A question I’ve frequently been asked when I express my interest in sports journalism has been, “Why sports?” Not so much as in, what do you like about sports? but more, don’t you think you could accomplish more? The perception seems to be that I’m selling myself short or that sports are “meaningless” in the grand scheme of things. I’ve always known the answer to this question but typically refuse to dignify the question with the answer. Unfortunately, within the last week, it’s hit me harder than I hoped it ever would.
Last Friday, March 20th, my Grandfather, Brendan, lost a long battle with cancer. It had come on so hard of late than he began to refuse medication: it had finally become too much. I wrote him a letter about a week ago that miraculously made it to Ireland in time and more importantly, my mother was able to catch a flight over there to bid him his final farewell before he lay to rest.
Brendan was much more a of legend than the person I actually knew. He accomplished so much for Northern Ireland that he was almost Knighted. He played tennis for Northern Ireland and had one of “the best inside-out forehands ever” (Granted, my great uncle Terry said that but I was still amazed). There are countless stories about him which I can barely imagine.
That was a man I was unfamiliar with. To me, Brendan was the man with the mysterious money printing machine hidden in the garage who told stupid jokes, preferred to walk than ride anywhere and loved learning new things (sound familiar?). I looked up to Brendan and always looked forward to going to Ireland to enjoy the stories and dinner conversations. If I woke up early enough, I’d get to join him on his morning trek to buy a newspaper where we’d discuss anything from footy to politics. His vast knowledge of the widest variety of topics always impressed me. Recently I’ve had to settle for phone calls when I get home from school where he’d sing a horrific rendition of “Happy Birthday” or let me know how poorly Leeds United had just played. Despite having the disease for a couple of years now, he never let on that he was in any pain. The doctors said he was always in bright spirits even while suffering so much internally. He is my idol, my hero and I’m thankful for being so close to him.
Needless to say, when I received the call that he had finally passed, I was devastated. It took too much effort for me to move from the couch to eat. I didn’t want to move. So I turned on the TV. March Madness. I got into every game. Basketball was the perfect release. I didn’t have to think about anything except who was in foul trouble. Could Tennessee hold off Oklahoma State? Would Wisconsin attone for it’s Champs Sports Bowl embarrassment? Is #1 Pittsburgh seriously about to lose to #16 East Tennessee? What would Billy Raftery come up with next?!
During the breaks I turned to my beloved Yankees. Yes, AJ Burnett did just dominate the Red Sox amongst a 9 game winning streak for the Bombers. Sure, it’s preseason and really doesn’t mean anything, but to me, during this time, it meant everything.
(Had the NBA not been going through it’s annual “We’re too damn tired to play right now and need to save up for the playoffs/We’re never going to make it, lets chill” phase, I’d have tuned in to TNT also.)
Turning on the latest B.S. Report was a fabulous release for an hour. Mark Titus’ Club Trillion blog was another outlet. Jeff Owens finally updated his blog. Even The Hans dropped a post in there. They were just what I needed.
Sports are one of the greatest releases in this world. The Yankees brought New York City together after the tragic events of 9/11. The image of George Bush throwing out the first pitch is something that will be forever linked to the initial stages of recovery for the City and nation. New Orleans rallied around it’s new heroes Chris Paul and Reggie Bush while they dealt with the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Katrina. In a way like nothing else, sports can be the best distraction from life’s most dire moments.
And that’s why I want to be involved in sports journalism. Sure, on a daily basis, all one really does is write or talk about a game. But every once in awhile sports are all you really need and can really touch someone’s soul when they need it most. Real meaningless.
I still won’t dignify “why sports?” with a response. This answer is for me and those willing to read what I have to say. Though next time, maybe I’ll just provide them with a link.
In one final note, I would just like to acknowledge that this is likely the last post samepagesports.com may see. As much as Nolte and Galloway like commenting on this blog I don’t think it quite justifies the money spent on the domain. Look for a new link sometime in the near future. Thanks for reading.
And as always, Ball Hard.
Loading ...