Sports Can Actually Mean Something

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Ah, the playoffs are finally here! The World Series is only two weeks away. I am pumped! I have been waiting for this for the past two months, and now I can just smell, through my television screen, the stitchings on a baseball. The intensity is even more than it was during the regular season, and there is so much on the table. I love it!

A good friend of mine once said that he was really unaffected by what happened in the world of sports, and for good reason. I mean, what does it matter to my friend, a senior in college, if the Colorado Rockies win 15 of their last 16 games and make the playoffs? He still has to go to class, and, at the end of the day, his life will probably remain the same.

But to me, what happens in the world of sports can have a significant impact on what goes on in my daily life. Granted, sports are definitely low on the totem pole, far below God, family, friends and such. But what happens on the grid iron, court, or diamond, can do enough to cheer me up when I'm feeling down and give me hope that sometimes, the cards can be dealt in favor of the "good guy," the home team. I feel a person connection with that home team, cause I feel I am that "good guy" who will one day achieve his great purpose in life.

In recent memory, there have been two instances where the outcome of a sports contest lifted up my spirits. The first was on New Year's Day 2007, when Boise State upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. That particular evening, I was upset because I found out that one of the girls I liked was no longer single. My spirits were low, I was stunned, and I did not know what to do. However, watching Boise State miraculously come back and beat Oklahoma pumped me up, and it made the situation I was in easier to digest, and, eventually, I got over it.

The second instance was just this past Monday, when the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres in dramatic, 13-inning fashion. Earlier that evening, I came to the conclusion that Zora, the girl I liked, really was not interested in me. I was kind of bummed, and was in a position of uncertainty. I decided to watch the game on television to try to liven up. I thought the Rockies were going to lose after being down two at the top of the 14th inning, but their comeback was downright awesome and somehow inspired me to put forth my best efforts in all that I do and not be discouraged by the troubles of women.