I haven't posted anything in a while as it has been a crazy summer, but things finally seem to be slowing down a little and I wanted to catch up on some things. Besides the wonderful trip (nee adventure) to Lake Powell, we also had the 2012 Olympics this summer. I believe I have posted about my love for the Olympics and as usual I was glued to the TV for many hours during the Olympics.
I get so emotional watching them. I cheer for the Americans, of course, but I also love to cheer for underdogs or hear their backstories. I love to see the many emotions, from elation to devastation. I bite my nails watching the Fab Five in gymnastics. I cry when the one girl doesn't make it to the all-around finals. I am overcome when they win the team gold. Shocked when Maroney falls on her vault.
Sports are such an interesting part of our global culture. I say global because almost all cultures have sports they follow, and the emotions invested in them amaze me. They can be good and bad. People can get too involved and have them ruin their lives. People have been known to fight and worse when their team loses or their player does poorly.
Even just this weekend when BYU lost to the Utes it was overwhelming. The emotions were so up and down. Disappointed, disgust, disbelief, hope, joy, amazed, shocked, scared, upset. In three hours I felt all of these emotions - and not just a little bit. These were strong emotions. I left the game almost paralyzed. It was all I could think about. And I'm just a fan. How do the players feel?
Yesterday in the Cardinals NFL game a rookie fumbled at the end and possibly gave the game away. The camera panned on him and he looked distraught. I honestly thought he was going to cry. The pressure must have been unbearable. In the end they still won and I am sure he was the happiest on the team. I get upset when someone in my company screws up - not even me, but someone else that doesn't even report into me - and it can ruin my day (yes, I need to work on this).
But through it all we continue to watch and imbibe sports. And when our team wins, we are overjoyed. It is like a drug. It amazes me. I know some people don't like sports for these exact reasons. I've even had people in the church who believe sports are bad - or even evil. But like most things, I think sports can be good and can be bad. For me, they are more positive than negative. They bring me a sense of hope and thrill that few other things can.
Just today, playing basketball this morning, I had one of those days. One game we played I didn't miss one shot. We play to 15 by 2s and 3s. I took 5 shots, all 3 pointers, and made each one. People were yelling and amazed. I was dumbfounded. It felt great and made a Monday morning so much better. But it was a fluke. That rarely happens. But that is why sports are great. You - or your team - can only try your hardest. Some days things will work out. Other days they will not. And that is a lot like life. Some days we feel like the Chicago Bulls of the 90s. And other days we feel like the Cleveland Browns for the past decade. But we keep going - and so do they.
