It’s always important to have as many good things in our lives as possible. Good people, food, and fun should all form the foundation of our lives! And then there’s the matter of passion.
While this is sometimes not as promoted by society as it should be, it’s arguably the most important thing we have in our lives. We need food to live, sure, but it’s passion that makes life worth living. For most people, passion means sports. Alas, once we reach a certain age, it can feel as if getting our fix of sports is more difficult than it used to be. Indeed, some people even end up falling out of love with it! And that should not happen.
Below, we’re going to take a look at some useful tips that’ll help to make sports a bigger part of your life, and which will help to keep that passion alive.
Revisiting Childhood
You should carry on moving forward, sure, but it’s always worthwhile to look back from time to time. It’s there where you might just rediscover something that you’ve lost. If you loved sports when you were younger, then think back, and look at what aspects of sports were so inspiring to you back then? This can provide a framework for you moving forward. It might be that you loved the spectacle of the big events, or the joy of playing on a team with others. It’s always important to stay in touch with our younger selves, and sports — which form such a basis of childhood — can be a terrific way to do this.
The Big Events
There are arguably no spectacles in the world more grand or inspiring than the huge sports events. These bring the best athletes in the world and tens of thousands of spectators to an awe-inspiring arena, for an epic showdown. If you’ve thus far only watched these huge events on television, then perhaps it’s time to attend one for yourself. Which event you attend will depend on which sports you hold dearest to your heart. In terms of pure wonder, it’s hard to look past the Super Bowl or the soccer World Cup final, which are two of the biggest shows on earth.
Go Deeper
There are many different aspects to enjoy when it comes to sports. There’s the narrative (David v Goliath setups), the battle, the atmosphere of the crowds, and so on. But the truth of the matter is that most people only focus on the surface aspects of sport. It’s possible to go much deeper. Indeed, the deeper you go, the more you begin to see sports as a game of chess. All sports can be highly tactical. If you research the tactics and approaches to playing that the best teams use, you’ll have a much better understanding of what’s happening on the pitch. You’ll never reach a professional coach level of understanding, but you might begin to understand why some coaches are considered geniuses.
Documentaries and TV Shows
George Lucas was once asked why he doesn’t make a movie about sports, and his answer was perfect: he said that sports was too entertaining by itself, a movie could never recapture the magic. Now, of course, there are good movies about sport, but they’re not all that serious — they don’t add to sports, they’re just a nice little bonus. There are, however, documentaries and television shows that do go into great detail about sports, and which can be a real source of joy for sports fans. For instance, there’s the ESPN 30 for 30 series, which contain some fascinating documentaries that outline what happens behind the scenes of sports. If you’re a sports fanatic, then take a look at some of the best sports documentaries and television shows, and plan a few Friday evenings in front of the TV.
Follow The Main Sports
There are any number of sports out there, and it’s worthwhile investigating some of the slightly less popular ones that are out there (more on those later). However, any sports fan that is worth a grain of salt has to follow the main sports. These are the leagues that people talk about around the water cooler, the sports that draw thousands of fans to stadiums each week, the ones where humans reach their peak when it comes to athleticism and spectacle. While you might have your favorite sports, be sure to follow all of the big sports: they are the nfl, nhl, mlb, and nba. It’s especially recommended to spend some time becoming familiar with the sports that you don’t know so well. You might just find that you’ve been missing out on something pretty special all of this time.
Attend a Match
There are many people that spend all of their sports-following lives just watching the action on television. But it’s well worth planning a trip to see a match in person. There really is nothing like attending a live sports match, especially if it’s a big game. In many ways, the sporting action is secondary: what’s really special are the many thousands of people that visit the stadium. If you’ve never been to a game before, then look at making a day of it. That means having a big breakfast, getting to the stadium well in advance of the start time, and then enjoying a couple of beers afterward in a nearby bar. It’ll be an experience that will live long in the memory.
Get Playing
But who says that you just need to be a spectator when it comes to sports? You positively don’t. You’re never too old to put on your sports equipment, and get playing. It’s easy to fall out of the habit of playing during the transition from childhood to adulthood, but playing doesn’t just have to be part of your past. Find a local team, and get playing. You’ll have fun, get fit, and meet plenty of like-minded people too.
Find a Gang
And talking of meeting like-minded people, be sure to find your own gang of sports lovers. Everything is much more fun when you have other people to chat with! One of the best things about sports is that so many people enjoy them, so it’s not difficult to find a gang of sports fans. Generally, it’s best to find fans of the teams that you support…things can become pretty awkward otherwise.
Bonding With Family
As well as finding friends, sports can also be used as a way to spend some quality time with your family. There aren’t too many things more special than the first time that a father takes his son or daughter to their first baseball game. Not that anything has to be that grand. Even getting together on a Sunday evening to watch a game can provide plenty of happy memories, especially if you’ve taken the time to create an enjoyable and cozy atmosphere. Get comfortable on the couch, make some snacks, and tune into the game.
Branching Out
We mentioned earlier about how you’ll want to follow the main sports, but it’s also worth looking at the many niche sports that are out there. The big sports have all the following, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t many other great sports out there. It’s impossible that table tennis, fencing, wrestling, and so on will ever have the same level of following as the nfl, but they’re still enjoyable. The next time you come across an unusual sport when you’re flicking through your cable channels, don’t be so quick to change the channel. Once you understand the rules you’ll likely find that it’s highly enjoyable; there must be something about it if people play it, right?
Local Teams
Most people only ever watch professional sports, and it’s not hard to see why — it’s at that level where the best players in the world play. But it’s not as if you only have to watch players who are playing at the top of their game. What about watching younger players, who are still figuring things out? If you’ve got local teams in your area, then go and check them out. It can be deeply rewarding to spot a young player who you know is going straight to the top (or has a good chance of going pro, at least). Additionally, spending a Saturday afternoon watching a local team can just be a fun (and inexpensive) way to enjoy yourself, and it’ll also make you feel more a part of the community, too.
Subscribe to Channels
It’ll be difficult to stay on top of sports if you’re just getting the reports from the newspaper! Being a sports fan does require some investment. If you haven’t already, look at subscribing to the main sports channels — it’ll allow you to watch all the important games. It’s also worthwhile looking at the best YouTube channels, blogs, and podcasts related to your sporting interests — you’ll be surprised at just how much quality content exists out there on the web.