Living Without Sports

Spring is in full bloom except for sports.

Because of Covid-19, all the sporting events have been shut down. The media consistently tells us to keep our distance and stay at home, but it is the time of year you look forward to being outside. I can usually hear the kids in the park playing basketball or handball from my window. An eerie silence has draped itself over our world and we don’t quite know when we’ll hear noise again. No cheering at the baseball game, no basketball playoffs, no track and field, no football practice, and no golf or tennis tournaments. Some television stations and cable networks have tried to compensate by showing great games in all sports during this pandemic. One station recently aired a two-part series about Michael Jordan.  But for many it’s not enough and fans are losing their minds. I’m a sports junkie too, but I’m also a realist.

For so long we’ve taken our lifestyles for granted. The virus has interrupted that line of thinking. Life has taken a dramatic turn into an alley that many of us may not find a way out. There are times when you really can’t do what you want to do and you must show patience and endurance. Because for every cloud that appears there is a silver lining, and we must find that silver lining. Now is the time to learn something new. It could be a board game like chess or writing, painting, ceramics crochet, collages needle point cooking, quilt making, and wood working. The old saying “Necessity is the mother of invention” comes to mind. I am certain that someone somewhere is inventing something that will help us fill that void. The children have their video games. Maybe someone is creating some adult video games that will provide that adrenaline rush you get when you’re watching a game.

But here is a thought: Since physical contact is not allowed right now, we must become more cerebral, like reading books, or perhaps engage in real conversations of about what Covid-19 has revealed, and what needs to be done to fix some of the social ills we currently face. The mind is a fantastic machine and it can create whatever we need. This period is a big challenge for a lot of people. Not only will this detachment give us the opportunity to invest in other passions and in people, it will make the return of sports so much sweeter. I get it that some people are depressed because they miss their sports. But sports like much of America is an illusion. It’s something to pass the time. It’s not your life. Living without sports will teach us something about about ourselves, and help us learn to appreciate the spaces we live in.