Putting sports into perspective

The NCAA College basketball Final Four games are here. Fans across the country will be cheering for their favorite teams. There is nothing wrong with that if it is all kept in perspective.

Sporting events, unless you are a participant, are entertainment. Whatever the outcome, life will go on.

The vicious language one hears from every side of fandom is just wrong. How can you “hate” this team or that team? Hate should be reserved for those who actually do you harm, say an ex-spouse. Hate should be reserved for crimes like mass murder. Hate should be an emotion for only the vilest of deeds. Sports should not warrant hate.

Also, sports do not have heroes. Heroes are policemen and women, EMS personnel, firefighters, and soldiers. Heroes are people who put their lives on the line to save the lives of others. Unless a sports figure actually puts him or herself in harm’s way to protect someone else, hero would not apply regardless of the ‘game changing play.’

Before anyone jumps all over my case that “I just don’t understand sports,” let me tell you a bit about myself. I grew up a sports fan. I follow sports of all kinds and can quote you stats and rosters from just about every sport (well, maybe not soccer or rugby). I was raised in an era before Title IX so my sports involvement as a young person was not participatory. Since there were no girls’ teams, I did what I could to be a part games: I kept team stats and I became official scorekeeper at many events. I do know sports.

I also understand team loyalty. I have favorite teams and I have teams I would rather not root for. I wear my “lucky” shirt on game day and I attend games. However, I don’t “hate” any team. Even teams I don’t root for are comprised of people – mostly young people just trying to better themselves. How can I “hate” that?

So regardless of the outcome of the Final Four games, life will go on. There is a huge list of things that could be worse than your favorite team losing like:

• Having a car wreck
• Losing your house to a tornado
• Having cancer
• Losing a job
• Being homeless
• Losing a spouse
• Losing your legs protecting your children
• Losing a child

~ Patty