Death, Taxes - And Sports!

In a nutshell, most guys fantasize about being athletes. We are somehow convinced that, in another life, we could have been Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal, or some other big sports star. Basically, we are nuts. But maybe, just maybe, you will gain some perspective by looking at it this way. Just like women may wish they had model caliber legs or looks that could turn all the heads in a room, guys wish they had athletic ability.

We like to pretend that we do, don't get me wrong. Watch guys play a pickup game of football in the park and you would swear the Super Bowl trophy was on the line. But then the game itself actually unfolds and the average athletic ability that surrounds most of emerges. Oh, we think we are doing great things but it probably looks more like a three ring circus than a game. And that is exactly why we love to watch sports.

Without having to admit that we do not have much, if any, natural athletic ability, we can shamelessly and passionately root for our favorite teams and aspire to be our favorite athletes. Sure, I would love to be able to slam dunk a basketball or throw a perfect football pass but I can do neither, so I watch pros do what I wish I could. Professional athletes are a guy's link to his past, to glory lost or undiscovered at a time in his life when he may have thought he had the talent to be a top athlete and the youth to back it up.

Sadly, time ages us all and slows us down so we turn to sports to watch what we wish we still could do or could ever do. We know you are under no impression that we have any real athletic ability. What I am asking you to do here is to recognize that your guy's crazed following of his favorites sports team just means that the little boy in him wants to be on that field. When he wears that ridiculous jersey that fits like a parachute (or shrinkwrap, depending), part of him wants to be the athlete who is paid to wear it.

It is not just the fame and money of pro athletics that we love and aspire for (although those things would be pretty nice), it is the admiration of an athlete or team being able to do something we know we will never be able to duplicate in ourselves. It is really not all that complicated but a guy will rarely, if ever, step up and say, "I really wish I could do that!"

We know sports are not always your favorite thing and I would say most guys are pretty respectful of not making sports more important than you or life itself. But in those moments, during those games, something happens to us that briefly connects us to the action that is unfolding. It is kind of an escape from reality, if you will. Trust me when I say that sports are far from the worst indulgence a guy would want to pursue.