As I write my first blog entry I am sitting at my desk in the computer lab, working an overnight shift from 12 AM to 8 AM. I am not doing this because I need the extra money (while the money would be nice, I am way too lazy to stay up for that reason). But, it is due to the fact that my beloved Philadelphia Eagles are playing the hated New York Giants tomorrow at 1 PM. I am picking up this overnight shift so that I do not have to go to the usual hours of work, which would be during the game. There is just no fathomable way that I could miss the NFC Divisional Playoff Round, even if it is for work.
My extreme devotion to not only the Eagles, but the various other teams that I follow got me thinking about what the world would be like without sports. (Yes, I realize this is a ridiculous idea, but believe me my mind is full of them.) I'd say a good 75% of my day is filled with either thinking about, reading, or playing sports. I can almost guarantee you that my television will be on Comcast Sportsnet or ESPN whenever you walk into my room; and if my computer is open I'm either reading an article on ESPN or SI (unless of course the lights are off, but that's not something you really want to read about). For years I have heard that I should go read a book, but the only books I can really bring myself to read almost always involve sports. It's just too hard to sit down and read anything else. Book stores would be much smaller and generate even less revenue if they had no books to sell regarding the great games we love to watch and play.
Think about the conversations that you have with your friends. I know that with my group of friends (yes, I still have a few), we cannot go more than fifteen minutes without bringing up some reference to sports. If fantasy sports were simply eliminated, the amount of conversation would drop immediately. These conversations can lead to hilarious moments, and more likely than not lead to someone getting angry about something.
While it's possible for these conversations to change to something more "mature" overtime, I just really struggle to see myself sitting around with the guys and talking about what's going on in the world, or the latest "Oprah's Book of the Month Club" novel that I read. I'd much rather talk about the Phillies chances for a repeat, than the latest diplomatic decision made by our president. Many would disagree with this, but just imagine how different life would be if we only talked about politics, religion, and war. The level of fun and relaxation in a conversation would fall down just slightly.
Sports is a great getaway from many of the real world problems. Just as the New York Yankees, I'm not too sure if they realize a recession is even taking place in the United States. People still continue to flock to sporting events, shelling out hundreds of dollars for three hours of fun; while they tightly hold on to every other penny they have in these tough times were facing. People continue to spend thousands of dollars on HDTV's; not because The View just fully went HD, but because Comcast Sportsnet pldeged to show every Flyers and 76ers in HD. Where would people escape to if sports were not there for them?
While many people would call me crazy to stay up all night just to be able to watch "some" football game, I say I am a smarter man for it. It helps to bring me closer to my friends, and acts as a great means to forget about life's troubles. So, the next time you find yourself worried, go sit back, relax, and enjoy three hours of fun and excitement. Because, win or lose sports will always be there to bring us together and lift us up. If it weren't, life would should be a lot more boring. Heck, if there were no sports in the first place I would have never even written this blog, so there's one more thing to chalk up to sports.
