For 22 years, I’ve loved sports.
I’ve watched sports, played sports, discussed sports and argued about sports my entire life, but I’m only now figuring out why they mean so much to me.
On a superficial level, they’re pure entertainment. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey tennis or ping pong, it doesn’t really matter. They’re all fun.
My fitness levels are on-par with a pack-a-day smoker, but I’ll play soccer until I can no longer stand up.
My coordination levels have been stuck on “newborn giraffe” for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never let that stop me from competing.
Have I rolled my ankle checking into a basketball game? You bet.
Did I let that stop me from continuing to pursue a basketball career that peaked during an undefeated church league season? Of course not.
I’ve had such a blast competing that I’ve been willing to embarrass myself for nearly two decades. It might sound crazy, but being unathletic has been a blessing because it’s made watching sports that much more enjoyable.
I have so much appreciation for guys like LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo. It was already fun to watch athletes score goals, score touchdowns and get buckets, but now I can enjoy it even more because I know I can’t come close to matching their feats.
But my love for sports runs so much deeper than them being fun.
They’re a great teacher. When kids sign up for Pop Warner or Little League, They’re also signing up to learn some of life’s most valuable lessons.
Nothing teaches you a team-first attitude quicker than when you don’t move away from that errant fastball headed toward your elbow so you can reach first base. A spirit of perseverance is cultivated after you’re forced to bounce back from that first bad loss or humiliating performance.
At their core, I view sports as a great unifier. They bring the most unlikely people together.
I owe some of my best friends to sports. It might sound cheesy, but if Kobe Bryant can write a love poem to the game of basketball, I think I’m entitled to a few feels.
I met my friends Eddy and Hafiz on the soccer field. We came from different backgrounds — Nigeria and north Louisiana — but our common love for a game launched some wonderful friendships. Thanks to soccer, I gained two brothers.
One of my best friends and former roommate Roger is from Honduras. I barely knew him when we traveled to Dallas to watch LSU and TCU play in 2013, but a weekend centered around a football game brought us together, and now nothing will keep us apart.
It’s not just me, though. I see it every time I step in Tiger Stadium. I love when I see the frattiest frat guy who ever fratted and the nerdiest nerd who ever nerded hug like best friends who haven’t seen each others in years when LSU scores a touchdown.
It’s more than the wins and losses. The more I live, the more I realize it’s never “just a game.”
Thank you, sports. I really do owe you so much.
Jack Woods is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Ruston, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @Jack_TDR.