More Than A Sport

By Camille

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It’s just a sport. Or I don’t know why you’re overreacting. Those are just two sentences any sports fan does not want to hear. People who do not watch a particular sport, or watch no sports at all, may not understand why people can become frustrated when watching a team they’re rooting for. For those of you who feel a deeper connection with any sport, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone.

Now to be completely honest and transparent, if you asked me about this topic two years ago, I would never think about the deeper meaning that sports can bring to our lives. I never really watched sports (except for WWE, but I know some people don’t see that as a sport), so I never knew too much about what was going on in the sports world. 

Back when I started getting into football about a year ago, I had minimal knowledge of the sport. The only position I knew of was the goalkeeper, and even then I didn’t know the rules they had to follow. For those of you who do not use the term football, I am talking about soccer. As embarrassing as it is to admit it, the entire reason I even started watching football was because my favourite Twitch streamer, nmplol, started playing Fifa 21 and I immediately became hooked on the game and wanted to know more about the sport. 

Learning about the teams, players, and rules of football was very overwhelming-especially due to the fact that I wasn’t a fan of the sport my entire life. Even to this day, I cannot explain the rules very well on my own, but that doesn’t mean I am not a big supporter of the sport. Each time I watch a match, I try to figure out who is who so I am able to identify them the next time the team plays. 

Despite my lack of knowledge compared to longtime fans, football has made me feel emotions no other sport has. Football has made me feel excitement, sadness, disappointment, inspiration, irritation, and the list goes on. Upon researching multiple teams when I first started watching, I was very quick to find the team that I support the most, Paris Saint-Germain. 

When I first began watching football, I was at the worst place in my life mentally and emotionally. However, within these past few months, Paris Saint-Germain has brought me motivation and has helped me create a big goal for myself. After I obtain my Bachelor’s degree in America, I hope to attend a school in Paris to obtain my Master’s. I realize that will take a lot of work and effort, but it’s work and effort I’m willing to put in to be able to live in the beautiful city of Paris. 

Whenever I watch a PSG game, I become excited at the idea that one day I can/will live in the city that this wonderful team represents. Whenever I’m feeling low on motivation, I think of my future and what I want it to look like, and that alone is enough to help me bring back the motivation I once had. While others may have a harder time finding inspiration in their life, I find no shame in admitting that PSG has brought a phenomenal amount of inspiration to me. 

Football is more than a sport. You can find this out by asking any invested football fan. Football is a sport where people come together and enjoy 90+ minutes of other people kicking a ball around. While it may seem to be just that to some people, it is a sport that unites countries divided by other issues. It is a sport that motivates people to work hard for what they want. It is a sport that entertains people. It is a sport that makes people feel things. Football has already brought so much to my life, and I cannot wait for the future when I am finally in a stadium, watching the team that has helped me more than they know.

The main purpose of this article was not to enlist more football fans (though that would be cool), but it is to show everyone that anything can hold a deeper meaning in life if you allow it. The simplest of things can bring so much motivation into our lives. While I talk about football specifically in this article, I encourage you guys to find something that you enjoy and create inspiration from it. This can range from sports to books to anything that you simply find joy in!

“Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.