Football as Medicine: Why the Game Heals More Than We Think

In this special solo episode, I reflect on the surprising, emotional power of football—not just as entertainment, but as a vehicle for emotional expression, tribal connection, and generational bonding. Using the recent Buffalo Bills playoff loss as a launch point, I explore why sports hurt when we lose, why they matter when we win, and how something so seemingly trivial can touch the deepest parts of our humanity.

I talk about the ritual of watching games at a Bills Backers bar, the magic of celebrating with strangers, and the sacred phone calls I share with my dad every week during the season. We also touch on the contrast between the fan and the player—the joy for us, the sacrifice for them—and why honoring both truths is part of growing up. If you’ve ever wondered why this “game” hits you so hard, this one’s for you.

Episode Highlights

[00:00] – Why losing a football game hurts more than we admit

[01:15] – Our primal need for battle, stakes, and tribal expression

[02:43] – Ancient arenas vs. modern stadiums: how ritual never left

[04:10] – Community medicine: bars, strangers, and bonding over a team

[05:09] – Celebrating with strangers becomes something sacred

[06:30] – The real therapy: weekly phone calls with my dad after every game

[07:32] – Honoring the grief of knowing those calls won’t last forever

[08:45] – Sports as socially accepted emotional expression

[09:32] – Holding two truths: joy for the fan, risk for the player

[10:45] – Maybe it’s not just a game, maybe it’s one of the few places we let ourselves feel it all

Links & Resources

CathcBio https://www.catchbio.com/beautifullybroken

— Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKEN

The Biological Blueprint Program: https://www.beautifullybroken.world/

Beam Minerals: http://beamminerals.com/beautifullybroken

— Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKEN

Silver Biotics: bit.ly/3JnxyDD

— 30% off with Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKEN

LightPathLED: https://lightpathled.pxf.io/c/3438432/2059835/25794

— Code: beautifullybroken

CONNECT WITH FREDDIE

Work with Me: https://www.beautifullybroken.world/biological-blueprint

Website and Store: (http://www.beautifullybroken.world) 

Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/freddie.kimmel

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beautifullybrokenworld 

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Freddie Kimmel (00:01.708)
Welcome to the beautifully broken podcast where healing meets high performance from cancer recovery to wellness technology. We bring you real stories and real innovators to help you reclaim your biology and build your personal blueprint for health. Let's go.

Freddie Kimmel (00:24.655)
friends, let's have this conversation. I have this working theory why football isn't just the game and believe me, it is a working theory. And why it hurts sometimes when we lose is because it matters. I was just saying to my dad the other day and commiserating about the Buffalo Bills loss. I think we had a moment

where we were both feeling so bad about the outcome of the 2026 AFC divisional game. And in that moment of real depression, those deep feelings of loss for what could have been in that 25, 26 season, my dad had said, you know what's funny? I don't know why I do this. I don't know why I put this game, it's just a game up on a pedestal. And in that moment,

I said, I know exactly why you do it. Because part of the human experience, maybe part of our physiology, part of our programming, part of what got wired into us across the history of the human model, is that we have this need to go to battle, to go to war, to fight for something, to defend, to scream, to have stakes, to have a tribe. And I want to be clear.

I'm not saying this is unique to men. This is a cultural thing that men and women celebrate within the United States. But there is something especially relevant here in this modern life. For so many of us, the real arena has been replaced by a chair. If you're a mechanical engineer behind a computer or behind a pencil in an office, it's rare.

that you get to have that outward expression of going to battle, of going to war, to scream, to unleash, to put your body in a state that says, this matters. And I think that is missing in today's outlet. I think it's a missing outlet that impacts our vitality and our overall well-being. For the greater part of history.

Freddie Kimmel (02:43.373)
There were places for this expression. Rome had the Colosseum. The Parthenon had its own version of worship. People gathered, they rooted, they witnessed. They went all in. They participated in something larger than themselves. And that's exactly what happens today. It's just modernized. And I would argue, this is my working theory, that when we get behind a team, when we get

fully behind a team, especially when we are physically in the arena with them, it allows for the fullest expression of something we don't honor anymore. That idea that it is life on the line, that you are going to battle and on the other side, whether it's the win at the end of the day or a divisional title or the Lombardi Trophy, you are in the place where it happens. And I think there's value in that.

