Life's Simple Joys: Sports

March 12, 2020 will be known as the day the sports world died (temporarily due to the coronavirus,) and since then, life as we know it has not been the same. You see so many folks on social media trying to make the best of it. From funny memes, to those who are trying new hobbies, but watching sports and being at a sporting event is special.

Growing up I always loved sports. I remember going to Yankees and Mets games, Jets and Giants games and even a Knicks game from time to time. But when I went to my very first New York Rangers game for my fourteen birthday, I was hooked. There's nothing quite like going to a hockey game in person. Yes, I watch more games on TV than I get to watch in person, but the rush you get of simply just, "being there," can't even be expressed in writing! (But I will try.)

No other sport can match up to hockey. Football takes breaks after every four downs. The last 20 seconds of a basketball game could take 15 minutes with all the timeouts, and baseball, we all know that baseball is slow, no matter what they do to make it go "faster." All people need to do is watch a few games or hangout with some true hockey fans, and I believe that they will understand why hockey is the most exciting sport to watch.

I could tell you that I love the action and adrenaline of the greatest sport on earth. I could tell you that I love the fact that hockey players are the most genuine athletes and are hard core, bad asses. I could tell you that I love all that, not to mention the fact that I am severely jealous of just how well the players can ice skate, forwards, backwards, sideways. I could tell you that I like how I can sit through sixty minutes of play, an hour worth of intermission reports, an OT and a shootout and somehow find myself more engaged the longer I spend sitting in front of the T.V. But even still, some guys can't grasp the idea of a woman loving hockey as much as I do.

Not only are sports considered entertainment, but they provide us an escape from the mundane daily life that is work, eat, sleep, repeat. Its absence now creates this irreplaceable void, to be frank. If you don't think that people are hooked on sports or diehard fans, then explain to me why some actually cry when their team wins or even loses? I cried for about an entire week when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994. I also cried when the Yankees won in 1996. (Hey, I so get emotional.)

Sports have very positive impacts on our society. Whether its helping children or our communities, sports make difference on a daily basis. Sports in general, not just hockey, bring people together. I enjoy thinking and talking about sports with other people. We marvel over accomplishments, breakdown plays and strategies. Yes, there are people who take that part sometimes way too far, but again, the point of why folks love sports and why it simply brings joy to people is because it brings us together. No matter someone's politics, race, religion, sexual preference, or gender; sports has a way to cut the coverbal crap out and let's people bond and relate to each other.

The one positive of not having sports at this time is the fact that when they actually return we will as a society appreciate the athletes more. We will appreciate going to a ball game, hanging out with others on the couch or at the bar. We will also see that athletes aren't robots, they are human beings as well. The simple joy of watching sports and being connected to something even greater than we even imagined, was taken from us. In due time it will return, and when it does, that day will be the day that the champagne corks will pop.