That basketball thing

If there were an award for Most Clueless Person When It Comes to Sports, it would go to me, hands down. This amuses my family and friends to no end.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against them. And I’ve played some. I was on our junior varsity tennis team in high school and played tennis with friends long after that in college and in my 20s. I also enjoy volleyball, which is how I met my husband, John.

I’ve just never had any interest in sports overall. Which I know makes me an oddball in our society – well, I’m an oddball for other reasons, too, but I digress.

For example, as I waited for my friend Monday evening before we went out to dinner, I saw clips on the news of people getting downtown Indianapolis ready for March Madness. Oh yeah, I thought, it’s time for that basketball thing where people have those … what do you call them … brackets … whatever that means.

Okay, I do know what March Madness is … sort of … and what a big deal it is for most people in central Indiana. I have enjoyed watching basketball games in the past and understand the basics.

Other sports? Forget it. John has attempted to explain football to me multiple times. I understand it … that day … but since it doesn’t pertain to my life whatsoever, it all flies out of my head by the next day.

In fact, for the first time in years, we didn’t even watch the Super Bowl last month. In the past I enjoyed it for the commercials. But this year, knowing they’d all be on YouTube, our family skipped it.

To be fair to myself, John and his family aren’t into sports, either, although my husband loves to watch baseball both live and on TV. And when asked if he would attend some sporting event, John’s dad would famously say, “Why? They (the players) don’t pay to come watch me work.”

Strangely, I love watching the Olympics, which has been a tradition for John and me for years. I guess it’s because most of those sports are simple to understand. If someone crosses the finish line first, they get a gold medal … if someone does a great gymnastics routine, they get high scores …

We also love hearing the stories about the athletes and learning how hard they’ve worked/how far they’ve come. It’s inspiring and amazing.

At 54 years of age, I don’t think my cluelessness in sports will ever improve. I used to beat myself up over it, but at this stage, I’ve realized it’s not the end of the world. I have other strengths, gifts, and talents. I’ve lived a pretty great life (thank you, God!) and look forward to more years ahead.

Just don’t ask me this month if I watched “the game last night.” You’ll be guaranteed to see a deer-in-headlights look.

Amy Shankland is a writer and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John, two sons, two dogs, and a cat. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.