(Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
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Dorothy Willis—MMA
In the early 1990's, my sons and I began to watch MMA. The first matches had no time limits and were very ruthless, with far fewer rules than today's MMA. The reforms which have been made since then were much welcomed in my opinion, and helped to legitimize the sport in the eyes of the world.
As a sixty-three-year-old mother of two grown sons, who were involved in martial arts and both wrestled in high school, the grandmother of six children, four of whom have been in karate, and two grandsons who love the sport of wrestling—I have a special affinity for the sport of MMA.
Ever since the first time I saw Georges St-Pierre fighting in Canada and tried to understand what the French commentator was saying, I have known that MMA had become my favorite sport.
St-Pierre had "GRAND HOTEL" printed in black paint on his back at the fight, and put on an outstanding performance.
Watching him, even after he signed with the UFC, has been like watching a beautiful new type of combat dancing. He is so graceful and has such fine-tuned kinesthetic sense in knowing where his body is in relation to his opponent. He has no false starts and appears as if every move has been choreographed in order to have the most-devastating effect upon his opponents.
Since I was a Professional Physical Education major in college, I can fully appreciate how much conditioning and control it takes to perform on such a high level in every fight.
Seeing the human body in performance of Mixed Martial Arts can be very beautiful, and St-Pierre's moves never cease to amaze me.
Although other fighters, especially Anderson Silva, have come close to St-Pierre's style. Rush will continue to be my favorite fighter in my favorite sport.
Bob Warja—Baseball
This game sucks you in like a squeegee, fills you with hope and joy, then rips your heart out and makes you watch. Yes, that’s baseball, and I love it.
Watching a baseball game is much like riding a roller coaster; the highs and lows of the lead changing hands during a game is akin to the thrill of an amusement park.
It’s like a drug—as quickly as the high comes, you get the crash of reality spilling all over your favorite team.
And, ultimately, you are left at home watching someone else win the World Series.
Still, you enjoyed the ride.
Baseball is something handed down from father to son; something that becomes more than just a game and ends up becoming your best friend and worst enemy. All the while, you beg for more.
It’s the crack of the bat and the smell of the freshly cut grass. It’s the thrill of the big fly, and it’s the excitement of a pitcher’s duel.
It’s a thinking man’s game; one that seems slow and sleepy. Yet, it is always punctuated by strategy and intensity. It’s a game within a game.
It’s a quirky game, filled with superstition and steeped in tradition; and, occasionally—no matter how long you've been watching—you will see something you've never seen before.
There’s a long history filled with statistics that truly mean something; and it’s a marathon of a season so there is always hope regardless of how your favorite team did on a given day.
It’s athletic and graceful; yet, at the same time, it can be frustrating and maddening, But, it doesn’t matter because it’s baseball—the American pastime.
It’s simply the greatest game in the world.
Watching a baseball game is much like riding a roller coaster; the highs and lows of the lead changing hands during a game is akin to the thrill of an amusement park.
It’s like a drug—as quickly as the high comes, you get the crash of reality spilling all over your favorite team.
And, ultimately, you are left at home watching someone else win the World Series.
Still, you enjoyed the ride.
Baseball is something handed down from father to son; something that becomes more than just a game and ends up becoming your best friend and worst enemy. All the while, you beg for more.
It’s the crack of the bat and the smell of the freshly cut grass. It’s the thrill of the big fly, and it’s the excitement of a pitcher’s duel.
It’s a thinking man’s game; one that seems slow and sleepy. Yet, it is always punctuated by strategy and intensity. It’s a game within a game.
It’s a quirky game, filled with superstition and steeped in tradition; and, occasionally—no matter how long you've been watching—you will see something you've never seen before.
There’s a long history filled with statistics that truly mean something; and it’s a marathon of a season so there is always hope regardless of how your favorite team did on a given day.
It’s athletic and graceful; yet, at the same time, it can be frustrating and maddening, But, it doesn’t matter because it’s baseball—the American pastime.
It’s simply the greatest game in the world.
Overall
Thanks for reading. I would like to extend a special thank you to this article's contributors. Every bit of their effort was truly appreciated, and their contributions have lived up to everything I had hoped for and more.
But what do you think?
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