It is fall; time for leaves to turn orange, yellow and red and butts to gravitate towards aluminum bleachers all over America. College football started last week and most big stadiums are surrounded by massive inclines of gleaming aluminum aching under the weight of thousands of screaming heinies. Every high school in the country has at least a small stand of bleachers in which to stack their fans and some schools have college-sized wedges, jutting up from tracks or grass.
What did we use before aluminum? We did wood.
Butts rudding against raw wood means splinters. This small detail makes the invention of aluminum one of the most amazing moments in sports history, right up there with the forward pass, facemasks and GatorAde. Recent plastic seats attached to aluminum have added a small modicum of comfort during a four-hour game. But if you are a real sports fan, you like your aluminum naked, straight up and broiling in the sun.
I love the smell of aluminum in the fall. It smells like – aluminum.
Tags: Personal Stories, Sports