Not because it's rational, not because it's productive, but because it is deeply human. There's value for your neurotransmitters. There's value in unadulterated joy and celebration and also the rage and the heartbreak and the grief. These big human emotions that we don't always get to express. And I actually think if it's done in the right way, it can be incredibly healthy.

Now, the community medicine, and this is the part that I don't want to lose. The other thing I cannot ignore is this community model. Now, I don't personally have children, but I'm deeply aware of the value of family, both the family unit and this community family. And in this current era where we're so separated by sheer numbers, by pace, by isolation, by screens, I think foot...

ball bridges something that we're missing. There's a bar that we go to in Austin, Texas called parlor and yard. It's a Bill's backer bar. And you are high fiving people that you have never met before. There was a game we watched in Bozeman, Montana, where the Bills beat the Jacksonville Jaguars right at the end where people were literally running around the bar celebrating with complete strangers.

Freddie Kimmel (05:09.786)
and you really do transcend the nature of stranger. You have this unique bond with a person for a moment, you're on the same team in a deeper way than just the scoreboard. And I think that's medicinal, I think that's medicine. Buffalo Bill Stadium is roughly 70,000 people. I had talked to a friend the other day and he said at the last game, I was hugging people I didn't know 30 minutes before.

We were hugging because we were joining in the magic of that last stadium game and how special it was. And I think there's something even deeper about that because someone else is there to witness it, right? It's heightening the experience. They're becoming a mirror and it doesn't just heighten the moment. It solidifies it in real time. It becomes a memory that actually lands in the body that you're never going to forget.

Now, I want to say the biggest therapeutic moment, the element is for me, it's called the phone call. And there's one part of this article I almost forgot to write and I went back and added this in. It's probably the most important. It is the most important. The biggest therapeutic effect of football for me isn't in the stadium. It isn't in the crowd.

It isn't a win or the loss. It's Sunday or Monday when the game is over and I call my dad. It is the easiest, most uninhibited, free flowing conversation we've ever had. We really do talk like equals. We talk about our perspective of the game. We disagree. We challenge each other's ideas, but we just talk. And it's not a forced phone call with a parent where there's shame or guilt because you haven't reached out in a few weeks. It's like,

It's beautiful, it's like clockwork. After the game, I call my dad and I just said, what do you think? How did you feel about that one? And he listens. He really listens. And every single week when I hang up, I feel good, I feel connected. I feel like we just shared something simple and at the same time sacred without needing to dress it up. And I also feel a little sadness, grief even.

Freddie Kimmel (07:32.656)
and maybe in the not so distant future, when I can have that phone call with my dad. And it's weird, the grief doesn't ruin it, it almost sharpens it. Because in that moment, actually when it's unfolding, I can see it, I can honor it, I can feel how special it is. And I know for so many families, this is one of the socially accepted ways to love out loud, over a team, over a game.

over the shared experience of, did you see that? It's a point of connection. And sometimes connection is the whole point. You know, there's a truth we have to hold along with this whole working theory on this article. We're not the ones taking the heads. And I do think about this from a health perspective, there's a point that I really do want to draw out.

And there's this quote from the man in the arena. And the truth is, we're not literally the ones in the arena. We're in the stands, we're in a bar, we're on a couch. We're in the feeling, but we're not taking the hits and the injuries and the concussions and the CTEs. That is a real threat that the player experiences. It can impact their quality of life after the game. Well, after they stopped playing football.

and it's a part of why they're paid the amount of money they're paid, in part. So yes, football can be medicine for the fan and also football can be sacrifice for the athlete. Both of these things are true and I just think, I just wanna say that and I want us to be, I want us, I want myself to be mature enough to hold both truths without erasing the other. Now, why I keep pretending it's just a game. Maybe you've decided at times that the pain is too much.

If you're a Bills fan, you know our history that maybe the Bills, if that's your team again, maybe it's just too much to hold. Maybe as a voyeur on the outside with no control over the coaching or the drafting or the salary caps or the injuries or the fact that on some level it's a business and loyalty is complicated, you've decided not to put yourself all the way in. Either one is fine. And I understand both. I've played both.

