Congratulations, Class of 2008. You've finally made it to graduation. As someone who's just completed half of his college experience, the date of my own Commencement is one that I look toward with terror and distress.
It marks the day that I have to move on to the "real world," to start taking care of myself and taking on the anxieties of daily adult life. But if there's one thing that will remain constant throughout my eventual transition from college to real life, it will be my love of sports.
Sports are something that I've followed since I was a little kid. They provide a distraction from stress and give you something fun to invest yourself in and care about. But perhaps the greatest thing about sports is the way it reflects real life. We see ourselves in our superstars (or at least we want to), and we relate to their struggles and their triumphs. And while sometimes we may cry or be let down, there is one virtue that every sports fan shares: hope.
Sports provide hope for several reasons. First there is the general optimism that every fan has. "Everybody's undefeated in the preseason," goes the saying.
As a Yankees fan, I have hope for the team's future because of our young trio of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. I like to believe that they are the seeds of a future dynasty.
But you don't even have to look as far as the major leagues. Following the Tufts baseball team this year, I saw what a huge impact the freshmen made. Pat O'Donnell led the team in ERA (2.91) and wins (6). Chase Rose and Ian Goldberg tied for second on the team in home runs, while Goldberg was second in runs and Rose was second in RBI.
It's fun to watch a player develop and see what he can be. Anyone can relate to the growth of someone else, to the realization of potential. Kevin Durant and Joba Chamberlain aren't much older than you or me, but instead of learning to solve international quandaries or math derivatives, they're figuring out how to get past Dikembe Mutumbo or what 3-2 pitch to throw to Manny Ramirez.
We pull for these guys because they're like us. Plus, they're going to be pretty entertaining to watch for the next two decades.
Then you've got the actual games and teams. There are the Cinderellas, like Stephen Curry and his Davidson College Wildcats. Curry led Davidson all the way to the Elite Eight, where they only lost by two to eventual-national champion Kansas.
There are also the comebacks, like Kansas' against Memphis in the championship game. Down nine with 2:12 left to play, they fought back and made a last-second three to send it into overtime, which they dominated.
Then there are those rare games that are both, like the Giants' upset of the Patriots. It's over five months later and I still can't believe it happened. Even more, I can't believe how it happened, with Eli leading the team down the field and avoiding that sack, leading to the Helmet Catch that was on par with the Immaculate Reception. Even if you're a Pats fan who's still a little bitter, one day you will appreciate the greatness of that game.
Stories like these are what is great about sports: Anything can happen, just like in life. And unlike in real life, when something surprising happens in sports, it usually makes people happy. We like to see the underdog rise up and we like to see the little guy win. We like to know that the outcome is not predetermined, that we can change our fates.
Just ask a Red Sox fan about 2004. Even if a team has been struggling, even if there's a culture of losing, there's always a chance that things can change.
So the message this lowly sophomore hopes to get across, seniors, is that there's always something to hope for. And if your personal outlook isn't too good, at least you've got sports.
David Heck is a sophomore majoring in philosophy. He can be reached at David.Heck@tufts.edu.
