Often times, people complain about the ridiculous amounts of money that professional athletes make or the ridiculous costs of attending an event. Sure, it seems unnecessary, but there is more to it. Behind all the glitz and glamour, though, the same thing remains––a sport. Whether it is hockey or basketball or softball or soccer, sports matter.
I have played baseball, basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, and dabbled with golf. Not to mention all the sports I watch on TV, like MMA, NASCAR, and of course, the Olympics. So why do sports matter so much? To me, it is about passion. Everyone has something they are passionate about in life. For some, it is music or art. Others have hiking or rock climbing. For many people, that passion is sports. That is what you find when you look past all the money and glamor of professional athletes.
Sports are not just for the elite though; they are for everyone. Kids, families, and social clubs, amongst others. Sports bring people together in teamwork, in being a fan, in being a part of something bigger. Take, for example, the Olympics coming up this summer in Brazil. America will be united in cheering for our nation's best to win gold. You can also see it on a much smaller scale with professional sports teams. Being from Chicago, there is nothing like being a part of the championship parade that brings thousands of people together.
One of the most fantastic displays I have seen comes at the high school and college level, though. Seeing a group of students come together for a playoff game or during March Madness is indescribable. The raw emotion that they feel is once in a lifetime. That is what sports can do.
It gives people opportunities they might not have had otherwise. It allows new friendships to be formed, and bonds to be created. Having a tight-knit team can make or break a season. My junior year of high school we were about as tight knit as you could get. We stayed late after practice and had team meals and get-togethers every Thursday night before game day. We had become a family over the course of the season. As a result, we took the 25th ranked team in the country, which was undefeated, to the wire and only lost by three in the regional final, a feat that our school had been nowhere close to in recent history. That is what sports can do.
At the end of the day, do not just think about how famous athletes make ridiculous amounts of money. Realize there is a love and passion for it. Realize how sports bring people together and how they can captivate the world. Sports have been around since the start of written history and will not be going anywhere anytime soon. That is why sports matter.
