A recent commercial series aired on ESPN poses a very daring question. Do you think you could live without sports?
Sure, it's a simple question. Short. To the point. It has an even simpler answer. It's the first thing you thought when you read it. No! However, it's the thought behind that answer that brings up some interesting points. It's like when you tell airport security no when asked if you had possession of your luggage at all times. It raises a few red flags.
Let's put aside the obvious fact that a major marketing business would be lost and instead consider some of the everyday routines that would disappear. Ask yourself the five W's.
Who would you idolize and follow as a child? Almost every one of us remembers someone we pretended to be at recess in elementary school, someone we defended when a friend mentioned his or her rival. We collected cards of that player. We dreamed at night of being him or her.
What would you talk about around the water cooler? One can only talk about the weather so much. It's either miserable outside or it suits you just fine. Whether or not a coach made the right decision at the end of a game makes a much better topic. It can be argued not only for that day, but can be brought up years later. How often do we recall the dust bowl mentioned in front of the water cooler?
When would you get that time to yourself to do nothing but watch sports? Most of us do this at some point. Its something you can't really explain. You just want to sit there watching a game with no other care in the world.
Where would you turn the TV to when there was nothing else on? One of the greatest shows that can be watched over and over is Sports Center. A perfect dunk, pass, catch, shot or hit can never be seen too many times.
Why would you strike up every emotion within a three-hour period? There really would be no reason. Without attending or watching a game, how could you even imagine expressing that many emotions? I'm quite sure there are emotions you only express when watching sports. Take for example the ecstatic-dejected emotion. You know, when you jump out of your seat in response to what you think is the greatest play of all time to find out there was a flag. When else does that happen, all within about 5 seconds?
Now after asking yourself these questions, do you really think you could live without sports?
I didn't think so. Hey, if you hurry, I bet you can still catch an hour of Sports Center.
Write to Justin at jnhesser@bsu.edu
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