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“It’s Just a Game” Falls on Deaf Ears Every Time
It’s hard to relate to a sports fan when you’re so obviously NOT one.
Another weekend of football has gone and passed us by, and sometimes I wish the whole thing would be over with in just days instead of months.
It’s especially hard to console an upset sports fan when you so clearly cannot understand what the person is going through. Case in point: my uncle is a huge Chicago Bears fan, and their recent loss spurred him into such a depressive state that I was honestly shocked by its manifestation.
Me? I don’t get it. I never played on sports teams in school — unless it was required for P.E. — and I don’t have any stakes invested in any college or professional teams. Hell, I never even went to any games hosted at my own high school. The closest I ever came to a sports following was the era when my dad liked to go to Chicago Blackhawks games; I went along because it was nice to get out of the house. That’s it.
To say the sports fixation is all about competition — well, I understand that well enough, I guess. I’ve entered a few dozen writing contests, and it has hurt every single time I lost or came away with nothing but the equivalent of a consolation prize or participation trophy. But you move on. It’s not so bad after that first stinging…
