What Do You Love?

Let's face it, sports can be frustrating at times. It can drive us crazy to see our favorite team come up short in the championship game (as an Atlanta sports fan I know that all too well). It can pain us to see our team in the midst of a long rebuild. Sports brings us such emotional agony and despair that we wonder why we keep investing in our favorite teams/players season after season. 

We'll watch even when we know that at best our team, whether high school, college or pro, have no chance at winning it all. We'll watch even when the team's owners decide to put up a big sign that says, "Will trade for food," (ask Florida Marlins fans how that feels). Finally, we'll still buy the jerseys and the hats, and will frequent the team's social media sites to fire the coach after each loss.

And then, I was watching the MLB Network special last night on the 1990's Atlanta Braves, and it brought me a reminder of why I love sports...

While watching the documentary on how the "Team of the 90's" finally won the World Series, my wife asked me, "Do you remember where you were when all of this happened?" You're doggone right I do! I remember almost going into tears when Gene Larkin drove in Dan Gladden at the end of the 1991 World Series in what was considered the greatest series ever. I remember screaming my lungs out when Sid Bream slid into home plate in '92, and how even my mother, who never sat down to watch a single game in her life, was jumping up and down when Marquis Grissom caught that ball in October 1995 to bring the title to Georgia. I still get goose bumps just watching the celebration, and I never collected a single paycheck from the Braves.

But see that's the thing about sports. No we may not be on the field, the ice or on the court, but there's a special connection that keeps us coming back. We may abhor some of the violence on the field, but we are also attracted to the spectacle, the drama, and the excitement of knowing something special can happen at any moment. We mourn when they come up short, but we always know that one day, it will come together. 

Imagine the feeling Chicago Cubs fans had in 2016, or the city of Cleveland earlier that year. At least those teams were expected to compete. We experience it every spring when Cinderella crashes the ball during March Madness. We remember names such as Bryce Drew and Lorenzo Charles. 

Sports brings the greatest battles and we marvel at the fact that these grown men and women bring their very best of their craft for our enjoyment. So sure, we never know if or when they will get that celebration parade, but what we love most about sports, is that we can enjoy the ride. 

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