As everybody knows, Auburn won the National Championship yesterday. Anyone who knows me at all knows I'm not exactly happy about that. I hate Auburn, and I have very little respect for how many of the players (particularly Nick Fairley and Cam Newton), coaches, and administrators have conducted themselves this year. However, recent occurrences in my life have made me realize how unimportant football really is in the grand scheme of things. Here's some background info:
My mom went to Alabama (She was here when Bear Bryant was here and saw us win two National Championships!), and I have been a Bama fan my whole life. Going to school at The University of Alabama and being a member of the Million Dollar Band has intensified my loyalty.
I am fan of more than just our sports teams; I am a fan of The University of Alabama. This school and this place and all the people here have made my college experience incredible.
Of course, football has contributed to that experience. Last year we had a perfect season. THE perfect season. We won the National Championship in the historic Rose Bowl. I mean, it's in our fight song! It could not have been any more perfect, and I cannot begin to describe how happy it made me.
This season was less perfect, but it was still good. A 10-3 season including the Capital One Bowl is a significant improvement over my 7-6 freshman season and the Independence Bowl. I surely can't complain about witnessing two perfect regular seasons, two SEC Championship games (and one win!), and a National Championship during my time as an undergrad!
Now back to the part where football doesn't really matter. Let me preface this by saying that although Auburn's victory was a catalyst for this post, I've been wanting to express my altered perspective for a while now. I am not writing this because Auburn won. So here we go.
Tomorrow will be a month since my Grandma passed away. She has been living with cancer for most of my life. She beat it once and was in remission for about five years, but we found out she had a new cancer in August of 2009. Cancer is never good. It's a scary word, and it's an even scarier thing. Knowing that somebody you love is suffering from this disease is horrific. Grandma, one of my greatest role models, was so brave throughout everything. But there is only so much one body can handle, and in the end cancer stole her away from us. I love her and miss her so much.
The Iron Bowl was the week before Grandma went into the hospital for the last time. I was upset after the game, with what I thought was good reason, for days. Cam Newton won the Heisman the night before Grandma passed away. I knew he won, but I didn't care. And I haven't cared much about football since.
The "tragedy" of losing a football game pales in comparison to real tragedy. Losing a member of your family is real loss. I know what real sadness is and what merits such an emotion. I'll be keeping things in perspective from now on.
So when football makes you feel good, great! When it doesn't make you feel so good, stop caring! Go spend time with your loved ones and forget about it.
A great point, and very well written. Thank you so much for sharing. I feel like maintaining proper perspective is probably the biggest key to living a great life. Your thoughts on understanding the importance and significance of things are very wise and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved football as a game. But in the end, that is all it is.