Why We Love Sports

Well it's finally here. I-Core Finals Week. Starting early tonight and finishing Thursday, we have an exam each night from 6-8. Marketing was the first exam and it went well, followed by Finance tomorrow, Management Wednesday, and Operations on Thursday. All of this before we begin the famous I-Core Case on Sunday, but I can worry about that later. This post will be a shorter one because right now I am trying to avoid studying by writing this, but I really should get back to that.

This weekend was a great one for sports, the MLB had a full slate of games heading into the All-Star Break, the Wimbledon Finals saw Serena Williams win her record-tying 22nd Major Title, while Andy Murray brought the title back home for the second time in his career, and then wrapping up with the European Championship which saw Portugal upset the hosts France. Obviously these events featured great players and great teams facing off, and great story lines in addition to that. However on Saturday morning a video caught my eye. A young girl who couldn't have been much older than 5 years old clutched a copy of Sports Illustrated, featuring Serena on the cover, and was emphatically explaining to her mom how she was, in her words, "like Serena Williams".

(Courtesy: Matthew A. Cherry, Twitter)

Not to be out done, before the European Final which saw him probably earn France's Man of the Match honors, Moussa Sissoko posted a video of his son singing on of France's songs and honoring his father while he donned a Sissoko France Jersey. 

(Courtesy: Moussa Sissoko, Twitter)

Both of these videos reminded me why we love sports so much. We can emulate our heroes, pretending to a player who hits the game-winning shot or wins a championship. We can root for our favorite players, sometimes even too much. But at the end of the day, sports gives us an outlet to not worry about what else is going on, and just be kids again. Until I saw these videos, I forgot how much fun it was to be a kid and just love sports because they were sports. I remember waking up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings and watching the morning shows of SportsCenter 3 or 4 times in a row to the point where I could basically repeat everything Stuart Scott, Neil Everett, or Stan Verrett said on that show. Sports are supposed to be something that we can all enjoy with no strings attached, just watch them for the thrill of it. Thankfully, I was reminded this weekend how sports can make you feel like a little kid all over again.

Duncan Hensley

Indiana University

Kelley School of Business '18