DISCLAIMER: Before you all roll your eyes and skip over this article, let me tell you that it is not about sports. It is a personal piece about how sports impact my life. Enjoy.
As I sit here in the middle of Super Sports Sunday (Eagles v. Giants, Favre's return to Lambeau, and Phillies v. Yankees) I got to thinking about the impact that sports have on my life. This is nothing new for me, as these thoughts have been developing over the past 24 months; and to be honest, the thoughts aren't all positive. In fact, over the past 2 years, I've began to realize the negative impact that sports have on my life. They are in order of least to most damaging, a strain on my wallet, health, and time. The financial impact is simple and palpable. I spent a good amount of change every year on tickets to games, fantasy sports, gambling, memorabilia, and collectibles. It has never really gotten out of control and everyone needs a hobby, so to me, the financial impact of sports on my life is negligible (although if I looked through my credit card statements I'd probably alter that statement).
The next detriment that sports has on my life relates to my health. Watching sports is a pretty passive activity. Some of you may argue that statement if you've ever seen me watch a Phillies playoff game or a Pitt Basketball March Madness game. But for the most part, watching sports involves sitting on my ass with varying amounts of unhealthy food and beverages to accompany me. Don't get me wrong there's nothing I love more than hanging out with friends and watching a game with some pizza, wings, and brews, but when it becomes excessive negative results may occur. Let's take Sundays for example. Instead of being outside running, walking around, or being active, I can easily park my ass on my couch from 1 PM to midnight and not be bored for a second (and I don't even have NFL Sunday Ticket!). The older I get, the lack of physical activity and intake of unhealthy food will become increasingly detrimental to my health. Some of those sports hours are going to have to be dedicated to physical activity, or I'm going to look like I did when I was 15...and no one wants to see that happen.
The final, and in my opinion, most serious negative consequence of my passion for sports is on my time. As someone who works close to 75 hours a week including travel time, my free time is extremely limited. I don't have time to work, sleep, and follow sports at the level I do now. If I'm going to do the things I want, no need to do with my life, the amount of time I spend on sports has to decline. If I'm going to prepare to start a business, sports has got to go. If I'm going to get in better shape, sports has got to go. If I'm going to be a better friend, sports has got to go. And if I want to improve my social life, which is lacking more than it ever has, sports has got to go.
I am in no way, shape, or form saying that I will or even need to give up sports completely. I can't and won't do that. What I am saying though is that I need to take a serious break and give up a decent amount of the time I spend following sports. It's just not worth delaying my hopes and dreams and becoming unhealthy for an activity that I'm not actively participating in. Maybe, one day, after I win my own, personal championships throughout my life, I can follow sports the way I do now without guilt. But right now, whenever I watch a game or spend a Sunday on the couch, I can't help but feel an ever-increasing sense of guilt. I know what is good for me, and way more often than not, I make the wrong decisions that hold me back in life instead of propelling me forward. I need to make some changes, and I need to start making them now.
- Kaps
PS - If I can land a job in the sports field, please ignore this post. It's a long shot, but you never know...
PSS - If you watched the Phillies game tonight, you know one more reason why I need to dump this nasty habit.
Song of the Day: The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
1 comment:
Kaps - Somebody hacked into your blog. What is this shit about "sports has to go?" Who, I ask you, who else will step up and bitch-slap the coffee tables of the world in the name of sports, if not you?
Also, in regards to a few posts back, the one about a certain 7-year-old criticizing your beard and lack of hair? Let's just say I can't give my opinion in this forum but it WILL be given over a hearty G-Chat session in the very near future...
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