Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder
(From The Perspective Of A Life-Long Sports Fan)
It’s said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. When hearing that said, one immediately thinks of a sweetheart, a spouse, family member, loved one or lifelong friend. But during this extended period of time when we have to be isolated from one another, we’re also hearing about similar feelings from sports fans who are saying that they can’t wait for things like baseball, hockey and football to start up once again. Many say that they are having withdrawal pains without March Madness, The Kentucky Derby or The Masters Golf Tournament.
But if you listen closely, there also seems to be a feeling that the importance of winning and losing might be, at least just a little bit, taking a back seat to some of the other, more admirable rewards of being an athlete, or life-long sports fan.
Sure, like all fans, I miss cheering for my teams, seeing amazing athletes accomplish things we thought weren’t possible and hoping that a championship might be in the works.
But is it really the outcome of the games that we’re all truly longing for? Or, are the athletes and fans actually feeling more of a loss from not experiencing the feelings that come with winning or losing while they are with family and friends, more than the games themselves.
For an athlete, it might be knowing that his or her parents are in the stands and will be outside the locker room when the contest is over, regardless of the outcome of the contest. For fans, it might be couples, siblings or life-long friends coming together at a home, or travelling to a championship game that they’ll all cherish for the rest of their lives because they were able to see that game, together.
So although we’re all experiencing feelings of loss from not being able to take part in our daily rituals of checking the box scores, standings and highlights, I respectfully offer that we should all take a moment to remember what makes the feeling of winning championships, truly great.
The high fives, the hugs, the tears of joy or maybe even the tears from a defeat, together.
Though we are apart for the time being, it’s together that athletes will join once again to become teams, and it’s together, that we as sports fans will come together, to cheer them on.
And when we do, we’ll no doubt have a greater appreciation for what these sports do for us as family and friends. We’ll have a renewed sense that being able to spend time in the company of those we love, is the greatest win of them all, together.
- Written by Jim Hunt