Like many - if not most of you - I love sports. Both as a participant and as a spectator.
The highs one experiences in moments of triumph. The depressingly low lows when we lose and nothing, I mean nothing, can get us out of our funk. The crowd cheers we hear urging us never to give up even as we face insurmountable odds. The boos in defeat that ring in our ears as we walk off of the field of competition. The camaraderie that exists between teammates. The rivalries across the lines. In the end, the thrill of it all.
In the pre-ESPN days, who can forget ABC's Jim McKay's magical words from years gone by
Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports... the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat... the human drama of athletic competition. This is ABC's Wide World of Sports.
So many memories, so many indelible images etched in our minds.
What is the allure of sports?
The enigma of sport dates back centuries and it begins with Egypt, Greece, Rome and so forth. American sports are all about waiting for the best pitches to hit while at home plate. Waiting for the quarterback to release the game winning pass to the receiver who usually is not the big name star. The point guard to pass the ball for the buzzer beating game winning shot. And the waiting for the goalie in hockey to make the game winning save and stop the opponents shooter in the slot. The mystery and allure of American sports is patience, composure, and poise under pressure.
It is often said that sports are a diversion from the everyday struggles and pressures of modern day life. To ease our minds from the troubling realities of our existence. To soothe our emotions and feelings when facing divorce, illness, or death. To pacify our many urges. To escape into a world so unattainable for most of us. Yes, sports indeed are a necessary diversion. Sports is life, life is sports.
Even if we are casual sports fans, how can we forget some of the great moments in sports history? The ones that we can brag about to our children and grandchildren as we grow older. The ones we talk to with our coworkers and share repeatedly with our friends. Some we were fortunate to be present at; others, we remember from the small television screen in our living rooms. The memories of a lifetime.
What do you remember from your past sports experiences? So many come from mind: the heroics of 'Mr. October' in Game Six of the 1977 World Series; Howard Cosell's memorable call of "Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier" during the George Foreman-Joe Frazier 1973 fight; 'Broadway Joe Namath' and his brash prediction coming true in Super Bowl III; Bobby Thomson's 'Shot Heard Around the World' that gave the New York Giants the pennant over their crosstown arch-rivals, Brooklyn Dodgers; Franco Harris' 1972 improbable 'Immaculate Reception' that may have ushered in the dominance of the great Pittsburgh Steelers football teams of the late 1970's and early 1980's; Al Michaels' unforgettable Do you believe in miracles? Yes! call celebrating the US Ice Hockey Team's victory in the 1980 Winter Olypmic Games at Lake Placid, New York; and, from only a couple of years ago, the lifting of the 'Curse of the Bambino' by the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 World Series.
The choices are many. But choose we must. That's life. That's sports.
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