For most of my life I never understood the allure of
sports. I knew that many people loved
sports, but I never really understood why.
I could even understand why people would want to play them, but not just
watch them. I saw people shelling out
big bucks for sports apparel, sports equipment, tickets for games and spending
nights and weekends glued to television sets.
I did not get it.
Because I never sat and watched any games, it was no
wonder that they did not matter to me. I
did not know the rules or the players. I
did not understand how important sports were in enhancing the quality of
people’s lives. Truth be told, I wasn’t
even that into games when my own children were playing them.
But, that was then and this is now. Twenty-five years ago when my husband and I became
a couple he asked me if I liked sports and I answered honestly telling him that
I didn’t. He asked why and I told him
that I thought that they were boring and a waste of time.
He asked me what I knew about them and I told him
that other than just a couple of sports the correct answer was nothing. He asked me to watch some with him and I
did. We watched NASCAR and he told me
why he liked certain drivers and not others.
I started enjoying NASCAR.
We watched some college football and for the first
time ever, even though I had been a cheerleader, I had the game explained to me. I found out that it makes a
huge difference if you know what is going on.
I learned the players and came to know their stories. I loved their stories and I began to
appreciate their talent.
We watched college basketball which was his favorite
game and I grew to love the sport. I
liked that many of the players had been awarded scholarships to go to
school. This was mainly before “one and done.” For all you non-sports fans out there, that
means that a player comes to college one year and if they are really good they
may choose to leave college and declare for the professional draft to be chosen
by a pro sports team to play for them.
I do not like one and done, because I want to see
young people finish their education, become young adults while in a college or
university setting and mature some before they get all that money and sometimes
fame. I want them to know that there is
more to life than just sports. Most
college players do not ever get to become professional players, but the fact
that they get to play and even put themselves through school by playing sports
is, I think, remarkable.
I am so glad that my husband slowed me down and took
the time to explain the different sports to me.
I am so glad that I took the time to learn the different games, learn
the rules, learn the players and learn the coaches.
So, if you haven’t tried sports take it from me you
may want to. Sports became a true gift
for me. Whether a person gets to play
sports or only be a fan, all kinds of sports can be a wonderful diversion in this
game of life.
©Patty F.
Cooper, June 23rd, 2014, Elizabethton, Tennessee
All Rights Reserved
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