Sports

Why do we like sports? Why do we get our heart rates going, scream at televisions, and verbally abuse our rival teams? Why do sports matter? I guess the reason why I am asking is to figure out if being a fan actually matters at all. Why should I care about 22 guys on a field kicking a sphere between some poles? I would argue it is because sports are about everything else attached to the game, not the game itself.

Every fan has a reason why they love the game. Maybe you played, maybe your family did, or maybe you just grew up with it. Regardless of the reason, sports and games exist in every culture around the world. They are a release. Sports provide us with something more than the reality that is around us. For 90 minutes while the ball is kicked around the pitch, you can forget about your lack of a job, your trouble with your wife, or even the fact that your life is completely in the shitter. Staring into the screen and watching your team score a goal can make you feel ten feet tall and weightless, as you scream your favorite player’s name at the top of your lungs. We watch sports to get away. Sports are a change of pace. Even when we as a culture attach outside meanings to games, they still provide us with a way to look away from something we don’t want to see. Sometimes all we need is a place to scream about how we hate the world around us. Sometimes you need the Miracle on Ice or the Hand of God.

The game is not always the same from culture to culture. Football is by far the world’s most popular game, but not every person on the planet plays it. Even more important, not everyone shares a common fervor for the beautiful game. The game is not the important part though, what you feel when you watch it is. Being a fan is about the rush you feel on game day, even if you have never set foot in the country where the game is being played. People all over the world through their things into cramped vehicles and take pilgrimages to their castles the world over. For every man, woman, and child, those temples, those cathedrals, will stand forever in their memories. From Wembley to Yankee Stadium, the end result is the same. Our castles exist to protect us. Our castles exist to help us escape from the armies that wait on the outside. I call on you to build your castle, regardless of where it is. Embark on your journey and eventually you will find your home.