Freddie Kimmel (10:01.503)
roles throughout my lifetime. But I can tell you personally, the older I get, every time that thought comes up that, well, it's just a game, it's just football, I can feel what it is. It's me just trying to protect myself from hurting. And I think you really have to ask yourself, what is that about? Now, I don't understand

the full design of life and football and death and tragedy and airplanes and mechanics and why we're here and why the world is designed the way it's designed. But I can tell you this, a huge part of why football is in my life is that I'm a huge fan. And maybe letting yourself experience both the elation of the win and the agony of defeat is you putting yourself in the human experience fully. Maybe that's one opportunity. Because

Maybe you don't do it all the other times. And that's why this time is extra special. We're gonna end with a little quote from the man in the arena. It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who actually is in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat.

blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. Teddy Roosevelt. Love you guys. Hope you enjoyed this. Ladies and gentlemen, if you know anything about me and my Instagram, you know I love red light therapy, specifically

Light Path LED has launched a light called the Diesel Series. So this focuses on pulsed light frequencies, which have been used in wellness centers for over 20 years. These panels are 15 inches wide. They have a five year warranty that is the longest in the industry. And they focus on 630, 670, and 810 wavelengths of light because those are the most researched.

Freddie Kimmel (12:24.084)
and the most powerful in the human body. This panel pulses between 1 and 9999 Hertz and every purchase comes with a phone consultation so you can best know how to use it. Lightpath LED is the panel that I've used since I got into wellness. They are tried and tested. They are a fan favorite and I am telling you,

If you shop around it, you look at one of these panels next to the industry standard, you will be blown away and you will not be sorry. You can use code beautifully broken for a discount to start using red light therapy in your home today. So let's jump on in and let's shine the light.

Freddie Kimmel (13:08.938)
All right, team, let's be real. When your immune system goes down, everything in life feels harder. That's why I use silver biotics and I keep it in my cabinet and my travel bag. It's not hype, it's nano silver technology backed by science and proven to support immune function. Most importantly, hear this without wrecking your gut like antibiotics. This is fast acting, broad spectrum immune support you can take every day.

And you can trust it when life hits you hard. I've used this in travel under extreme stress, even post surgery. And it's always come through. There's no resistance build up and there's no nonsense. It's just clean, simple support when you need it most. So you can use code beautifully broken for a generous discount in the cart at silverbiotics.com because nothing feels better than knowing your body is ready.

Freddie Kimmel (14:12.746)
If you enjoyed the show today, head over to Apple or Spotify, wherever you listen, and please leave us a five star review. And if you want to continue working together and learning, you could join the Biological Blueprint. This is my custom program I created over the last 20 years of life experience and education to help you move from where you're stuck to where you want to be. There are over 20 different medical professionals involved. Everything is a walk and learn.

We can go outside together to the gym. There's lectures, webinars, downloadable PDFs on everything we've ever talked about on the podcast. It is my opus. It is my love letter to the human body and the operating manual I wish I had had when I started to get sick. You can also extend our relationship and deepen the process by going to beautifullybroken.world and check out our store.

Listed there are the technologies, the supplements, the products that I love and I personally use and I've curated for you. Most of them have significant discounts by using the link or the discount code, beautifully broken. And they do support the podcast through affiliations. Now, if you want to check out our YouTube channel, we've had some changes. Unfortunately, the overseers at Google decided we talked too much about silver biotics and nano silver and all our content from the last 10 years was taken down.

but we have a new channel and that link is also in the show notes. Now, finally, a message from my vast team of internet lawyers. The information on this podcast is for education. By listening, you agree not to use this information found here as medical advice to treat, diagnose, or cure any medical condition in yourself or others. Always consult your guiding physician for actual medical issues that you may be having. And our closing, we are in a paradigm shift.

The world needs you at your very best. So take these conversations as a jumping off point for further exploration. Remember, while life can be painful, how we put the pieces back together is a beautiful process. I love you so much. I'm your host, Freddie Kimmel, signing off.