10 Things I'm Thankful for About Sports

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect about a few of the things I'm thankful for. At the top of the list, of course, are my faith, my wife, and my family, but somewhere a little further down is a set that deserves a category of its own.

Sports.

I got to thinking this morning about what a big role sports plays in my life, and contrary to what some might say, watching, reading about, and writing on sports is anything but a waste of time. I could write for pages about my favorite things about sports, but for purposes of brevity I'll limit it to 10 things I'm thankful for about sports.

1. I'm thankful for Saturday afternoons when I can settle in and watch a college football game (or three). Sundays are cool, too, but the end of the weekend and the onset of another work week loom. Plus, compared to the NFL I find the college scene refreshing: the live mascots, the bands taking up 10% of the stadium, and a generally less corporate feel.
   
   
2. I'm glad that upsets happen on a regular basis. No one in their right mind would have predicted Appalachian St. beating Michigan, but it happened, and that was all anyone could talk about for the next three weeks. It feels good when the little guy pulls it out, even when you know they couldn't do it again in 10 tries, or when it may be their only win of the season.
   
   
3. I'm grateful that free speech has led to the advent of sports talk radio. (And these days, I'm glad that radio has thus far survived the progression of the internet and satellite television eras.) I like that fans all across America can not only hear what happened in the game last night, but they can hear hours and hours of analysis. And those with some guts and a lot of patience can usually pick up a telephone and weigh in as an instant pundit. How cool is that?
   
   
4. I appreciate the dynasties in professional sports, like the Spurs and Patriots -- and now, maybe, the Red Sox. I like that there's a team with a bulls eye on its chest, a team you can predict with relative certainty will be there at the final showdown. I like watching teams try and slay the giant on a weekly basis, and as much as I root for the underdog, it's pretty cool when the team favored to win at the beginning of the season is still standing at the end.
   
   
5. I'm thankful for rumors in the sports media. I generally try to avoid gossip and People magazine doesn't do much for me, but when I hear that Miguel Cabrera may be headed to the Giants for Noah Lowry, Jonathan Sanchez and cash (not a real rumor, so don't spread it), it gets my heart fluttering. There were days when I would go ahead and make the trade on a sports video game, but I've since learned the wisdom of waiting until the rumor comes to fruition -- it usually doesn't -- and abstaining from video games -- I usually do.
   
   
6. I'm grateful for rivalries in sports, because it makes regular season games anything but regular. Even though the players generally don't have much personal animosity toward one another -- trades and free agency increase the likelihood that you'll be sitting next to Joe rival sometime in the next few years -- but for an hour or two, fans are able suspend that and see gladiators clashing on the field or court.
   
   
7. I continue to love the print newspaper sports section, even though everyone says it's going the way of the dinosaur. I'll freely admit that I spend more time online reading blogs like The Big Lead and Deadspin, but it's a great feeling to be sitting in an airport or a lunch table at work with today's sports section in front of you.
   
   
8. I actually like controversy in sports, because it gives us something else to talk about. Sometimes the games are enough, but other times it's fun to read about Kobe's latest trade demand, the espionage tactics of Bill Belichick, or for what purposes Paul Byrd ordered $25,000 worth of HGH.
   
   
9. Much as I enjoy controversy, I'm a bigger fan of the good guys in sports, like Tony Dungy and Dikembe Mutombo. So many athletes and coaches are wrapped up in themselves, and with salaries in the tens of millions and 24/7 media exposure, it's easy to see why. But when somebody breaks the mold and does things a little differently -- when they manage to consistently act in the interests of others instead of their own -- I admire that.
   
   
10. I'm thankful for the lessons sports teach us about life. Not to sound overly philosophical here, but I'm amazed at how often sports are a metaphor for real life, and the lessons we learn by watching our favorite teams can be extracted and applied long after we flip off the tube. Lessons like succeeding in humility and failing with dignity, the consequences of cheating, and the reality that the nicest guys don't always win aren't easy to learn, but sports can make the process a little more palatable. And I'm thankful for that.