WINSTON WEEKLY©^[1]

February 9, 2025

Vol. 3, No. 6

THE LOVE OF SPORTS

I was a football fan long before Taylor Swift became a fixture in Arrowhead Stadium. From playing flag football to watching Friday night high school football to cheering on the Packers, there is much to love about football and many other sports. Marilyn Perkins wrote this about sports: “At their best, they can entertain in times of despair, unify across socioeconomic groups, and teach important life lessons.”[2] Author, writer, and editorial director Eric Simons said more than a decade ago, “There is no single answer to why people watch sports, because the answer does not lie in the game, it lies inside the individual. So it’s complicated in the same ways all our relationships are complicated….Athletes reflect us, and occasionally provide insight into the human condition…. Their work inspires, suggests, provokes.”[3]

This past week has provided plenty of provocation, inspiration, and suggestions as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to face off in Super Bowl LIX.  While football is not free from the conspiracy theories that have plagued much of the world, one need only look at the 32 nominees for this year’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award to understand how the love of sports can bolster and inspire others. Only a few of the nominees are mentioned here. Arik Armstead of the Jacksonville Jaguars told the children of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Louisiana before being selected as the Walter Payton Man of the Year, “It’s our responsibility to help you achieve your goals and what you set out in life to do, don’t let anybody tell you what you cannot do. As long as you work hard, make sacrifices, anything is possible that you want to achieve.” Nominee Alex Singleton of the Denver Broncos has long supported the Special Olympics, noting: “There are as many as 200 million people with intellectual disabilities around the world and more than 150,000 in Colorado. Our goal is to reach out to every one of them – and their families as well.” Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs received his second nomination for his 87 and Running Foundation, a nonprofit that empowers disadvantaged youth while focusing on business, athletics, STEM, and the arts.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

Consider how a love of sports can foster communities and build understanding and acceptance. For some ideas, check out the 2018 book, Managing and Developing Community Sport, edited by Rob Wilson and Chris Platts, or the True Athlete Project, www.trueathleteproject.org.

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[1] A Sunday newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2] Marilyn Perkins, What Can Sports Reveal About America?, Feb. 19, 2024, www.jefferson.edu.

[3] Eric Simons, What science can tell sportswriters about why we love sports, Sept. 2, 2014, Columbia Journalism Review, http://www.cjr.org.