Sports Column
Last week, I shared my first sports column with you, the readers of The Madill Record.
This time
around, I’d like to share some of my sports background or fan credentials as I’d like to call them.
I believe it’s important for anyone commentating on sports to have at least some sort of credibility. That said, if you are looking for a former high-level college or professional athlete, I’m not your guy.
To quote my favorite comedian, John Mulaney, “when I play sports it looks like I just got my body.”
As you can see, there is a reason my competitive baseball career did not go beyond the two seasons I played during my elementary school years.
However, from that time to today, I count myself as an avid watcher and reader of all things sports.
I say watcher and reader because since at least 1992, I have started my morning with the 7 a.m. Sportscenter on ESPN or a visit to ESPN.com.
Like many of you, I have to check the status of all my teams, be it the New York Mets or New York Football Giants or the larger stories such as the craziness of this summer’s NBA free agency.
However, as I age, the more I realize that local sports are where it’s at.
Don’t get me wrong, there are days that I live and die with my teams’ successes and failures. As an example, if you are aware of good local sports bar that will put on English Premier League games, let me know because I’m there. I’m probably one of the biggest Manchester United fans you’ll meet.
However, I digress. Whereas I want to see Man U get back to their winning ways, I know that a championship will be more important if it happens here in Marshall County.
I wasn’t a part of The Madill Record when the Kingston Boys basketball team took Class 3A by storm back on March 9 and claimed a state title. However, I wish I was.
Our team at The Madill Record, has discussed how we’d highlight any of our local teams or individual athletes that win it all. While this discussion is hypothetical, I can tell you that our local teams’ success on the field inspires us to creatively tell their stories.
We may not be their biggest fans as that honor rightfully belongs to the parents, grandparents and caretakers of our student athletes.
However, we are excited by both the moments and hopefully miracles that lie ahead for all of the student athletes at both Madill High School and Kingston High School as well the middle schools.
To close, we know that those students cannot have success on their own. They need a strong support network.
And for you reading at home, there is some way you can be a part of their success. It may be that your business sponsors the teams with a donation or an ad in one of the programs or our football preview to show Marshall County how much you care. Or maybe you attempt every home game to lend your cheers to the home team.
Please join us in doing whatever you can to support our local athletes. Statistics show two things: 1) some of them [like those in middle school] are just getting started with their sport and need your cheers and 2) for those seniors that won’t be playing in college, this is their farewell tour and they would appreciate seeing you as often as you can be there for them and the team you love.