The fresh start! The crisp autumn air! The sense of renewal as a new school year begins! The mourning of summer's demise is soon forgotten in the excitement of new and renewed friendships, with the promise of fun things to come.

Perhaps nothing trumpets autumn's arrival more clearly than football. Whether on Friday nights for high school, Saturday for college, or Sunday for the NFL, the excitement of football permeates American society. In September, everyone's favorite team can go on to the championship. So, save me a seat and pass the guacamole. Go, Irish! (Sorry. Now you know who I root for.)

I love watching games on TV, but for real excitement check out a high school or college game. Friday night football is a long-standing tradition, and high schoolers everywhere know they have a ready-made social activity at the end of the week. Ditto for the college crowd on Saturdays.

The spirit at a school game is unsurpassed and virtually anyone can participate. It's great to be a part of something so exciting, and it's even more meaningful if you yourself are involved as a player, a cheerleader, a band member, or an animated spectator.

Sometimes, though, that school spirit can get carried away, particularly if the game is between two traditional rivals. Sure, competition is the name of the game, but a heated rivalry can go overboard if people aren't careful. I just witnessed the build-up in my town for a game last Friday between the two biggest Catholic high schools in the region. The vindictiveness that I overheard in student conversations and that I saw on MySpace made even this hardened football fan blush. Sure, we want to beat the other team, but does that mean our Christianity goes out the window?

I think football fans need to keep in mind the way a team's medical and coaching staff advises and supports its players. The staff is always ready to run on field and assist an injured player, but in training they preach this important maxim: Do no harm! Play hard, yes, but do nothing that will put yourself in extreme harm's way. Also, do not deliberately injure an opponent in unsportsmanlike conduct.

Do no harm! When going to a school football game, have fun, but do no harm to yourself, or to others, especially your rivals. It's sad to occasionally see stories in the news about vandalism in rival schools after a bitter defeat or, worse, a tragic car accident that resulted from out-of-control post-game celebrating. That's not what football is about. That's not what being a Christian is about.

Matt Maher's For Your Glory has some great lyrics that will help us put anything, even a football game, in Christian perspective:

There is a time to sow.
There is a time to reap.
A time for victory!
A time to claim defeat.
A time to be renewed,
A time to be reborn.
And in all seasons, God,
we bow before your throne . . .

May this new football season be filled with good times and cherished school memories for everyone!