The other night I went to a college basketball game. Dressed in the team colors, I piled into the large gym with my fellow peers. As I looked around the gym waiting for the game to begin, I had to ask myself, “What am I doing here?” I didn’t know the players and, honestly, I don’t completely understand the game, yet I found myself screaming along with the rest of the crowd, jumping up and down every time my team scored.

What is it about sporting events that get people so excited? Even a person who has no idea what is going on during a game still goes crazy when his or her team wins -- that is, if they even have a team! That’s the magic of sporting events. Whether at an actual event or watching one on TV, the team that you are rooting for becomes “your team.” When the team wins, you feel like you have won as well. Not only do you feel a part of the team of players, but you also become a part of a team of fans. Surrounded by others all rooting and hoping for the same thing - to win - makes a person feel a sense of togetherness, a feeling of belonging to a group of people that are all “working” toward the same goal.

Sports also allow a person to escape from his/her everyday life for just a little while. Many people lead very routine lives--they wake up in the morning, go to school or work, come home, do more work, and go to bed. It is the same every day. Sporting events allow a person to go crazy by offering opportunities to yell as loud as one can and get as mad as one wants to. Sporting events give a person a chance to escape from normal life and focus on something more fun and exciting.

People like to witness miracles. They like to see the underdog find victory and see a small-town boy make his way to the NBA. They start to believe that if the “little guy” can accomplish his/her dreams, then so can they. Sporting events give people this hope--by living vicariously through the players even while sitting at home in their living rooms, they can start to imagine that their dreams can also come true.

There are many reasons why people enjoy sports even if they aren’t playing in the actual game. As I prepare to attend my next game, all I have to say is: GO TEAM -- whichever one you may be!