Column:

Playoffs take over

Playoff season controls the lives of sports fans.

By Mark Levitt

Published April 23, 2009

Sports, like anything else, are balanced with other activities and responsibilities. Throughout most of the year, it is easy to make time for school, friends and work while still catching glimpses of the must-see games of the day. Except for right now -- during the playoffs.

Non-sports fans will never be able to understand the importance, the magic, of playoff time. Whether it's baseball in October, football in January or the NBA and NHL from now until June, the playoffs showcase the best of the best, giving fans across the country competition many will never forget.

I was listening to the Red Sox-Yankees game at a concert when Boston completed its improbable comeback from being down 0-3. I watched Kobe and Shaq erase a 17-point fourth quarter deficit in their deciding game against the Portland Trailblazers from the floor of my parents' bedroom in my old St. Louis house. My mom thought I was sound asleep in my own bed. I will never forget jumping out of my chair and knocking over my drink when David Tyree made a miracle catch with his helmet that ultimately beat the New England Patriots.

This stuff matters.

The problem is, once these tournaments start, they literally start controlling lives. Dinner plans are made around games. Conversations with loved ones center on the play LeBron made the night before or are postponed until the series is over.

And homework? Homework?! Like many other students at school, Sundays need to be my most productive day of the week. I make a dent in my mountain of homework for the week, call my parents and go buy the new tube of toothpaste or soap I need. Take a look at how the playoffs can take control of a person and hold on for dear life. My schedule this past Sunday was supposed to look like the following:

9 a.m.: Wake up and go do a community service project.

12 p.m.: Grab a quick bite to eat.

12:20-3 p.m.: Work on my eight-page research paper.

3-5 p.m.: Practice a scene with my partner for my acting class.

5-6 p.m.: Attend an executive board meeting for my organization.

6 p.m.: Have some dinner.

7 p.m.: Study for my economics test this week.

11 p.m.: Call home and plan a trip with my dad.

Midnight: Start getting ready for bed so I can get up for my 8 a.m. class.

I did end up getting out of bed by 9. That's where the similarities between my schedule and what I actually did end. It was raining, so community service was canceled. I proceeded to watch four first-round NBA games plus part of the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh hockey game plus the entirety of the Blues' crushing loss to the Canucks.
I did not touch my research paper, my two-hour meeting with my acting partner was shortened to 30 minutes and I told my dad I'd have to call him during the week (depending on which games were on TV when). It's tough being a sports fan.

Some might say I'm an idiot for neglecting my responsibilities for teams I don't even really care about. They're right. But the beauty of sports happens during the peak of competition, and the peak of competition comes at playoff time. Something new happens in every game that I don't want to miss.

I'm hoping to go out on a date at some point this week. Think the lucky girl will want to watch the Hawks battle the Heat?