Competition is a Wonderful Thing

As frustrated as I get playing, watching, coaching sports, I couldn't live without them. Scratch that - I could but I choose not to and here's why:

I realized after my basketball game a week ago, after playing one of the bitchiest teams I have ever faced, that it's an absolute thrill to HATE another human being for an hour and not care what she thinks of me while I am driving to the hoop and elbowing her in the throat. I gage my hostility on how nasty the other team is and how much they complain to the refs/umps (granted, many of them deserve what they get from players and fans but this team in particular last week should have kept their fat mouths shut). Now after the game, it's a completely different story (usually). I don't know the opponents and their personalities off the court; they could be saints for all I know. Maybe the girls are even people I would consider enjoyable to hang out with. But on the court, soccer or softball fields, if the other team feels the need to be raging bitches, I have no qualms about hating the enemy because I know I won't feel guilty about it.

On the flip side, there are those to teams that are out on the court/field for the same reason I am: to have fun, get some exercise, and feed that competive hunger. Like tonight's team for instance - not a single girl on the other team was nasty. They were kicking our butts (it needs to be stated they are in a higher league than us), but it wasn't a huge deal. We knew what we were getting into in this particular game, but we had a good time and both teams thought the refs were morons. We even laughed about it! Good times!

And I have to admit it's fun being a girl that knows a little something about sports, which tends to still be a male dominated topic. Which is fine but it's nice to talk shop with guys and other females. My sister and I will have lengthy baseball conversations via Instant Messenger, and now that D.C. has a team, I suspect they'll be a lot more.

Coaching sports isn't one of my favorite things to do. I coached a 16 and Under softball team one summer; I was too stressed out. I never knew if I was going to have enough players to field a team every Tuesday night. People (kids and parents alike) can be so unreliable, and it drives me insane. Working with just pitchers is a little different. I am not in charge of an entire team. Just a group that needs some direction in a specific area of the diamond. That I can handle.

I guess watching sports also includes my feelings of hating the enemy just like when I am actually playing. But since I am not actually contributing physically, I can still hate the other team AND hate the other team's fans that are sitting near by! Bonus! More people to sneer at. Fantastic! Pun intended. I am not one to get into a verbal or physical altercation with another fan but it's fun to watch someone else fight then join in on the jeering (as long as it doesn't get too out of hand or too distracting). For instance, this past Friday night I went to a Syracuse Crunch game. There weren't many fights but a couple guys finally brawled, and it was awesome. A Crunch player nailed the Cleveland guy right in the face. That dude hit the ice and curled up into a ball. I haven't been to a ton of hockey games but a few, and I have never seen a guy curl up into a ball like that. It was incredible and the fans certainly loved it!

Here is the twist: I am a huge proponent of good sportsmanship. I know adrenaline, emotion, and competitive drive get the best of me at times and I flip out, but overall I think I am a good sport. I don't actually get verbal with opponents; I try to vent through my physical play. So if a fast ball comes high and inside, chances are you pissed me off somewhere down the line.

Play ball!! (No Aunt Bethany)