Darth Vader Invades the Sports Universe

            After reading my friend Talya’s Blog post from Grace, Grits, and Gardening about fanatic response to Alabama's defeat, I was motivated to comment. Many  fans breathe in relation to their sports teams victory or defeat. So do the universities, themselves.
            The Sunday morning headlines might acknowledge that the Razorbacks  lost. As a teenager, ups and downs swung radically and any loss was a downer. Sometimes, though, I did not want to get out of bed to face the disappointment: Texas came from behind to win.  Once, a hometown man died of a heart attack in the stands at War Memorial Stadium when Ole Miss got 2 chances to kick an extra point for the win. This was serious football.
                    

Memphis basketball is loaded with the  passion of Louisville, Cincinnati, and Final Four.  Tuesdays and Saturdays focus community attention on each bounce of the ball: victory or defeat.  The city holds its breath when the Tigers take the hardwood. Serious basketball for serious fans.

                Things have become  too charged with fanaticism, gotten out of hand in many respects.  Sports should be a positive enterprise:  competitive fun and economic fuel for a community, university, or state.  In my opinion, however, it hasn't been "just a game" for a very long time. Ask a coach who is fired if he thinks the sport "is just a game."  Check the financial contributions to the university in the name of this "game."  When did sport become so serious?  Young men still in their teens and early twenties are lining up for football or basketball with much more to lose than a game.  And that mentality filters down to babies in uniforms, and their parents. 
                 Taking a game seriously and being a fan-fanatic, in proper perspective, can be exhilarating. But, death threats? I’ve heard news reports of such after the Auburn win over Alabama.
                 Winning and losing.  That's life. We learn to rebound from fender benders or family tragedies and face the next day. People who do not learn to balance life can become bitter and jaded. And make threats that turn our stomachs.

                 Darth Vader must be their father.