Recently in our Zoom classes, we asked our students what they were thankful for in preparation for Thanksgiving. By the time it came around to my turn, I couldn’t use any of the normal cliches like friends, family, or food, as they had been exhausted by most of the students. On the spot, I scrambled and came up with sports. Throughout the spring of 2020and summer, many of the professional sports I watched weren’t there, and this fall, sports finally returned even though it wasn’t exactly back to normal, I felt relieved that sports were back.

I’m truly thankful for having sports back. Assad as it sounds, I felt a hole in my life where sports used to be. Watching sports and kicking back with the game was and is synonymous with relaxing and coping with my day. Sports are motivating, they get me through my work week, it was the bright light at the end of the dark tunnel. Life is tough in a normal environment without Covid-19, and “the game”, was always a highlight and escape from my week.

The old expression goes “You don’t know what you are missing until it is gone.” and I felt that more than ever when sports suddenly disappeared. I went to a Milwaukee Bucks game at the end of last February and by the middle of March the entire NBA season was canceled. Major League Baseball, a sport you can always rely on to be on tv, cut their season to a third of what it’s been historically, 180 games cut to 60. Finally, as a tennis fan, to not have breakfast with Wimbledon over the fortnight and over July 4th, it was more than just disappointing.

I knew the pandemic would change the average person's ability to play sports. Even playing in tennis tournaments this summer, a largely outdoor and socially distant sport, it astounded me all of the extra steps put in to prevent the spread of the virus. And as a result, there were less tournaments and less people playing. Tennis is in the minority though, most youth sports, especially team sports, have come to a screeching halt.  I feel lucky that tennis is my first love and I was able to play through the warm weather.

But again, this change was somewhat predictable, I knew I would be playing less and I knew I would have to find other activities and home workouts to fill the void. I did not expect to feel this same void when it comes to watching sports. My girlfriend mocks me forgetting overly passionate about the game, being glued to the tv on many nights for “the game”, and living and dying with each play. But what I truly missed and what she even missed was the camaraderie that surrounds the game.

Sports have truly always been an axiom of social life. Dating back to Greek and Roman times, with the introduction of the Olympics and the Roman Coliseum, sports have always been an activity that people gather from all parts of the world to come and enjoy. In today’s times, people still gather in the world's largest stadiums and arenas. However, it’s smaller groups around the tv with my extended family and friends that I truly miss the most. The ability to watch your local sports team, while you unwind after a hard days work at a restaurant or even spending a Sunday curled up on the couch watching football with your family, I deeply miss this quality time. I now spend most of those evenings and Sunday afternoons, on the couch alone.

Despite the fact I can’t see the people that are near and dear to my heart, I’m still truly thankful for sports being back and having football and soon basketball back on my tv again to distract me. Hopefully we can return to viewing sports the way they were meant to be, with packed stadiums and full couches.

If your child or student is looking for more activity during the winter months, there are a few operating sports programs during the pandemic. Please reach out to STRYV365 as we can put you in contact with these programs!