Having been a longtime hockey and soccer fan, I've spent most of my life looking at other sports with casual indifference.
Growing up in Toronto, I would attend NBA games with friends and extended family. It was the Vince Carter-era and heading to the Air Canada Centre for games was exciting, but the passion dwindled as I grew up. Much later, as a student in Toronto, I would sometimes head to the Rogers Centre for Blue Jays game to pass a Friday night with friends. We would get the cheapest tickets, grab a bite and enjoy a Toronto crowd on a summer night.
The outcome of the game rarely mattered.
The few times I've been fortunate enough to witness an NHL game live, however, has been significantly different. Every time, I've come out of the arena with my voice hoarse from the screaming, my wallet considerably lighter after spending way too much cash on food, and the desire to see some more hockey post-game analysis on the T.V. at home.
Being from an immigrant family, hockey acted like a binding agent. The passion surrounding the game drew me in immediately and connected me with Canadians from all walks of life. From Ontario to Nova Scotia to Alberta, hockey has been a source of great conversation in many cases and even the source of many friendships.
Hockey and I clicked. With the other sports, it just wasn't the same.
That is, until just a few weeks ago. After moving to Bonnyville, I heard that my hometown Blue Jays had made the playoffs for the first time in over two decades. I made a few cursory jokes to friends back home about bandwagon-ing and how traffic in Toronto would be horrible.
At the time I was unaware just how much the playoffs would come to mean to me.
My co-worker Andrew Mendler – a diehard Jays fan since his toddler days – was glued to the T.V. for the games and I started watching them with him.
As the Jays progressed through that nail-biting series, I felt a growing connection to a sporting narrative unfold. From conversations at Tim Hortons to discussing statistics with strangers on a flight a couple of weeks ago, baseball – which had been a sport I had not paid attention to for much of my life unfortunately – suddenly became much more important.
The Jays fever that swept up people from coast to coast to coast highlighted what sports at its very best is able to do: bring people together. Although their defeat at the hands of Kansas City was heartbreaking, the Jays managed to defy the odds and actually make people come together.
That's the same reason why I enjoy covering local sports every opportunity I get. It's the best way to connect with more folks in the community.
Oh, and I'll make sure to follow the Jays properly next season. Sports deserve more time.
