What we can learn from sports
By Matthew Cucuzza
The original intention of this column was to examine the lack of attendance at our basketball games. But as I opened my laptop to investigate Santa Clara attendance records, I stumbled upon a terribly bitter piece of information: A Facebook posting informed me that the 22-year-old sister of a close friend perished in an auto accident Monday night.
My eyes swelled as I thought of her 19-month-old daughter, a bright, enthusiastic soul now without her only parent.
The news made me reconsider how I allocate my passion.
I've recently struggled to find meaning in sports reporting.
The economy is failing, war brews in the Middle East and the most popular story of the day is that Kirk Radomski spilled the beans about baseball players doing drugs.
How can we become so enveloped in an industry corrupted by such inflated egos?
I felt sports reporting was detrimental to society, promoting and profiting off of the ignorance of people toward real issues.
As I mourned for my friend, I realized the clock had struck six and the San Jose Sharks's game was on.
Desperate for a distraction, I flipped on the channel to watch the team and sport I love.
We need the distraction sports provides. That meaningless sporting event reminded me that in this cruel, unfair world, there are things worth caring about.
Sports have a curious way of teaching us compassion, which believe it or not does exist, even if it's directed at a professional sports team.
I for one had never truly loved anything until the NHL Lockout took away my favorite pastime. I felt I had lost a part of myself.
The NHL's furious return reminded me to value what I love.
For casual fans, sports are a fun way to spend a couple of hours.
To the most serious of fans, sports act as an escape, a way to evade one's real problems.
Placing faith in a sports team gives a fan perpetual hope. The statement, "There's always next year" exemplifies this fact.
But for some, there is no next year. There may not even be a tomorrow.
Filled seats give confidence to a team. A boisterous, passionate crowd gives the team an extra boost, a greater drive to succeed, according to Santa Clara men's head coach Kerry Keating.
Please, show compassion to those around you.
Give someone the same drive to succeed that Keating's Broncos enjoy when they play to a full house.
Their life could depend on it.