Hi everybody. My name is Aaron Perryman, and I am a sports fan. I admit it. I am a huge sports fan and I have a problem. I love sports too much. I recognize my disorder but I have no control over it. I am ecstatic when my favorite teams win and I am like a grumpy old man when they lose. My very mood and interactions with the people around me revolve around what happens to my favorite teams. Winning streaks and losing streaks only perpetuate the situation further.
My favorite teams are, of course, the Virginia Cavaliers, and my NFL team is the Dallas Cowboys (I cam hear the chorus of boos now). For those of you who are 'Hoos, you know all about the January the Cavaliers suffered. With the exception of a few bright spots, January was a dismal month to be a Virginia sports fan.
For those of you that don't follow the Cowboys, let's just say it was all downhill after the Cowboys defeated the Packers in late November. The team self-destructed, losing three of its last five games including a first-round playoff loss to the eventual NFC champion New York Giants. On top of that was all the news about Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson, their trip to Mexico and how she adversely affected his play as the season wound down. In addition to my grief as a Cavalier fan, the way in which Dallas' season ended has left a sour taste in my mouth.
My world of sports for the last month or so has been just awful. And that is why I am here today. I need help. My favorite teams lose and I keep coming back for more. I hold out hope that somehow, some way, the men's basketball team can turn it around and make the NCAA Tournament, even though this scenario is becoming more and more unlikely.
Those of you who aren't sports fans don't understand me. I know who you are. I have friends and family members just like you. You wonder how I, and those like me, can look for meaning in something as meaningless as sports. You wonder how it's possible that I can have a nervous breakdown when my favorite teams lose. You wonder how a sports slump could put me in a depressed state for an entire month.
My girlfriend's mom likes to say, "It's just a game." This statement makes me laugh so hard my insides hurt. It is also a statement that creates a lot of confusion for me. If it's just a game, why did I feel like I had been kicked in the gut when Virginia lost on a last-second field goal in the Gator Bowl? Why did I feel like I was at a funeral after Dallas lost to New York? Why did I feel like a dagger had been stabbed through my heart as I helplessly watched Deron Washington's last-second layup bounce through the hoop just a couple weeks ago, dashing hopes of a thrilling overtime win against archrival Virginia Tech?
If it's just a game, why do grown men, who wouldn't cry over anything else, cry when their favorite teams lose? Why is Gameday one of the most popular sections of The Cavalier Daily? Why are millions of people around the country -- and the world -- going to gather in front of a TV to watch a football game this weekend? Why is the image of Sean Singletary nailing that fading floater to propel Virginia to its exhilarating win against Duke last season burned on my retina? Why do I have a tape of that game and still watch it occasionally, getting almost as excited every time as watching it the first time? (I know some of you do this.)
And as I said, many sports fans like myself understand our condition but have no control over it. I can't just quit liking sports and cease to bleed orange and navy blue tomorrow. It is too much a part of me. It is an addiction that grabs hold and won't let go. And I can't just start liking a different team, either. I can pull for the Giants to knock off the villainous Patriots this weekend, but it won't be the same as if Dallas was playing.
I don't know why some people go absolutely nuts for their favorite teams and others can have no idea what is happening when they see an oddly-shaped ball being thrown, caught and chased around by a bunch of guys wearing matching shirts and skintight pants. I would like to find out, though. Is there some gene that predisposes us to liking sports, or is it mainly an aspect of the environment in which we grew up? Why are some people completely removed from the world of sports and do not think twice about the poor play of Virginia's men's basketball team?
If you're one of the crazy sports fans I've described, have you ever pondered this question and ever wished, at least a little bit, that you would be able to not care about sports like some of your friends? I have. It would save me the worry today and decrease my risk of heart attack in the future.
But then I think about it and it dawns on me. It's not just a game. It's ingrained in American society -- a cultural phenomenon. It's a way of life for some of us. Losing hurts -- a lot. The reason so many of us are in love with sports, however, is the thrill of victory, which is only made sweeter by the agony of defeat. The feeling you have when your team is doing well is indescribable. Nothing we sports fans say to a person who doesn't understand our plea will ever make them able to comprehend how we feel in our highest of highs and lowest of lows.
But the reason we never really go away and instead come back when our favorite teams are doing badly is the fact that there will always been a second chance. As bad as my recent sports slump has been, I know things will turn around. My thirst for the adrenaline rush when my favorite teams win is what sustains me. You sports fans out there know exactly what I am talking about.
Non-fans can scoff all they want. They will never understand us.
Hi, my name is Aaron Perryman, and I am a sports fan.
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