I love sports. Let it be known. I LOVE sports. This hasn’t always been true. Growing up, I had a father who was disillusioned by the Baseball Strike of 1994 and who preferred more alternative sports like boxing. However, I grew up in Indiana during a time where the city was positioning itself as the Amateur Sports Capital of the World (if you are interested in the civic-sports strategy of Indianapolis, you can watch “From Naptown to Super City” a documentary about the growth of Indianapolis from the 1960s to today).
I also married a man who is in love with sports. He doesn’t love sports in a “super-fan” kind of way, all body-paint and tailgating. He loves sports in a “metaphor to life” sort of way. Let me take you to 2005-2006 shortly after our marriage and before the birth of our first son.
We are in Charlotte, having moved there with no friends or family to speak of. I am big pregnant, full of life but lacking energy. The World Cup was that summer and football season was now underway. We spent a lot of time watching sports on our new big TV (the one we bought before we moved because we knew we’d be spending a lot nights at home, without friends and with a new baby).
Husband is a most excellent man. He is a natural teacher, all patient and wise. He is an effective communicator unlike any I’ve ever met. Maybe he just speaks my language? Regardless, he realized that his young bride was more interested in Law and Order reruns than sports of any kind. So, he devised a plan.
instagram from Friday at the Super Bowl Village Indy
Knowing that women (his wife!) are highly relational, he began to weave in stories of the individual players as the games wore on. He knows that I am jazzed by other people’s enthusiasm, so he regaled me with the high hopes and the desires of the cities competing. He was the a first-class sports reporter, threading together a story of epic proportions for each game we watched. I was hooked. Every game has a story, just like the fact that every moment in life contributes to a greater Story.
Sports and Story became the common language in our home–and thank God, as we went on to have two more sons. I believe the love of sports was born out of a desire to connect with my husband, and will be fruitful in the future of connecting with my sons. I love watching sports, I love listening to sports radio. I love learning about the business end of teams. I love beating Husband to the breaking sports news–texting him when I hear something juicy.
Maybe sports are our love language. A way to connect that makes both of us excited. I do know this, it has been our joy to see our city come alive for the hosting of Super Bowl 46. We both spent a lot of time downtown this week–he wanted to be part of the nighttime crazy and I wanted to see my favorite ESPN personalities at work broadcasting during the day.
Life lessons from the sports field abound. There is the age old battle of good and evil. There is the idea that sometimes there is a winner…and with that comes a loser–not a ribbon for participation. One day you’re the hero, one day you’re the goat. How do you look beyond that? How do you live your life without riding the rollercoaster of expectation? That is an absolutely important life lesson.
Tim Tebow talks about choosing not to ride the roller coaster of other people’s expectations
I know, the salaries of professional sports stars are exorbitant. It is unfortunate that our society has monetized pro sports to the extent that athletes make at least 5 times (at the very least) and 150 times (at the most) more than our best educators annually. I wish we could figure out the education problem. However, I have changed my thoughts on the fact that elite athletes make a zillion dollars. This fact used to gross me out–I mean, really gross me out. I have come to the realization though, that sports bring incredible income to a city and foster a sense of civic pride, shared experience, and community involvement.
Now, let’s talk about idolization of athletes. Y’all. Get real. I know that athletes are sometimes made to be role models. I get this. And, I know how uncomfortable it will be when my boys get to an age where the hear of the poor decisions their favorite athletes make. BUT, athletes are like everyone else (well, kind of…)–crappy at times, poor decision makers at points, and just dumb sometimes. I think I’ll make a point to talk with my boys about how sports are for our enjoyment and entertainment, but making an idol out of anyone or anything is against God’s best for us. We shouldn’t look to anyone to be unfaltering because we ourselves cannot be unfaltering. I want our boys to look up to people we know, people who love them, and people who have direct accountability in our community. Sports stars are fun to watch, but they shouldn’t be set on a pedestal.
Sport mirrors life. Life is pantomimed during any given match, game, or tournament. Sometimes, sport is the common language we can speak. Just like speaking in someone else’s native tongue is a sacrifical and necessary part of communicating, I needed to learn one language that the men in my life speak. And really, that is good. That is love. That is fun.
10 Comments on "why i love sports"
I grew up in a family that loved sports (well, my mom and I would curl up on her bed and watch some romantic movie while the rest of the family would watch sports downstairs) and married into a family that loves sports. I have been trying to make more of an effort in watching games with my husband because he loves them as well, even coaches high school basketball. So while I can’t say that I love it as much as you yet, I do understand what you’re saying and think it’s great that you have come to love something like that with your husband! I’m still working on it and may get there one day. :)
Love this! I love sports, too. And L&O reruns. My hubby and son couldn’t care less about sports. My daughter is just like her mama – loves a good game, loves the stories behind the athletes, and loves the sports as a metaphor for life angle, too.
Indy did a great job this week!!
I agree that sports is a language and a way of loving the men in our lives. I got more into sports than ever when I was living at home with my dad and brother post college. Nearly ten years later and living 2k miles apart we almost always talk about sports when we’re on the phone. My husband isn’t super into sports, but I am so grateful to have learned what I did from my family, should we have a child that’s obsessed :)
Thank you for this post! You’re putting words to thoughts that have been slow to form in my mind. My husband works in athletics, but I grew up in an “artsy” home so it’s been hard to understand the phenomenon of sports. But as I’m drawn into the stories of individual players, of how teams build their success, of franchises’ histories, I’m beginning to see that it’s so much more than chasing a ball or winning a game. Great words – thank you!
For me, and this is silly, I most enjoy sports when I can see the athletes’ faces. Is that weird? Like, I don’t really love football – I feel no sense of connection or engagement with the players. But basketball or tennis or track and field – I can see their faces, see the exertion and the focus and the sweat, and I feel so much more invested in what’s happening.
Like you said above, there’s Story to be had in sports, and that’s what I really love.
I loved reading this! What a sweet story and a fresh way to look at sports. Thanks for sharing :)
Love,
Elizabeth
Enjoyed your post. Love, Love, Love sports. They just make me happy. I have wonderful memories of my mom falling asleep on the couch at night watching a baseball game when I was growing up. I now have 2 sons and I am a much bigger sports fan than my husband. One son shares my love of sports and the other isn’t interested at all. My dad is now deceased and the love of sports is a nice bond with my mom. She will call and leave me a VM, “there’s a good game on ESPN tonight.” It makes me smile.
I’m the sports nut in our family and I hope that my children appreciate the lessons that sports teach us as they get older. I have wonderful memories of high school athletics and going to local professional games. Such a great post!
Great post! I used to love sports too… before I got married. Back then, my husband didn’t care too much for them. I don’t know how it happened, but after a while, the roles reversed. He became almost obsessed with watching every game and keeping up with the latest stats… I because a bit resentful of the amount of quality time he spent with our television vs. with me… However, I think we’ve struck a good balance… He doesn’t watch every game but the ones he does watch, I try to watch too. As you said, it’s love. I have a son too and you’re so right that a love of sports will come in handy down the road in regards to being able to relate to him.
We Indy natives who still live here have had a BLAST the past couple of weeks. I talk a bit about it in my most recent post, “The Highlight Reel”. I, too, love to follow the story behind the game/athletes. When I delve into the personalities and backgrounds of the players, it makes it much more fun to watch. Our favorite story around here is the Butler Bulldogs. My husband’s client David Woods just released his revision of Underdawgs, which tells the story of each of the players leading up to both of the March Madness runs.