Sports Influence

Sports Influence

My life’s foundation includes a generous mix of scholastic sports participation.  If you break life down to the basics, you will find that life is a competition, whether you want to admit or not.   In the beginning level of life (at birth) if you are a twin, you will start competing from day one.  Whether it be for the next feeding, diaper change, or just mom and dad’s attention.  In my generation, my parents expected me to excel in everything from school work to sports to chores around the farm.

Even friendly family competitions were played to win never to lose or draw.  When I entered school sports in high school, I was expected to minimally letter in the sport.  My parents felt like they were spending money on insurance, and sports equipment. Not to mention giving up my time after school when I could have been performing chores on the farm, so they wanted to hear that I was amongst the best performers if not MVP.

Well I grew up with a very competitive spirit and I passed it on to my children growing up.  To this day you should see how rowdy our board game nights get when the family gathers around the dining room table to spend quality time together.

I remember occasions when I visited my relatives in California and my uncle Frank would take me to Dodger baseball games or my father would take me to championship boxing matches also in Los Angeles.   At the time I couldn’t understand their enthusiasm for Baseball and boxing.  Being from the Pacific Northwest myself, I didn’t have the exposure to professional sports that southern Californians have always had.  However, it wasn’t long after my exposure to boxing in southern California that a young fighter entered the competition (Cassius Clay) and I became a fanatic.  All of a sudden the fights were not boring, here was a fighter that would call the round he was going to knock out the opponent, and actually did it.  I started attending Close Circuit Television viewings in select venues around the northwest with my step-father and step-brothers. I can honestly say that those were exciting times.

 

In 1976 I was very fortunate to get on the fan wagon of my favorite team ever.  The Seattle Seahawks arrived and I have been a fan ever since.  In 2005 the Seahawks made it all the way to the Super Bowl, and were able to compete with the opposing team, but were not prepared to take on the officiating team also.  I already gave full disclosure, I have been a fan from Day One.  This coming Sunday my team, the Seattle Seahawks will once again be competing in the Super Bowl.  This time our team is going against the recognized best quarterback in the NFL.  I only agree to the title because he probably is, considering his accomplishments, and secondly because when my team beats his team, I expect my quarterback to inherit the title.

While my team is well prepared in all aspects of the sport, we are going against the best possible team that we could compete with.  It’s unfortunate that after Sunday, no one will care who came in second place over all.  Having said that, I will admit that, that is the way I was raised, and that is the way I like it.  The second place team will begin the rebuilding process the very next day (Monday), and that is the way it should be.  Like in everything, especially in sports, there needs to be winners and losers.  It’s just how we keep score, and it builds character.  GO SEAHAWKS!!!  The best is yet to come…..