It’s certainly no secret that I am a big sports fan. I am certainly not the minority in this as millions of people around the world are huge sports fans, and many much larger than I. But some of you might wonder why it is that I get so much enjoyment out of sports.
Where do I start? Well not many other things in life will get me jumping off the couch in anger ,or in jubilation, like that game winning goal, homerun ,or touchdown. But the deeper questions is why am I so vested in this that I jump off the couch, throw inanimate objects, and/or hug grown men, depending on the gravity of the situation.
Well I think it partially comes down to emotion. Sports are the true reality TV. You are seeing people giving their hart and soul to win for there cities, their fans, their teammates and themselves. These athletes, through blood, sweat, and tears, give their all to achieve the ultimate goal in their respective sport. Yes, there are a few overpaid bums that only play for the money, but I like to think they are few and far between.
Maybe it is that I am just living vicariously through these athletes. When I cheer for Sidney Crosby, maybe it is because I want to feel what it must be like to have his kind of success. Maybe it’s that I wish I could be these guys for just a few days; do see what it is like to do what they do. These athletes are the best of the best; they can do things on the field, ice, or court that I and most others simply can not. The fact that I play most of these sports, even recreationally, makes me appreciate the extraordinary things they can do. That one time slap shot to the top corner, that 97mph fast ball, or the guy that can hit that fast ball over the fence, the receiver that can run full speed and lay our for a football and catch it with one hand, the centre fielder that can climb the wall and pull back a sure home run, or the forward that can deke through three guys and the goalie and slide it home, even the tennis player who can play a five hour match and still stand at the end. They can do things that I can’t, but at least I can watch it and share in the glory by cheering them on.
When there is a good game on, with a team I care about, I almost feel like I am part of the team. I will wear the team colors at the stadium, at the bar, or even alone on my couch, just to show my support, and for some reason I believe it makes a difference. If I watch a game at BP’s and the riders get pumped, I won’t watch it there again. A few years ago when watching the leafs in the playoff’s, I would hold my breath anything the puck was in the Leafs zone, and do my best not to exhale until the puck went back out over the blue line. One year during the baseball playoff’s me and two buddies would lay on our stomachs in front of the TV, drumming the floor for good luck…what happened, Luis Gonzalez hit a World Series winning single to beat the hated Yankees. This is blamed on sheer superstition.
A large part about sports is the camaraderie it brings with friends and family. Not much else brings together a group of friends than a great sporting event. I remember being 7 and watching the riders win the Grey Cup in 89 at a family friend’s house. I might not have totoally understood why everyone was cheering when Dave Ridgway kicked that ball through the uprights, but I know that everyone in the room was happy I remember sitting down with my whole family back in 92 and 93 to watch the Blue Jays win the world series, and all cheering together when Joe Carter hit that walk off home run, and jumping around until I knocked my brother into the corner of the couch. I remember sitting with about 20 of my best friends watching Joe Sakic score the clinching goal in the 2002 Olympics and high five-ing everyone in the room. I remember several world junior tournaments during Christmas time, with so many people home that you haven’t seen in months, getting together to see the boys beat the Russians. It gives me goose bumps even to think about it.
Have I made it clear enough, can you now understand the excitement that sports provide? If not then I have failed. But I will not give up! I will continue to put the TV on SportsCentre when I get the remote, I will start conversations on the games from the night before, and I will promote trips to live events, and with a little luck, and a lot of channel surfing, I will turn all of you into the sports nut that I am.
Go Team GO!
Where do I start? Well not many other things in life will get me jumping off the couch in anger ,or in jubilation, like that game winning goal, homerun ,or touchdown. But the deeper questions is why am I so vested in this that I jump off the couch, throw inanimate objects, and/or hug grown men, depending on the gravity of the situation.
Well I think it partially comes down to emotion. Sports are the true reality TV. You are seeing people giving their hart and soul to win for there cities, their fans, their teammates and themselves. These athletes, through blood, sweat, and tears, give their all to achieve the ultimate goal in their respective sport. Yes, there are a few overpaid bums that only play for the money, but I like to think they are few and far between.
Maybe it is that I am just living vicariously through these athletes. When I cheer for Sidney Crosby, maybe it is because I want to feel what it must be like to have his kind of success. Maybe it’s that I wish I could be these guys for just a few days; do see what it is like to do what they do. These athletes are the best of the best; they can do things on the field, ice, or court that I and most others simply can not. The fact that I play most of these sports, even recreationally, makes me appreciate the extraordinary things they can do. That one time slap shot to the top corner, that 97mph fast ball, or the guy that can hit that fast ball over the fence, the receiver that can run full speed and lay our for a football and catch it with one hand, the centre fielder that can climb the wall and pull back a sure home run, or the forward that can deke through three guys and the goalie and slide it home, even the tennis player who can play a five hour match and still stand at the end. They can do things that I can’t, but at least I can watch it and share in the glory by cheering them on.
When there is a good game on, with a team I care about, I almost feel like I am part of the team. I will wear the team colors at the stadium, at the bar, or even alone on my couch, just to show my support, and for some reason I believe it makes a difference. If I watch a game at BP’s and the riders get pumped, I won’t watch it there again. A few years ago when watching the leafs in the playoff’s, I would hold my breath anything the puck was in the Leafs zone, and do my best not to exhale until the puck went back out over the blue line. One year during the baseball playoff’s me and two buddies would lay on our stomachs in front of the TV, drumming the floor for good luck…what happened, Luis Gonzalez hit a World Series winning single to beat the hated Yankees. This is blamed on sheer superstition.
A large part about sports is the camaraderie it brings with friends and family. Not much else brings together a group of friends than a great sporting event. I remember being 7 and watching the riders win the Grey Cup in 89 at a family friend’s house. I might not have totoally understood why everyone was cheering when Dave Ridgway kicked that ball through the uprights, but I know that everyone in the room was happy I remember sitting down with my whole family back in 92 and 93 to watch the Blue Jays win the world series, and all cheering together when Joe Carter hit that walk off home run, and jumping around until I knocked my brother into the corner of the couch. I remember sitting with about 20 of my best friends watching Joe Sakic score the clinching goal in the 2002 Olympics and high five-ing everyone in the room. I remember several world junior tournaments during Christmas time, with so many people home that you haven’t seen in months, getting together to see the boys beat the Russians. It gives me goose bumps even to think about it.
Have I made it clear enough, can you now understand the excitement that sports provide? If not then I have failed. But I will not give up! I will continue to put the TV on SportsCentre when I get the remote, I will start conversations on the games from the night before, and I will promote trips to live events, and with a little luck, and a lot of channel surfing, I will turn all of you into the sports nut that I am.
Go Team GO!
2 comments:
Amen! Promote live sporting events such as grey cup???
You sound like a beer commercial all inspired and such. Now I want to watch sports worse than ever.
89 - I was in the Humboldt Bella Vista swimming pool at a local Kinsmen/kinnette Christmas party when Ridgway kickded that memorable field goal. I believe 'Santa' gave me walkie talkies at that particular party.
93 - I was at home with my family and the local electricians family, who had just wired the lights in our shop.
Superbowl XXXVIII (2004) I was in the Sutherland bar in Saskatoon half tight early in the day with 15 good friends when that historic nipple was exposed.
The list goes on...
Ah yes, the nipple. I was at a buddy’s house here in Regina with about a dozen others. Not many people saw the nipple live, I was watching, but couldn’t really make sense of what I saw. About 10 seconds after it happened, another guy turned around and was like “what just went on there?” It all happened so fast…
Walkie talkies and a world series championship all in the same afternoon…not a bad day.
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