Will Sports be the Same Again?

 I find myself at a crossroads heading into my 54^th year of life. Sports just don’t seem to have the same appeal as they used to.

I think much of this is pandemic-related. When athletics ceased last March, there was a major hole for a little bit, especially with the NCAA Tournament taking the biggest hit. College basketball usually fills the void between the end of the NFL season to the start of the baseball season, in addition to the NBA and NHL playoffs.

When everything shut down, it was distressing at first, but then it became the norm. ESPN wasn’t my first channel of choice when I flipped on the TV and truth be told, I only go there occasionally now. I got into baseball somewhat because I had a fantasy team and the quirk of the season. While it’s hard to have continued enthusiasm when the Orioles are one of the league’s worst teams year-after-year, the short season kept them in contention longer than usual.

 I think guilt also plays a part in my lackadaisical attitude to the things that held sway over me for the majority of my existence. That guilt extends just to college athletics, and high school to a degree. I find it hard for a group of young men and women to put themselves into a situation like being close to each for extended periods of time when that is seemingly how the virus is transmitted. I haven’t heard of any college athletes dying from the disease, which is great to hear, but will there be long-term ramifications for those who contracted it?

That’s a funny term---contracted it. It makes it seem like there was a mutual agreement between two parties.  

The biggest thing that has annoyed me about the past college football season and now to the ongoing college basketball season is the shock some get when games are postponed or canceled because of Covid-related issues. To use a trite phrase---duh!  

Now to the NBA and NHL. When they came back in the summer, again I had little interest. Not because of the potential dangers to players, that’s a personal decision they could make on their own. Two factors: I thought they should have just called their respective seasons a wash and moved on to focusing on the next season. And no fans in the stands took a lot away from it as well. A great part of watching those games on TV is hearing the roar of the crowd, the energy in the arena and the raw human emotion of it all.  

I love pro football and had no motivation issues enjoying the season this year. Even the empty stadiums couldn’t dampen my enthusiasm. It helps that Connor is starting to become an aficionado. He’ll often quiz me---it’s a grilling really---about players and the rules of the game. He’s started playing Madden on the iPad and that’s helping his education, too.

Living in Georgia will be a bonus this year. By the time the Super Bowl is over and the black hole descends, there will only be a few weeks until it’s lawn mowing season.