Growing up, I was anything but athletic. I danced and played piano, but I wasn’t captain of the basketball team and my first love absolutely wasn’t baseball.
Both of my parents loved sports. My dad believed that there were 2 seasons, football season and waiting for football season. My mom wasn’t as involved in football, but she paid close attention to soccer. My sister was just like my mom, paid attention to football but paid close attention to soccer.
For most of high school, I didn’t pay attention to sports. I liked hockey, but never really dedicated a lot of time to watch it. Football was something my parents were in love with, so I did end up watching it from time to time on Sunday afternoons. It was enjoyable. I still can’t tell you the rules or the true appeal, but for my family it is a staple in their everyday life.
When I got to college, I actually found myself watching sports more often than The Office or The Mindy Project, both of which are my favorite television shows. I have attended one D1 college hockey game (Go Huskies!) with my friend Abigayle. I pay close attention to the Celtics and watch the Bruins at least once every 2 weeks.
What is ironic is how little I cared about sports in high school. It didn’t matter to me who made it to the Super Bowl as long as the Halftime Show was good. It didn’t matter if you liked the Yankees or Red Wings to me because I didn’t watch sports.
I am by no means a sports fanatic, but I do pay close attention. Sports is a break from everyday life where you can sit and relax and enjoy the game. Watching sports makes me feel emotionally close to my family when I am at Simmons. Their competitive energy has rubbed off on me and I have an attachment to sports because of my family’s lifestyle. Somehow, watching the Bruins play makes me feel closer to home when it feels like I am so far away from them.