Is it an obsession?

I love sports.

I love playing sports, I love watching sports, and I love reading about sports. One of the tabs that load when I start chrome is ESPN . Even as I'm sitting here writing this, Sportscenter is on one TV and ESPN3 is on the other. At my house, we are usually watching at least one live sporting event each day. It doesn't matter what type, just something.

My love of sports comes from a myriad of sources, but primarily these two teams:







and





I love both of these teams with an obsessive passion. The Cubs are essentially my first sports love, having been in love with them for the better part of 21 years. My love from the Colts goes back about 18 years now. Both of these teams have something in common: HEARTBREAK.

I almost cried in October of 2008 when the Cubs were knocked out of the playoffs. This is one of the craziest things about being a sports fan in todays day and age. To put why I almost cried into perspective, it had been 100 years since the Cubs had previously won the World Series. Compare that to the the Yankees who have 27 total World Series championships.

The Colts also brought me to the verge of tears last January. Watching them lose that game hurt so very much. But at least I had 2006 to hold onto and remember what it is like to win a Super Bowl.

But that doesn't get to the heart of what fandom really is. Consider that this couple named their baby Wrigley Fields. I know its a Fauxnews, sorry, Foxnews story, but it shows fandom. I know that I have friends who can cry when their teams win or lose a game, series, playoff(s), or championship.

But my love for sports goes deeper than fandom. Tennis matches can be epic to watch. Federer-Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon finals and Isner-Mahut in 2010 were some of the most epic sporting events I have ever watched. The 2010 Fifa World Cup saw me waking up early to watch some amazing and some not-so-amazing soccer matches. I have even watched the Australian Rules Football and that stuff is messed up and hard to understand. One night, I was up at 4 am and watched Polo on ESPN. It is as boring to watch as it sounds.

I'll play about any sport with a ball. I love to cycle and mountain bike. I have ESPN on for at least 3 hours a day, even if I'm doing something else. And the best part about ESPN during the fall/winter?

College Sports. NCAA basketball, both mens and womens, and NCAA football are easily some of the best sports that is available. I must admit that I am a PAC-10 person, with an affinity to the Washington Huskies.

What makes my love of sports dangerous is that it involves so much of my time. But for what they do to me, the highs and the lows, I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

The sound of winter.

The lights are turning on. A glow comes off the wooden floors, reflects off the folded up bleachers, lights up the backboards. A dozen men hustle in. The squeak of shoes is joined by the soothing sound of dribbling basketballs. The coach's whistle shrieks. The first shot goes up, you hear the clang of the cold iron. It's almost there. The next one's up, all you hear is the sweet swish of leather through nylon...

The sound of perfection

That's right kiddos, it's basketball season.

This is the beginning of declining grades, forgotten work, excessive 'sick days', and a severe interest in my television (and occasionally the gym).

The boys of Indiana

And of course, my Butler Bulldogs. They start off this year ranked 18th. This is ridiculous. No other team would be ranked this low coming off the storybook season, finishing as a runner up in the tournament.  However, their 'mid-major' status confuses the pundits. They're not supposed to be this good while being this small.


But this doesn't matter now. We're going to show them again. We'll play our style of ball. We'll show off the fundamentals and win...again and again and again. We'll fight through the adversity, take on the big teams, run through the tournament, and finish at the top this year. And I'll be watching every game I can.

I don't care if I become anti-social, if my grades slip a bit, if my eyes turn red. I'll be watching as much as possible. And not just my Bulldogs. My TV stays tuned to ESPN and CBS throughout the winter. I catch every game I can, watching the perfect sport, played how it should be played, with passion, with fervor, by men, for no pay.

It's sport in its purest form.

This is only the beginning though... I haven't even caught March Madness yet. I can feel it creeping in. I've got that little tickle in the back of my throat. I know I'm slowly catching it. In a few months, I'm sure it'll be full blown and I can't wait.