A Sporting Reason

I am a sports fanatic. Anyone who knows me knows this. From the Lakers to the 49ers to UCLA athletics, I will go out of my way to catch a game involving my favorite teams. At the same time, I know quite a number of people who don't know the first thing about sports. And at first glance, I used to look at them with disdain. Really, you don't follow sports at all? What's wrong with you? But upon further analysis, I think maybe they're onto something.

When it really comes down to it, I can love the Lakers with all my heart, but do the Lakers really care about me? Likely not. And in the grand scheme of things, does my cheering from my living room in NYC really have a bearing on the outcome of the game? No. Doesn't make much sense, does it?

Jerry Seinfeld once made a joke that when someone's on your favorite team you cheer for them, but once they leave, you boo them. You're really not cheering for anyone in particular. Basically you're just rooting for laundry. And when distilled in those terms, sports seem like a silly exercise.

If all of this is true, what is the point of sports? When rooting for laundry brings about heartache after a big loss, does sports really mean anything? I argue that it does. What exactly? Well let's start with community. Sports bring people together.

A NYC construction worker and a Fortune 500 CEO in their midtown office may have absolutely nothing in common on the surface. But get either of them going on the topic of the Yankees, and suddenly their worlds become much more relatable. Following the stats of men dressing in matching uniforms becomes a daily ritual. As much as talking about the world at large, sports become a springboard that propels a conversation.

Sports also serve as a non-verbal tie. Strangers wearing the same team colors can give each other a knowing nod as they walk by each other on the street. It's almost like being in a gang, only without the need to shoot other people and be jumped in. Well, unless you're a Raiders fan.

What else does sports bring us? How about a proxy for life in general? Grandiose claim, you say? Hear me out. Sports teach us at a young age about competition and teamwork. In order to strive for the big prize, you have to work hard and keep focus. And even then, it's really difficult to succeed unless you can also be a great team player. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and sports teach us about how to maximize our own strengths and exploit the weaknesses of opponents. Is any of this so different than understanding what it takes to succeed in the workplace?

Sports also teach us that even the best talent can lose and lose badly. David can outduel Goliath. For every New York Giants team beating the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, there's a real world corollary. Think Michael Ovitz joining Michael Eisner at Disney only to see the stock sink to record lows while tiny Pixar comes out of nowhere to create box office magic. You never know what the outcome is going to be until you play the game.

In order to truly feel both the wins and the losses, one needs to become fully invested. That's why the heartbreak of losing a 24-point lead in the NBA Finals can reach far beyond the players on a team. The sheer amount of investment in the team is like owning stock in a company. Winning can pay dividends (in the form of smack talk and team pride) and the longer you hold on through the lean years, the larger the reward when victory is achieved.

In the end, I'm not sure that any of this fully encompasses why sports mean much of anything. But I like to believe it does. If not, I've been wasting a hell of a lot of time following a bunch of laundry.