I'm not into sports but...

I was never into sports growing up. Soccer was a failed attempt after I was put in the goalie position in first grade and cried terribly after being pelted by balls all evening. I couldn’t hit a baseball to save my life and standing in the outfield during kickball just gives me more stress than relieves it. But yet, I love basketball.  Not playing it, are you kidding me. Contemplated trying out for the team in 7th grade…and then I came back to reality. But I love watching basketball. I think it’s because it’s the only sport I can follow without really knowing the rules in detail.  It doesn’t get boring; it moves fast. Football is over my head; as hard as I try to figure out touchdowns and fumbles, I just can’t.  I bought a friend of mine a 30 pack of Budlight in return to him writing my football story on deadline for my sports writing class. But basketball you can follow. It’s simple, it makes sense. 

It also reminds me of home, in a weird abstract way.  I didn’t grow up watching a lot of sports.  My dad watched golf, my mom followed the Buffalo Bills. But we all would watch the Orangemen play ball.  Not as in all sit down on the couch together and watch start to finish. More like background noise on a cold winter central NY day.  We’d wear orange to school, and when Carmelo won, we all went wild. And so, tonight, I’m watching the first game of the Celtics, my new hometown team.