A lot of people play sports growing up; street hockey, football, hockey, tennis, and a whole never-ending list of other sports. Then, somewhere along the way we stop playing and start watching, on TV, live streams on the web or, the absolutely best option: watching live. People will go to huge lengths to get to a game and the people watching will often be just as passionate and even more involved in the game than the actual players. We keep track of statistics down to the last decimal, we are aware of player transfers and line-ups and when a team takes a loss it seems to hurt the people watching just as much as it does the actual players. The same thing happens when your team wins - a sense of achievement, relief and euphoria spreads across the arena from the players to the people watching. We will also refer to our home team as "us" or "we".
"We won last night!"
A game between two certain teams will make thousands and thousands (depending on which sport) of people go on sort of a pilgrimage to the same place and at the same time, only to watch athletes do what they do best. A countless number of people will hurry home from work only to hit the couch to share in the success and/or hardships of their team and to scream at the television. People have been in tears due to both victory and defeat, players and spectators alike. When you get to work the next day, you are very likely to discuss the game, at length with great detail and passion with your friends and colleagues and exchange opinions. If one of your colleagues happens to support the last nights losing team, you might end up giving him/her a hard time because "you lost last night".
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| Like... a lot of people. |
We will argue and make ridiculous points in a desperate attempt to defend our teams honor until the next time those two teams play, when our team wins and the tables turn which gives us the opportunity to return the favor by giving our colleagues a hard time in turn. Millions, and millions again of merchandise will be sold and something so simple as a signature from the right player will be worth... well, a lot. Not only money-wise but emotionally.
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| Like... even more (!) people! |
I sometimes get asked how I have the energy to attend so many practices, how I can attend two practices back to back after a 12-hour shift at work, and to me that is a "no-brainer." When I start my 12-hour shift, and throughout the rest of the day, I am thinking about the practice I will be attending later that night. I think "Only 8 more hours and then I finally get to go to practice."
The question then becomes - Why are sports so amazing?
I'd like to think of it as a small world inside the world in which we live. A separate world where everyone shares a common interest. A place where there are no world politics, a place where you can put everything aside for an hour and a half and just focus on this one thing. There can be a raging storm outside the arena, but for the duration of the practice that doesn't affect you. It is a fantastic escape from every day life, an escape that offers comfort through familiarity. The arena becomes like your second home and your team becomes your second family, a family with it's own wonderful qualities and faults. The same thing happens for the people watching; they form a bond, a relationship with the team and the players which is what makes us get so emotionally invested in the team and the sport. We are provided with a sense of belonging, outside of the every-day life. A sense of brotherhood, a sense of brotherly and sisterly love.
The fact that we are able to let everything else go and just step out on the court and just play or practice your heart out, is a fantastic thing. It has enriched my life and the lives of so many people and will continue doing so as long as there are athletes. It helped me grow not only physically but mentally, more so than anything else. I learned from my brothers, I learned from interactions, and both defeat and victory helped me to grow as a person.
That, I believe, is why sports are so amazing.
Do you share my opinion, or maybe you have a differing opinion? Feel free to comment!
Peace!
Because of knee injuries I haven't played floorball or football for roughly five years now. Two sports I really loved and have played since I was just a kid. Now at 25 I don't do any sport, and I can really miss it sometimes. But the thing I miss the most isn't the actual performing of the sports – it's the friendship that comes from sharing a pitch, a bench and a locker room and playing as a team.
SvaraRaderaI really do believe you have a point in what you're saying, and that playing in a team and striving towards a common goal also helps you grow as a person.
Plus it's fun.