COFFEE PLEASE: Let's Talk About Sports

If you have been on Facebook or walked outside within the past few days, you probably have gathered will that the Denver Broncos are going to the Super Bowl.

I have never really had an interest in football until recent years, but even now I don’t regularly follow the Broncos. Most of my orange and blue updates come from my newsfeed; Broncos football seem to be the only thing on anyone’s mind from August to February. It has fascinated me on just how dedicated people can be to their favorite sports team.

What would people value if they didn’t worship sports?

For a hot second, I was interested in going into sports broadcasting for the NBA. The dream was short lived as I realized other passions, but it didn’t stop me from thinking about the impact that sports have on people. This is not just the case in football. Sports fanatics come from all types of games.

Athletics can define a city and bring people together if they share a favorite team or cause conflict if they like rival teams. Much of people’s lives are centered around this competition.

What would people value if they didn’t worship sports? It seems as if we need to have some sort of escape from our day-to-day lives and sports fulfill that need for many people. We not only value the complexity of the game itself but the people who play them. Athletes are instant heroes when they become professionals, whether they deserve the title or not. Fans idolize their every move on and off the field.

]For me, I don’t particularly care who wins or loses. I have such a non-competitive nature that I just enjoy watching the game despite the outcome. I go to sporting events for the atmosphere and, let’s be honest, the food. This is not the case for everyone and many people rely on their team taking home the victory. People can even become violent over their team losing. The amount of accidents that have occurred at or around sporting events is horrifying.

Either way, the Broncos are headed to Super Bowl 50 and I will be watching for the commercials and the queso dip.

—Morgan Mackey