Night & Day: Sportsball Edition

While it’s still hotter than hell, it is, indeed, the start of football season. It’s so hot, in fact, that the Childress High School Bobcats from West Texas recently moved football practice indoors to their school’s agricultural showbarn to protect their student-athletes from heat illness, when most two-a-days are right out there in the Texas sun. That’s hot, y’all.

Weather or otherwise, I can’t do a better job describing how fanatics feel right now than one of my favorite sports writers already did recently in his Buck U column for our Back to School issue (“Fall, Actually,” Aug 5, 2026): “I feel it in my fingers. I feel it in my toes. Football is all around us, and so the feeling grows. It didn’t take long walking around my local high school’s campus to be reminded that the best part of the year is coming. Bands are in the parking lots sweating, drill teams are stepping along to odd counts, and football teams are either braving heat that feels like we’re nestled in the Devil’s taint or grinding in indoor practice facilities with garage doors open. No matter the particular facet that appeals to you, Fall — the sports season, not the weather — is upon us.”

For the full scoop on the TCU/NC game broadcasting live from Ireland on ESPN at 11am Sat, check out this week’s Buck U. For other upcoming events (some sporty, some not), keep reading.

Wed, Aug 26

If you are a loyalist to this fine media outlet and either picked up this print edition #HotOffThePress or saw our Facebook post, and you are also a huge fan of college sports, you’ll want to head to TopGolf (2201 E 4th St, Fort Worth, 817-349-4002) right away. From 5pm‌-‌7 p‌m, you can snap a picture with the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy, “the most important piece of hardware in college football,” they say, and enjoy some gameplay while you’re there. The trophy, pictured here on the beach in Miami, where the tournament took place in February, is on tour, and this stop is presented by Dr Pepper.

Thu, Aug 27

I’m turning 39. Again. (What? Shut your piehole!) I hadn’t planned on spending my birthday (today) at the Eagles Nest, but there I shall be, having married into #SteelerNation. With Woody’s closed for reconstruction, Eagles Nest Sports Grill (8455 Boat Club Rd, Fort Worth, 817-238-3144) has stepped up in the hopes of becoming the Fort Worth destination for Steelers fans — bar manager José Aguilar is a Steelers superfan. As a supportive spouse, I don’t really give a rat’s ass about sportsball — yes, Steve, I said it, and I don’t like “cookie-monster” vocals either (“Noteworthy,” Apr 8, 2026). I just want a happy household over the next six months (best birthday gift ever), and, unfortunately, I don’t think the Steelers will give me that. My husband, a true Steelers fan, once cheered for the Bills, so I’m trying to convince him to consider dual citizenship. Maybe the results of this evening’s 6pm preseason game between those two teams will help my cause. Not that it matters (#preseason). As for the upcoming season opener, join us and other members of Steeler Nation Fan Club DFW at Bombshell’s (701 N Watson Rd, Arlington, 817-385-0087) for the Falcons vs. Steelers game on Sun, Sep 13. The watch party starts at 11:30am, and the game starts at noon.

Sat, Aug 29

You’re right, Pink Floyd, we don’t need no education. See past the double negative and stare into the void at Bricks in the Wall: The Sight and Sound of Pink Floyd at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall (122 E Exchange Av, Ste 200, Fort Worth, 817-900-9300) at 9pm. Tickets start at $29 at Tannahills.com. If you miss the Fort Worth event, you can also see them next Sat, Sep 5, at the Box Garden at Legacy Hall (7800 Windrose Av, Plano, 972-846-4255).

Sun, Aug 30

The graduating class at my small, private school was 48. With half being girls, my odds of being homecoming queen were 1 in 24. As the outsider I was at the time, that number dropped to zilch, zero, nada. If you told the guys in my class that they would be playing football at AT&T Stadium on #AnyGivenSunday, they wouldn’t have believed it. You might as well have told them they’d won a trip to Mars. It was a very small pond but a pond at least. Homeschool kids? Well, the odds were even slimmer in their puddle. Modern high school-aged athletes who are homeschooled have very different experiences to look forward to.

In 2022, Harbaugh Coaching Academy helped a couple of coaches launch the inaugural Homeschool Football Classic. The organization is religiously affiliated and therefore has some — let’s just say — “lofty” goals. You can explore that on your own time. Their earthly purposes are to “grow the sport of football and all athletics in the homeschooling community and ultimately increase homeschool enrollment throughout the nation and provide homeschool high school athletes and cheerleaders a first-class athletic experience by playing in an NFL Stadium.”

As the story goes, in May 2022, Brian Klepke of the Cincinnati Eagles reached out to Chris Connaughton of the Atlas Rattlers from Fort Worth (both homeschool football programs) to discuss the concept of playing a homeschool high school varsity football game at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Klepke is a lifelong Cowboys fan, and his son was a senior on the Cincinnati team. It was the last year of high school football, his last shot at something this epic. Once a date became available, the NFL signed on for 2022. In 2023, it expanded to three games in Indianapolis. Then in 2024, it became four games plus a day of service in Arlington. Last year was Indianapolis again, and now it’s back in Texas.

I said all that to say this. On Sun, Aug 30, you can watch four games (9:45am, 1:15pm, 4:55pm, 7:52pm) at the fourth annual Home School Classic at AT&T Stadium (1 AT&T Way, Arlington, 817-892-4000). Along with college recruiters from around the country, all four games will be streamed for $15 on BallerTV at BallerTV.com/events/47168/countdown. That’s also the in-person ticket price, and parking is free in Lot 10. (It would cost you four times as much just to tour the stadium. #JustSayin’)

Tue, Sep 15 & Oct 6

Releasing today — exactly 10 years after his historic National Anthem protest — a new book offers an intimate look at Colin Kaepernick’s personal journey, evolving identity, and the years of reflection that led to his decision to take a knee. The Perilous Fight explores courage, conviction, sacrifice, and the ongoing struggle for justice. You can buy the book starting on Tue, Sep 15, wherever books are sold or attend the Author Talk with Colin Kaepernick at the independent, Black-owned bookstore The Dock Bookshop (6637 Meadowbrook Dr, Fort Worth, 817-457-5700) on Tue, Oct 6, at 6:30pm and support a local business. Your advance $33 ticket includes one admission, Kaepernick’s signed hard copy book, and a photo op. A VIP meet-and-greet option is also available for $83. For more info or reservations, go to TheDockBookshop.com.