The game was still a game then. It wasn't about the players next multimillion dollar contract, or which national sponsorship they could gain. It wasn't about pointing to the camera, or showing up another team or player. This was a time when the game was played for the game.
Recently I was talking with a friend about old days and nowadays, and how everything is so much more different and magnified. We talked about how we would take John Elway's comeback wins over any performance Aaron Rodgers has given us. We would take Joe Montana's Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady's, and I would take Ryne Sandberg's play over Alex Rodriguez everyday of the week.
It might be due to the over hyped and over-analyzed sports stars of today. It could be due to the 24 hour sports networks and constant criticism on sports radio. It could be the over abundance of "dirty" stars, constantly getting into trouble. It could be the fact that we are just older now, and have other things in life more important to us.
Either way, I find myself constantly longing for the days of old. The days when the game meant something more, if not to the players, but to myself. The days when just walking into Wrigley Field would send chills down my spine, and they wouldn't go away until we were long on the tollway home. I mostly want this feeling to be passed down to my children, and to their children. I want that love to be passed along, felt, developed, and kept.
I want sports to mean more again.
