But It's Just A Game...

"But it's just a game..." That phrase is one of the most irritating, annoying, nails on a chalkboard phrase anyone can ever say to me. Yet I hear it all the time. But what I notice is that when I hear it, it's coming from people that just don't get it. And out of all those who don't get it...the vast majority of them are women. I'm not saying all women don't get sports. I'm not saying that at all. Look at all the very gifted female athletes...Serena Williams, Misty May Treanor, and Danica Patrick just to name a few. Then you got the female sports media members...Jane Slater from Elf And Slater on 105.3 The Fan, Sybil Summers of 103.7 KVIL (formerly of RAGE on 105.3 The Fan), ESPN San Antonio's Jasmine Sadry, Rangers insider and sideline reporter Emily Jones, and CBS's Gina Miller. These women get it. They understand that sports are more than "just a game" because they see first hand the impact sports has on both the athletes and fans alike.

But there are people, mostly women, who don't understand. The say "I don't understand why you get so upset over sports. It's just a game." I'm sorry, but no it's not just a game. Sports means so much more than "just a game" to so many people. Women don't understand just how hard it is to hit a 95 mph fastball or take a hit from a 245lb linebacker and get up off the ground to do it all over again. They don't understand or appreciate the time and effort it takes an athlete to get to the top of his/her game. They don't understand that when a game is on, we men can't be pulled away from the TV or why Game 7s just can't be missed. They don't understand why watching something historic like a perfect game is so special. They don't see that sports can bring a nation together (ie...the 1980 US Hockey Team or the New York Mets right after 9/11).

Sports motivates people to be the very best they can be. Sports makes us average Joe's think that we fans can still play a kid's game. Take a look at me. I play amateur baseball. It is an adult wooden bat league in Ft. Worth. I love every minute of it. I wouldn't trade the time on the field for nothing in the world. When I'm on that field, I feel like a kid again. I have daydreams of being discovered by a team and getting offered a contract to get paid to play when in reality I know that is the highest level of competition I'll ever face or reach. Sports bonds families together like nothing else can. I am almost 30 years old. For all my life, sports have been a big part of me. Growing up, my mom didn't care for sports unless I was playing in the game. The only reason she cared about those games was because I was playing. But as time has gone on and she has gotten more and more into watching Texas Rangers baseball, it has given us even more to talk about and something we all can enjoy as a family. I love music, but have different music taste than my parents so music couldn't bring us together that close.

Sports brings all walks of life together. Only sports can bring liberals and conservatives to the same table and have a rational and civil conversation. It can pit rivals like the extreme religious and atheists together, even if for a few brief moments. It can bring all kinds of people to the same table for a few hours and make them all forget their troubles. Sports can teach kids about fair play and doing the right thing in life (although there are a few cases like Aaron Hernandez and Josh Brent who seemed to missed that particular message). It can teach kids that it's not always about them. Sports is the only thing that can do all that. In sports, there aren't any agendas...only working together for the better of the team. Even individual sports like golf, tennis, or swimming are team efforts because you have coaches and other athletes who you train with. Nothing else in life does that. As I've stated I love music, but bands are all about the lead singer. Movies are about the leading actor/actress. Even day to day businesses are about the head boss. But in sports, it's all about the team.

In sports, you have a chance of seeing something you've never seen before. On May 16th, I attended a Rangers game for my Bachelor party. I saw Yu Darvish throw 130 pitches, 90 pitches for strikes in a win over the Detroit Tigers. That is something I've never seen nor will I probably ever see again. Every single game, you could see something you've never seen before and that is the great thing about sports. Sports is one of the biggest influences in all history. It has helped shaped our country to what we know today and it has helped to bring nations together. So the next time you think "it's just a game," stop and think about what you are about to say, then just shut it. Because to some it's not just a game...it's a passion that burns deep inside us and, for some of us, even defines us.