Historically, I’ve been a fair weather sports fan. I’ve only watched “my” teams, and then I’ve only watched when they’re winning. This fall, however, I’ve discovered the value of watching live games that aren’t even my teams. Even a loss, if well-fought, can be better than paying attention to the news. 

A bunch of reasons support my recent inclination to watch live games. One, it’s real. Let’s just gloss over the recent news of NBA players possibly cheating. Most games involve actual athletes competing to win. If a game is going badly, they can still compete for a good play. Football and baseball both allow time for high fives and lots of happy jumping around after an especially good play. I swear, it’s contagious. In addition to celebrating good plays, we also get to see some good sportsmanship. Most often, players accept the ruling of umpires and referees. If they don’t, teammates generally intervene to calm things down. This is all proof of games being “real.” 

The alternative to live sports is political posturing. Yes, this is also a game, but it’s a disgusting game. There’s no such thing as good sportsmanship in politics anymore. Colleagues do not intervene when someone goes off the rails. Mudslinging is the name of the game, and with the current trend of challenging election results, insulting judges, slamming through guardrails, and simply making stuff up, the sense of fair play that is evident in live sports is gone completely.

There aren’t even any great personal stories of people who overcame a variety of obstacles to accomplish something good in politics. “Aargh!” you say, of course there are. Just think of JD Vance, or Joe Biden, or… well I won’t go on. Of course there are regular people who’ve become accomplished politicians, passing laws that have benefitted regular people back home. You’re right, there are some. But, seriously, most of them have been corrupted somewhere along the way. Sorry, but I’m with Yesavage, that rookie pitcher for the Blue Jays who pitched an amazing game yesterday. Will he get corrupted somewhere along his way? I don’t know, but for now, he’s gold!

I’ve always objected to the amount of money that goes into professional sports. Money for ballparks, money for players and coaches, the price of tickets, the price of food at the ballpark, the price of parking for a game, the “fan gear,” it all adds up a pile of money that could surely be spent of more important things. And yet, here I am watching. This year, it’s keeping me sane, so thanks to everyone who’s paying for all that. 

College sports are pricey, too. But many of the players are kids who earned good scholarships by developing their athletic talents. I’ve known people who would not have gone to college otherwise, but have obtained graduate degrees and are thriving due to a scholarship for track and field or some other sport. Good for them. Let’s have more of that.

One thing I’ve always hated about live television is the need to live my life around its schedule. I loved it when we could tape shows on VHF, and I love the ability to stream shows whenever I want to watch them. Yet here I am, watching the clock so I can turn on the TV at the right time to watch a game. So retro! And yet, I’m doing it. I must really be in a funk to suddenly, at this point in my life, find myself tuning in to live sports. 

Once in a while, we are able to watch something with friends. Example: a college girls’ volleyball game. Yes, it was intense, and great fun! Another example: local baseball playoffs in a small theater in our apartment building. Great to cheer with some neighbors! A third example: texting silly comments during a game with a friend across the ocean! I like this kind of “in the moment” sharing that just doesn’t happen with politics.

Politics will never be like live sports, but wouldn’t it be great if we could get past the mudslinging, distortions, and outright lies that dominate the political airwaves lately?