It was a rite of Fall. Well, almost every Fall. For over 50 years, Charlie Brown took a run at a football, aiming to finally realize his dream of kicking it. In more than a half century, Chuck never did actually get the ball kicked. (No, I don’t count It’s Magic, Charlie Brown)
In Charlie Brown’s case, it was one of the hundreds of things that made him relatable. His never-failing hope in the face of unimpeachable data always made him a hero of mine growing up, and Charles M. Schulz repeatedly said that the only way the larger narrative held up was if Charlie never pulls off the booting of the ball.