.

The love for football taps into something ancient and tribal. Strip away the helmets and........

© Psychology Today