I have spent parts of my life watching, playing and discussing sports. My friends say I talk about sports and statistics more than most things. They are right. I have a connection to sports whether I played them competitively or for fun or whether I just watch them on TV. When I played sports I found a connection with the people I was playing with. They became some of my closest friends not just on the field but off the field. Sports give people a way to express themselves for example, when I played soccer I channeled every emotion I had whether it was anger or sadness and used it to play the game.

Sports are something people can connect with other people about. Sometimes you might be a fan of the same team or you might just both love the same sport. Relationships and bonds are created on and off the field and when the game is over you are left with some of the best people. Alabama senior safety and captain Eddie Jackson wrote a letter to his teammates and in his letter he discussed the importance of how teammates work off of others energy and put in the time to become better. As a fan I do not see the tireless hours of practice put in throughout the week but instead I see the finished product on Saturday afternoon. We have the luxury to be able to watch sports on many days of the weeks but sometimes we forget time commitment and also the relationships built from the game.

Friendships are created through playing the game and one of the most important bonds I can think of is the relationship of Jerome Brown and Reggie White. Both played for the Philadelphia Eagles and were apart of a very dominant defense during the late 80s and early 90s. In 1992 Jerome Brown passed away in an automobile accident Reggie White, in an emotional state told members in the Philadelphia community about the loss of one of their own. “Today I lost a great friend, Philadelphia lost a great player, Jerome Brown died today. This man was a very special man to me. His family, they are special people and all the stuff you heard the things said and even the negative stuff, this man was one of the greatest people I’ve ever met and knew in my life.” While we might watch sports for fun and to see the best going against the best it can be easy to forget the bonds created from the sports.

Every person loves a specific sport and has that love for a good reason. It could be that when they were younger their father took them to baseball games during the summer or someone’s favorite memories could be of playing basketball with their best friends even if they weren’t the best player. Sports give us not just something to lov or bond over but something that we can remember and love for as long as we want. Just think when you have a child I am sure you want to tell them about the time you saw the Chicago Cubs rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series or Alabama’s onside kick in the national championship game or even having the chance to meet a famous athlete. All of those moments are why we love sports. The memories that we can pass on to our friends and families that we love so much and hoping they love those memories or better find their own memories to love.

I love sports not just because I get to see some of the best people in the game compete because I get to watch it with my friends. I think friends and family are one of the reasons I love sports so much. I can thank so many people for opening my eyes to these activities because without them I don’t think sports would have the same impact on my life.