Popularized first by a movie and then by a clause in Michael Jordan's contract came the term "For Love of the Game." Which then went on to become "For the love of the game." Mostly it applies to athletes who PLAY the game. But as I contemplate the outcome once again of another NCAA Basketball Tournament, another Silver Cup for our Chicago Black Hawks or NBA Championship for our Chicago Bulls or even a Major League World Series for my beloved Chicago Cubs, I got to thinking why not a For The Love Of The Game clause for the fan.
We have adopted a Championship only mindset. Our season is ruined if we don't win it all. Sports writers and Managers and Coaches regale us with its all or nothing and when we don't win we consider our teams failures to WIN THE BIG ONE. Only one team out of 64 (68 counting play-in teams) is going to win The Big One. Does that make the rest of the teams failures. Do the thrills of game ending heroics all go for naught if we are not there at the end to cut down the nets.
I loved to play a number of sports baseball, basketball, and football. I could play all of them to a degree. But I was never great, I was never fast and I was blind in one eye. (That didn't stop me from umpiring.) The only championship any of the teams I played for was a jail house league at the MCC. I don't consider my experience in sports a failure. I enjoyed several moments of success enough to have enjoyed the experience.
It is not a necessity for the teams I am a fan of to WIN IT ALL. I can enjoy the game for the game. Winning is not everything. Playing the game for the love of the game is all that's necessary at the end of the day. Because we are going to get up and play again. The End
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