Football Season

It's time for the playoffs!!! Its the time of year when people who are normally intelligent, thoughtful, and articulate start speaking in statistics that I don't understand. It's not just the statistics that I don't understand. I don't understand the rivalries, the bitter competition, and the unparalleled vitriol that suddenly arises from mild mannered folk. Why the fanaticism?

I understand why sports are enjoyable to watch. I enjoy watching games and going to games and rooting for teams. Playing is fun, and even as a spectator we get to participate in the playfulness of competitive sports. What I don't understand is how much some people enjoy sports. The level of investment that goes beyond enjoyment into the realm of meaning and morals and right and wrong. How can one team winning or losing so heavily impact someones identity or understanding of the world? I just don't get it.

Because, when you come down to it, there is no difference between one team and another. One might have greater strengths in one skill area, or individual players who are more interesting, or a coach who seems to make more sound decisions, but really, they're all still just professional sports teams. They don't really represent any sort of moral value or belief or higher meaning beyond the qualities of the sport itself.

I think my problem is that I think that the things we should be so invested in do involve moral values and beliefs and higher meanings. I can't wrap my mind around why people are so life and death about sports teams when there is nothing life or death about them. ZPJ says I'm elitist. That's distinctly possible.

There is a certain tribalism that sports fans embody that I think is an essential human trait. I cannot, however, for the life of me, figure out why someone would want to so passionately align themselves with a tribal identity that has absolutely no matter or meaning beyond itself.

I do enjoy the playoffs because it is the only time during the season that I can really be bothered to pay attention- there are few enough teams that I can retain some simple facts about each and there are few enough games that I don't have to remember anything for very long. Its fun to sit around with friends and drink beer and trash-talk and yell at the TV. And yes, it is fun to silently judge the passion and fanaticism of those around me. Forgive me, dear readers!!! I am a hopeless elitist!!! It is a sin I don't mind admitting to in this case.