Sports and its followers

 Remember in high-school you were a leader or a follower? Remember the jocks and the geeks? It is no small thing to carry over the hero status into adulthood. To loom glorious over the rest of us, feeble in mind and body, watching from the sidelines while the strong and mighty war for prizes too great for most of our wildest dreams.

I'm not much of a follower, but I can enjoy the championships of any sport. I have spent many a happy hour watching as men and women strive to get there. I remembered the names of the stars in baseball, football and tennis. I know how many yards are on a football field: 120.

And I now know Wimbledon is played in London, as this past summer I watched and was amazed at the turnout. Wow, even princes and princesses attend. It was nothing at all like our tennis championship at the end of summer, an American arena undrer a black dome, all aglow with neon lights and the top 40 blaring in the background. 

What makes people feel connected by competition? I once had a theory that competition kept people from wars. If it isn't that we come together, if it isn't to find cathartic release, than really, sports are an escape. An escape from our best, even. We think we have to reach insurmountable heights in everyday life. Having a newborn feels that way. Making it through your first mortgage feels that way. But we need that height we do not have to reach, sometimes. 

I'm not much of a follower. I love Atlanta baseball, but I don't know how the Braves are  doing right now, maybe the season hasn't even started yet. But I never miss a superbowl. And it's not just for the commercials. We love to see the champions do their thing.

After this year's Olympic games, I was in awe of how good some athletes have become. I am aware of, in the growth of media online, the ways we have caught each other's passions and propelled ourselves forward toward greater accomplishments, forcing new records, challenging ourselves to harder tricks. 

A couple of ice skaters looked so nonchalant on the ice, I was hardly surprised they took their show on the road while not performing for the judges. The summer games also proved impressive, new -- and they are covering a wider range of interests, with new sports like breakdancing, something I'd pick up if I had the chance.

If in the future we ever realize that talent and perseverance and will are not what makes these heroes what they are, if we decide that it is luck or if it is privilege, please remind them to hit the restart button. It's all about winning, afterall.