Rooting for your team...why we do it

I absolutely love college basketball.

I love going to games when I can, love watching them on television, and really love love the whole March Madness insanity.

What I love most is when an underdog….or more correctly, a team that hasn’t received the recognition it should…wins over the favorite. I love to see young athletes have their day in the sun and confound the so-called experts.

I know better than to tell you which teams I root for.

But there’s nothing better than going to your alma mater’s game…clapping during the fight song as you’ve done a million times…yelling when the lights go out and they introduce your guys…and cheering every time a basket is made. Hearing the bad play with such heart (love the drum section). Trying to catch the t-shirts from the cannon. Eating junk food and loving it.

And yes, I also love watching women’s basketball. Talk about heart. And skill. And pure ability. They often have to endure tiny crowds and no publicity.

But they work as hard or harder than the men, and they are very, very good.

This year, I’ll be yelling as always, watching games and pulling my hair. Unfortunately, my number one team did not make it this time. But I always find a group of kids I think deserve it. To me, that means being a true team, helping each other, and not giving up.

If you have never been a fan of college sports, you might check it out sometime. You won’t find this kind of spirit, courage, and tears in the pros. This is about fighting until your last breath. Believing that for one moment, you really can change your life forever.

I’m not trying to glorify athletes. No one was more uncoordinated than me in school…I was not fan of the “jocks”. But camaraderie…common goals…helping each other…that’s something I can support.

The International Mental Game Coaching Association (IMGCA) says we follow sports because they teach us about loyalty, perseverance, and honor. It helps us bond. We live vicariously through the athletes we watch. We can safely experience drama, suspension and resolution, without ever being in any danger.

And interestingly, IMGCA also says sports can trigger our reptilian brain…tribal instincts and the whole fight or flight thing.

I know my poor pets have run and hid more than once when I yelled at the television over a bad call.

If you are a boomer or beyond, you probably have some great memories about some of the all-time heroes of college ball. Like Oscar Robertson. Michael Jordan. Larry Byrd. Or Chamique Holdsclaw. Val Whiting, or Seimone Augustus.

It’s a time of year when the whole concept that “anything is possible” really holds water. Just ask anyone who watched North Carolina State beat Houston in the NCAA finals in 1983.

I also love football. Watching the Indy circuit. Baseball. Tennis. Soccer. Track and field.

Sometimes, David really does get the edge on Goliath. And it just feels good to watch.

What are your favorite sports memories?