Ruminations

Ruminations

Sporting Goods

By John A. Schwarz

There has been a plethora of bad news all over the world the past several months. The U. S. stock market was in a free fall all of December, the British are dealing with Brexit, the French have come to regret that they elected Macron, who has a 5% favorable rating among voters. He could be the first one to be a leader of a country with a 0% favorable rating. It’s hard to avoid the depressing news whether it’s on TV, the newspapers, or on the radio.

Thinking about all these bad situations got me thinking about antidotes. I came up with one. I realized how important sports are in various ways, I love sports, always have. Hundreds of millions of people around the globe participate in sports. They are a wonderful distraction from all the bad news we are constantly being hit with 24 hours a day. It’s a wonderful way to get in shape. If you play a sport or several sports from childhood onward and never stop, you not only have a lifetime of fun and enjoyment, but you also stay fit.

Everyone has their favorite sports. Mine are tennis, golf, football, baseball, and basketball. I’m now playing the first two, but I love to watch the other three. I am so jealous of millions of people who have chosen teams who have had enormous success over the years. For example, in our area there are millions of people who are rabid New York Yankee fans. Many of my friends and family members are among them.

The Yankees have been extremely successful for the last century. In Boston there are teams that have also been outstanding. They have a great baseball team and an outstanding football team. Over the years, their basketball and their ice hockey teams have also won many championships.

There are tens of million people who live and die following teams that rarely win championships. They love their teams just as much as the examples I listed above. I fall in the latter category. I am a huge fan of the New York Mets and the New York Jets. Both began in the early 1960s and both were terrible. For years I’ve been called Mr. Met and Johnny Jet. A miracle occurred in 1969. Anita and I went to the Super Bowl in Miami and witnessed a miracle when the 17-point underdog, the Jets, won! Later in the year, the Mets won the World Series. I knew then that it would never happen again. I got that right.

The Mets won the World Series in 1986 and the Jets have gone 0 for 49. There is something wonderful that happens however when the unthinkable occurs. That is having your underperforming team come through after having let you down time after time. I wouldn’t change my allegiance to those two teams if I was offered $100,000.00.