The Super Bowl is only a few short days away, which means you or someone you follow on Instagram will soon be taking things a little too seriously. You won't really be able to stop them (or yourself), but at least you can learn to understand their ways.
By Henry Adeleye on January 30, 2015
Sports. They bring out the best in us. They bring out the worst in us. They cause us to riot when our teams lose, and also riot when our teams win. They allow us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, and they help a lot of people live lives they could have only dreamed of before. The 21 most watched programs in the history of America are all Super Bowls, and with the next Super Bowl right around the corner, it's safe to say it's going to be 22 (I should probably memorize this fact for trivia next week). This is no accident. People love sports, and people take sports very seriously. But why?
Sports excite the most passionate of us. Sure, there are far more important things going on in the world that we should care more about, but they're just not as entertaining. This passion can be great, like when Americans acted like they cared about soccer during the World Cup last year, or it can be not so great, like when it causes you to be a Saints fan. There's something deep down inside every sports fanatic that makes him or her go a little overboard, in the eyes of normal human beings. There's something about not being able to sleep at night when your team suffers a crushing defeat (or many crushing defeats if you're a Dawgs fan), or feeling like you can take on the world when your team has a great victory. It sort of serves as a reminder that no one is immune to mortal emotions. You tell yourself it's just a game, but you know it's way bigger than that.
It's not about just about the fantasy leagues, the huge contracts, and the unnecessary amount of hate a lot of people have for LeBron James. It's about the camaraderie people learned from sports as kids. It's about the pride you have for your school or hometown. It's about how a Super Bowl victory shows a city can bounce back from Hurricane Katrina. It's about that and a whole lot more. So, while you're watching Tom Brady struggle this Sunday because he'll be forced to use the same type of ball the other team has to use, remember that he got to be where he is because he took sports seriously. You can still laugh at him, though.