How to Survive a Sports Famine

This is not a tutorial, I think it may be what they will have to read at my funeral. Without sports, I feel like I am dying, and not just my soul, either. This is literally the longest I have ever gone without sports in my life. I think I might have been better off sacrificing food for this long, because this is no way to live.

Empty stadium, empty heart

I grew up the daughter of a high school teacher who loved sports and was always helping to coach, time, ref, or whatever at as many sports events as he could at the local high school. My love of basketball was born sitting by him at the score table as he ran the clock, took stats, or even coached high school games. In fact, he later coached me in my brief basketball career. I learned to love American football standing next to him as he worked the chains on the sidelines of high school games, explaining the plays and rules to me as I ran to keep up with him at the end of each play.

Coming from a big family, I learned that sports was my dad’s love language, and to get quality time with him, watching sports with him was the best way. I became a Lakers fan watching some of the greatest basketball in the NBA by his side. I sat next to him and watched his beloved college play in the NCAA basketball tournament every year. I chose the 49ers as my NFL team because I got to see some great American football sitting next to my dad. There were always sports around me, whether it was my siblings or myself playing, the local high school team, or televised sports. Always.

One is the loneliest number...

Ironically, my greatest sports love came from a sport my friends introduced me to, football. I fell in love with the Italian national team, and then AC Milan. I found my soul watching football. When the demands of motherhood came along, I didn’t have enough time to keep up with all of my sports, so I had to choose one sport, and really, one team. I’m assuming you can guess which team that was.

That was difficult enough, as I tried to keep up a little with my favorite teams from other sports, but just didn’t have the time to watch or properly keep up. But at least I always had Milan. Even international breaks or the weeks between seasons seemed long, but there were still international or other football matches, other sports. At least friendlies. Something Never in my worst nightmare would I have imagined this.

First we lost Kobe, now this. It's too much.

This sports famine has been extra difficult. Not only are we forced to stay home and denied all live sports, but the reality of why is always on our minds. Never before have we needed the amazing entertainment that sports provides more, and yet the stark and terrible reality that is robbing us of our fellow human beings and sports fans also prevents us from experiencing all of the intense emotions and interactive experiences that sports bring to our lives. It hurts on every level.

Obviously, I want the world to heal for healing’s sake. Those who have lost loved ones, those who are suffering, those who are bravely fighting to keep people safe and help us to physically survive are always on my mind and in my heart. Yet selfishly, my heart could really use a little sport right now. Like my dad, it has become my love language, too, and my heart is just decimated by the collective losses in this world right now. So please, if you have any idea how to survive a sports famine, please help a girl out. Maybe we can all get through this together.

This post inspired by the music of Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2U”