Play for the love of the game
I have been covering high school sports for about three months now.
I’ve been to quite a few high schools, covered a wide variety of sports and interviewed many different players and coaches.
I have spent many hours observing the high school sports atmosphere and, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of it.
Now you may be wondering, ‘Why? How can you honestly enjoy covering high school sports?’
An argument against it might go something like this.
How could any aspiring sports journalist like covering high school sports? They are just high school students. They aren’t professionals. They aren’t top athletes competing at the top level and most of them will never play professional sport past their teenage years.
Any one of those points backs up my reason for enjoying high school sports.
It’s sports at its grassroots level. These kids play for the love of the game. They all genuinely love the sport they are playing and are all out their to have fun.
As a sports fan it’s quite refreshing.
You don’t have money involved. Winning isn’t a live or death matter. The atmosphere is positive and kids are learning how to play the game they love. For the most part, these kids are playing the game the way it was meant to be played.
Professional sports doesn’t have too much of that anymore. The game has turned into a business where it’s all about the money. Players are playing the game to make a living. Wins and losses have a lot more consequences. There is a lot more negativity.
So next time, when you’re playing or watching your favourite sport, stop for a second and remember why you play the game. Relax, enjoy it and have some fun. Sure most sports are competitive and nobody likes to lose. Just remember why we play the game and what made you love sports in the first place.
