Brian Kimmes
Spring is upon us. The torrential rain we received this past weekend only further proves the point. I find it remarkable that spring has the ability to turn most people into athletes. I do not know if it is the long, cold, winter months that force us to remain hidden away from the outdoors, the extra energy we have from not wearing 18 layers of clothes, or just a reason to avoid doing homework, when the weather turns nice, students flock to the grassy spots on campus to play sports.
A week or so ago, I was partaking in my own athletic event, rollerblading, when I noticed all the different activities going on around me. In my first rollerblade excursion of the year around campus, I saw six different sporting activities going on around the school. I saw students playing catch with a baseball, throwing around a football, tossing a frisbee back and forth, riding a bike, shooting baskets and playing bocce ball. With me rollerblading, seven different sports took place at the same time.
Oftentimes we get caught up in the world of professional or college sports. We lose sight of all the other sports that go on around us, or the sports in which we participate. When we think of athletes, we tend to immediately think of our favorite basketball or football players. If I were asked who my favorite athlete is, I automatically think of Kevin Garnett or Torii Hunter. I don’t stop to think that my roommate or my friend from high school who plays intramural sports is an athlete.
In many respects, the sports I observed taking place during my rollerblading epitomize what sports are all about. Oftentimes we lose sight of what the true nature of sports is. We become so obsessed with winning, or obsessed with making money from sports, we forget what is really important about sports. Ask an 8-year-old child playing baseball with his friends in the backyard why he is playing and you will probably receive the answer of what truly matters about sports: having fun and spending time with friends.
Sports are a way for people to come together and spend time with one another. Sports are not the only way for people to do this, but for many people, sports provide an outlet for friendship and association.
The people playing catch with a baseball, football or frisbee are not even engaged in actual competition. They play for the camaraderie, the exercise, the fun. It is not about who throws the ball the hardest or who makes the most catches. It is not even about who has the most fun, just as long as everybody has fun.
Seeing all of the students outside playing reminds me of when I was a kid and would spend most summer days playing one sport or another outside. My neighborhood friends and I would normally alternate between three sports (not counting cops and robbers): basketball, baseball and football.
I have always been competitive. Growing up, I always wanted to win. Even if I didn’t win, I enjoyed playing with my friends. I was much more competitive when I would play on an actual team, not just with my friends. When I would play with my friends, I was more concerned with having fun.
Having fun is still my main goal today. I no longer play on a team of any kind. In fact, it is rare I actually participate in any kind of baseball, basketball or football game. Now I am solely a person who plays catch or just shoots baskets. My actual playing days are long gone, and I am OK with that. Now when I head out to play some kind of sport, I am going out there for the right reasons. I do not have any ambition of somehow making money, and I do not live or die on whether my team wins. I am out playing to play. I enjoy participating. I take sports for what they are, a game.
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