Column: Giving thanks in sports
Published Dec. 4, 2009
Too often, I'll sit down to write my weekly column and I'll have the immediate urge to comment on how badly something went. My first instinct is often to pelt the paper with my thoughts on recent and pertinent aspects of sports about which I am passionate.
More often than not, I get most passionate about some "great injustice" in the sports world instead of focusing on the positive side of things.
Well, in honor of the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I'm bucking that trend this week. Although the topics of my columns might suggest otherwise, there are actually a great number of things in the sports universe for which I am, in fact, very appreciative, including fantasy football and tailgating, to name two off the top of my head. Here are a few more that I hope aren't as terribly obvious.
First, I am incredibly thankful for instant replay and review in professional sports. Missed the play? You're in luck! Didn't miss the play? Twice as nice! Although the official review or challenge does sometimes slow down the game to an extent, at the cost of more accurate calls, I'll take that hit. Baseball, take note.
Speaking of which, I am forever thankful for the ballpark. It generally caters toward one team making for a more personal and friendly feel than a convention center-style basketball and hockey arena. The traditionally cheaper pricing and frequency of games only make it easier to attend.
Moving along, say what you want, but the NFL throwback jerseys are awesome. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ orange sherbet-colored explosion several weeks ago looks like its going to be the most memorable thing going for them this season and rivals only the powder blue and canary yellow jerseys the Philadelphia Eagles sported in 2007.
Next, I cannot get enough of any type of playoff but especially elimination games or Game 7s. There is something special about "do or die" situations in sports when it comes down to the wire, an entire season on the line, either move closer to a championship or head to the off-season — nothing compares.
It is at that point when the hot hand really matters more than ever and when you can most easily pick out the pressure performers from the goats. For better or worse, seasons are most often remembered for the end result, and elimination games are exactly where the most memorable situations are made.
All that being said, all is not well and good in the world of sports. Far from it. There are still numerous things that irk me, bone-headed decisions that almost make me sick to my stomach. And to be honest, I am forever thankful for many of these negative aspects in sports.
Everyone has an opinion and a side to the story, and it is a result of these varied views that friendly debates and discussions over dinner or coffee tables nationwide are often sparked. Often, someone's negative is another's positive and the awkward silence-shattering and conversation-inciting discussion ensues, all to the backdrop of sports.
If that's not good news, I don't know what is. I'll leave discussing the bad news for the rest of the school year.