Why Do We Cling So Tightly To Sports?

Sports are one of the most important things in society, but why?  It seems like such a ridiculous thing, but besides your family and your job I am willing to bet the next thing you care about is your favorite team.

When you are a young child one of the first thing you do besides learn how to read and write is select a favorite sports team.  Multiple teams as time goes on and you follow different sports.  Why is this sort of thing so important though?  Why do we feel the need to follow a team that will either disappoint us, or impress us. When did this start?

I bring it all the way back to the days of ancient Greece and Rome.  The Greeks brought us the first ever Olympics in which each city state brought their greatest athlete to compete, for well bragging rights.  In Rome they had gladiators, champions that they would bring around to compete with other gladiators around the empire.

Unlike back then, our battles aren't to the death, but sometimes it sure does feel like it.  Sports seem like a do or die event each and every week.  I think as humans we just love a winner to cheer for.  An escape from our ordinary lives into the world of competition.

Cultures around the world have always had some sort of sport.  Soccer may be one of the oldest, and their fans are hands down the craziest.  I have been in some strong arguments regarding my teams before, but never have I ever taken it to violent level.  Though we all have the sports and teams that we live and die with.

How crazy are we that we will put a bag over our head, and still pay a ton of money for a ticket just to make a statement?  Why is this such an important thing to us?  It happens all the time.

Now I have rooted for the New York Yankees my entire life, so as a baseball fan I have been treated pretty well.  I am also a Philadelphia Eagles fan and I have lived with that disappointment for a while.  That may be the toughest thing, especially this year.

Yesterday my beloved Eagles blew a lead and lost to the San Francisco 49ers 24-23.  It shouldn't mean that much, but I felt like crap all day after that.  I don't know why I feel so bad after something I have absolutely no control over, and really no real tie too except for the apparel I have invested in.

Wouldn't it just be easier if we didn't care about sports?  I mean we have fans beating up fans, people dedicating entire rooms to a team they aren't even on and the purchase of gigantic TV's for the purpose of watching sports.  I love sports just as much as the next guy, but sometimes I feel like my love for my teams is too much, and I think my fiance would agree with that.

I am going to try my best to not care as much about sports and their outcome, but I don't think that process will come easily.