Live Baseball

The Super Bowl has been over for 2 weeks and, despite the fact that it was a pretty interesting game for a multitude of reasons, there was a common trend on my Twitter timeline that night.

Baseball will be back so very soon.

As such, it got me to thinking about a recurring thought I seem to have as each new season approaches. Baseball is one of the best sports to watch live.

People may scoff and say, “Well, you’re a baseball fan, so that’s not really much of a statement to make.” But I went to several different sporting events in the past year, and I still feel that this statement holds true.

I’m a Kansas City Chiefs fan, painful as that may be, and this year I went to the game between between the Chiefs and eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. It wasn’t a bad game. In fact, it was one that I thought the Chiefs should have won.* But as I walked back towards my car, I didn’t find myself necessarily glad that I’d come to the game as opposed to watching it on T.V. Of course, there is something to be said for the experience of seeing a football game live, but even if the Chiefs had won, I think I would have enjoyed it in the comfort of my own home just as much.

The one sport I played in high school was basketball, and this probably ranks highest in my “almost better when it’s live” countdown. I went to a few Mizzou games last year and, while I enjoy watching it live, it’s still not as good as baseball. I enjoy the atmosphere of a basketball game, especially one that comes down to the last minute. However, I still can’t say that I’d rather spend money to buy a ticket for a game on the court as opposed to a game on the diamond.

The only other sport I’ve experienced live this year is one that is starting to grow near and dear to my heart. I wasn’t a huge hockey fan until I started going to Missouri State club hockey games after I started college in Southern Missouri a few years ago. For four dollars, I was able to purchase a student ticket that allowed me to stand right up behind the boards and shout at the players as they crush each other. There’s nothing like a hockey puck flying at your face and causing you to recoil, only to have it smack against the glass, making you sigh in relief. Also, hockey has fights and fights are cool.

I don’t know why I like watching a live baseball game so much. There’s something about the pacing. Some people get annoyed but what they consider a “slow sport,” but I think the breaks give you time to tune in to everything that’s happening on the field. I emotionally flourish and perish much more based on how a Royals game is going in comparison to any other sports I watch.

So that’s why the next few days can’t pass any quicker for me.