Sports: A Healthy Obsession?

Before the 2009 Super Bowl had even begun, my older brother, Lonnie, had already started cheering for his team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. When I smirked at the 28-year-old man adorned in gold and black waving a Terrible Towel with all his might, he quickly went on the defensive.

"It's important to show support. It gives them inspiration. Ben (Roethlisberger) says when he sees Steelers fans waving their Terrible Towels it seems to come from the soul. I am just doing my duty."

I didn't have the courage to tell him that we were thousands of miles away from the game and there was no way the Steelers quarterback could see how Lonnie waved his Terrible Towel. I considered these actions of Lonnie's to be absolutely ridiculous. Later, he even critiqued his girlfriend for wearing a sweater with red in it because it was the opposing team's colors and was sure to jinx the Steelers.

I am used to the absurdity of the sports crazed because I have been immersed in the world of sports my entire life. Every conversation is a deep analysis of sports. Every member of my family has played and will most likely one day coach a sports team. Every meal is eaten as we sit around the television watching ESPN.

I consider my family’s passion for sports an obsession. This obsession is one that I don't understand. Whenever a sports conversation begins, I put on my headphones. Even for the teams I played on, I didn't take it  as seriously as everyone else. Every meal I go to my room and watch a movie instead.

Now, as a student at Penn State University, I am surrounded by the obsession for sports even more. Whether they are Steelers, Penn State football or Phillies fans it seems that the campus is over-populated with sports crazed people.

I don't understand why this obsession exists or why such a widely accepted interest is considered completely normal. To clarify, I don't hate sports; I love them. I applaud their merits but other obsessions are not nearly so tolerated.

One recent example that comes to mind is Twilight. If a teenage girl wears a "Team Edward" shirt, she is considered crazy. If, however, a boy dresses himself entirely in Phillies gear, argues about baseball with everyone he meets, and riots after they win the World Series, he considered completely normal.

Another pop culture craze is Harry Potter. Teenagers purchasing capes and wands while drawing lightning bolt scars on their faces for a book or movie release may be considered juvenile. However, it isn’t considered childish or immature when grown men cheer on athletes when they make a rough tackle.

In my high school, my peers considered people who dressed up for The Dark Knight midnight release "comic nerds." The same guys who considered these costumed bats “nerds” painted their chests and faces blue and wore Spartan helmets when our basketball team made it to the playoffs.

I am not justifying or encouraging obsession. I am just asking why we accept certain obsessions in our society. Everyone has something they just lose all rationality over. Many of us have gotten that stare from someone who thinks they are completely insane for caring about something as juvenile as Twilight or as pointless as a game.

So as Lonnie waves his Terrible Towel so hard it causes his face to go scarlet I wonder if I would look just as ridiculous in a “Team Edward” shirt. It doesn’t seem possible.