A day well spent

If I ever needed to present myself with an example of why I have such a blessed life, all I have to do is review the way I spent last Saturday.

Life can be challenging for all of us, but every now and then we all need to take a step back and have some private time. I did that a week ago, and my Saturday was spent immersed in the world of college football.

I enjoy the sport immensely, and I do not entirely understand why. That is okay because we do not have to understand why we feel so passionately about certain things. If we feel that way, there is nothing wrong with that.

I started last Saturday watching ESPN’s Gameday program. The program was a little unusual because they broadcasted the show from Knoxville on the University of Tennessee’s campus. Within the campus, the show originated from Circle Park which was nostalgic for me because that is where I attended a number of classes when I went to school there. It looked like a lot of fun, and I regretted not making the trip up there.

On the bright side, I did get to watch a lot of games. Since I am a Southeastern Conference guy, I focused most of my attention on those games. I began my day by watching two games:  Vanderbilt vs. Presbyterian and Auburn vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

I often hear many University of Tennessee fans in this area talk about how they root for Vanderbilt 11 games a year, then cheer for the Volunteers when those teams play. I am not one of those people. I consider Vanderbilt one of Tennessee’s main rivals, and I never want to see them win. Ever.

A good Saturday for me is when Tennessee wins and Vanderbilt loses. As for last Saturday, the Commodores were playing a lightweight opponent and won easily. We’ll see how they do the rest of the year, but on November 17 I look forward to when the Volunteers come to Nashville.

After tuning out the Vandy game, I caught the tail end of the Auburn game. Sometimes the best games to watch are the ones where a person does not have an emotional investment, and the Auburn game fit into that category. The Tigers had Louisiana-Monroe beat but lost the lead late in the game, which sent the game into overtime. Auburn lived dangerously but they won.

After that game, I took a small break while preparing myself for the big game on my football watching agenda. Tennessee vs. Florida was scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. so I ran whatever errands I had to do to get ready for that.

Of course, this game is where my afternoon of extravagance took a turn for the worse. Despite playing well for two-and-a-half quarters, the Volunteers faded late in the game and got pummeled. What was that I wrote about a good Saturday being when Tennessee wins and Vanderbilt loses? Well, I guess that did not happen. However, as I watched the final games of the evening, I must admit it was a good day.

I mean, we live in a world where Alabama is ranked number one, and that is not a reality I enjoy, but there are less pleasurable ways to spend a Saturday. Simple pleasures are often the best pleasures in life, and college football is one of those things that fills that role for me.

We all need recreation, because if we do not have it, then we become more likely to start climbing the walls. And I do not know about you, but I have climbed enough walls in my life.

Cheer but behave

Sports have become a multi-zillion dollar industry in the United States, but it has benefits other than cash. From a societal point of view, it has the potential to unify us all in ways we do not normally see.

Consider this quote:  "The real angler knows his sport transcends every limitation of economics, class, and culture. In my hometown (Wyandotte, Michigan), fishing was the only place the doctor, the alcoholic welder, the priest, the barber, and the town bum could meet on equal footing." – written by novelist Thomas McGuane.

Now, McGuane was only speaking about the sport of fishing, but I have heard similar quotes relating to other sports. When we all share a common goal or interest, we do a little bit better job of coming together.

And in many ways, this coming together transcends all the barriers we have erected around us. We become a little more likely not to be distracted by a person’s economic status or skin color or gender. One could even argue this is one of the few situations where we come close to being the type of society we dream of being.

Of course, I am romanticizing this a bit. While I agree with McGuane's quote, it is not as clear cut as he states. This is for several reasons. For example, as unifying as sports can be, it is becoming more and more difficult for those of us in the middle class to attend events.

Just as sports have become big business, so has the expense of being of fan. With football season starting, it can cost a pretty penny to attend a college or professional game. This is not the case on the high school level, but to attend those other games, a person has to budget wisely.

Depending on the game, a ticket to a University of Tennessee game can cost anywhere between $40 and $80. Toss in costs for parking and meals, and it can take a big wet bite out of a family’s budget. The costs are even more for professional teams like the Tennessee Titans.

This impacts unity because these events are pricing many of the people mentioned in McGuane's quote out of the chance to attend a game.

Plus, there are other factors impacting potential unity. Take it from somebody who has attended many games over the years, the consumption of alcohol is one activity that can change a lovely afternoon at a game to a miserable experience.

Especially when it comes to National Football League games, the league and beer companies are multi-million dollar partners. While this may seem benign on the surface, it becomes a big deal when the man sitting next to you has had too much to drink and is mad because his team is losing.

At times like this, forget about unity. Profanity and physical confrontation are not that uncommon. There is nothing worse than a jerk who has tied one on and feels it is his constitutional right to make everybody miserable around him.

The bottom line is what we get out of life is based on the decisions we make. Unity can be enhanced by taking part in sporting activities. However, if we get selfish and decide to act like a yahoo, we can impact others around us in negative ways. So, when attending events like this, remember that it is not all about you. It is about everybody pulling together.

Obviously, these principles do not only apply to attending sporting events. We need to make smart decisions in every walk of life. If this sounds simple, why don’t we do it more often?

That is another question for another time.