The Sports Obsession

The Sport Obsession
I was pleased when I learned that Bell County High School recently won the Class 4 A football state championship. I was even more surprised to see the overwhelming support of the team, not only from Bobcat fans, but from neighboring schools as well.
I think that sports teach very important life lessons; teamwork, hard work, discipline, and following directions to name a few. However with all the benefits that sports contribute to our society, there are some cases where our fascination with sports can lead to an obsession which can also be very detrimental.
Sports are ingrained into American and world culture. However, sometimes it feels like we can take things a little too far. We can have a tendency to act in an uncivil manner towards fans of opposing teams. I've seen eggs thrown at local high school football games, the cars of opposing players vandalized, and nasty sentiments expressed verbally regarding another team in the presence of children. There have been reports across the world of unruly soccer hooligans or rioting when someone's team wins a national championship, World Series, or Super Bowl. Sports seem to have the ability to bring out the best and worst in us.
I played sports in high school. I remember it being both fun and at the same time a lot of work. I was lucky enough to have a father that wanted me to have fun playing sports and did not force me to play. This was not the case with all of my teammates. I've heard and witnessed horror stories of fathers that force their sons to play sports, or even worse, will take an active role to ensure that their sons get the playing time "they deserve". I think we all at least know, or have seen, one of these fathers at a game.
Sporting events and merchandise are a major part of the economy today. Athletes are paid in the millions of dollars and it always seems to make major news when Scott Boras gets the big contract with all the perks. It creates a larger than life persona that often times lands these big name stars in the news headlines not only for the size of their contract, but also for the criminal charges they collect like trading cards. The merchandise rights, the advertisements, the spokesperson deals, and even the outrageous prices some of us pay to attend these sporting events goes to show you that sports are highly valued in America.
I am guilty of falling victim to at least some parts of the obsession. I myself am a diehard sports fan. I have my favorite teams that I will either watch on television or travel to see in person. It's just something I enjoy. However, at the end of the day, win or lose, I know it's just a game. I told myself that every time I play a game, whether it was varsity football or the occasional game of pick-up basketball. Sports are meant for recreation and enjoyment. It's when you start to take them too seriously that sports lose their meaning and we lose the important life lessons.
When Bell County did win the state championship, there was an online battle between one particular poster and what seemed like everyone else in Bell County. The person who was adamantly opposed to Bell County playing for the state title was an individual that took high school sports a little too seriously. This person was overly critical of the Bell County team and insisted that Bell did not deserve to be playing for the state title(amongst other concerns the person expressed online). This person took the game so seriously as to antagonize an entire county in order to "talk his trash". This is just one particular example of abusing sports to antagonize fights between rivals. In my opinion, let the kids play and enjoy the game. Don’t give your two cents worth if no one wants to give you a penny for your thoughts.
So to the Bobcats of Bell County, congratulations on a fantastic season of perfection! To Coach Hilton, congratulations on what you have accomplished and how you have shaped these young men into champions. Both players and the coaches deserve the credit on this one; the players for first off doing what the coaches tell them and secondly for putting forth all their effort. The coaches deserve some credit for knowing what to do in the first place. Not giving equal credit to both is like thanking the hands for doing a job and not thanking the brain for coordinating the hands. Coach Hilton is doing something right if he keeps winning in different schools (Bourbon and Bell) and goes deep in the playoffs each year. These accomplishments stand alone regardless of any "strength of schedule" concerns I’ve heard. The bottom line is, this team made it to the big dance and won it all. Simply because your team didn’t make the big dance does not give you a right to rain on their parade. Sports should be for recreation, not for obsession.