On January 9th, I sat at home and watched the College Football Nation Championship which resulted in Clemson beating Alabama 35-31 for their first championship since 1981. I didn't watch the game because I am a fan of either team, I also didn't watch the game because I am a college football fan, admittedly I am not really a huge fan of any sport except for baseball. I watched the game because I've made it a habit to watch the championship game for any sport. No matter the sport, no matter the teams involved, all championship games ignite something in every sports fan.
There is a certain thrill to a championship game. It is the culmination of a seasons worth of relentless work and the prize is the ultimate honor for your sport. Almost every sports fan, casual or not, can tell you that watching a team win a championship is an unbelievable feeling. The apparent emotions on the face of every person involved shows you how powerful it is to be a part of something so special.
I can also speak from a different perspective, not just as a fan, but as someone who has been apart of a championship celebration. In the summer of 2015, I was the assistant clubhouse manager for the Charlotte Stone Crabs, a minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays in south Florida. The days were long, hot and sometimes unbearable, but quite frankly I wouldn't trade it in for anything in the world. I grew up a die-hard baseball fan and getting the opportunity to work for a baseball team was a dream come true. This couldn't be more true than when the team won the Florida State League championship on my 21st birthday. The pure adrenaline from that day was unbelievable, minor leagues or not it was extraordinarily special to be a part of a professional championship. To make it even more special, I got to share it with my brother who was a batboy for the team that summer. It was a moment I never imagined I would get to share with him but something I will cherish forever. In addition to him, my family, girlfriend and one of my best friends were in attendance to see the final out of the game. Before this all took place I thought I had a solid grasp on how special it was for any team in any sport at any level to win a championship, but it was on that night that I learned the true meaning.
You don't even have to be a sports fan to understand what it’s like for young men and women all over the countrywho work day in and day out to achieve something. Watching Dabo Swinney and his team celebrate that night brought back some memories of September 13th, 2015 and any championship always will. I'll leave you with a quote from Bill Plaschke of the LA Times from an article he wrote about sports in 2016, "Once again, at its best, sports wasn’t about sports, but about the human spirit, and how witnessing and participating in this spirit can strengthen the resilience of humanity." Sports has a way of doing that to people, it has a special way of invoking emotion and creating memories.
