Why we love sports

As a teenager, I never gave my parents any trouble apart from being a bit untidy at home and lazy for school, doing just enough to pass the exams. The latter would annoy my Mother and she could not understand why I spent so much time watching sports when I was not practicing them (football and rugby mainly, with some spells also of handball and tennis). She used to tell me that watching so much sport was a waste and will leave me empty. In truly teenager fashion, I never bothered to come up with a response but I am not sure I was able put up a reasoned argument (beyond “..because I enjoy it”, which is still fair enough).

Now I would said because I enjoy it and because sometimes sports can resemble arts in as much as unleashing deep emotions and also they can produce moments of magic and brilliance. Lately I came across some moment of brilliance (in these cases individual) that remind me why I love sports.

Exhibit A: Luciana Aymar’s Maradona-esque goal against China in the 2010 Women Hockey World Cup in Rosario (Argentina). The dribbling ability and stick-skills are out of this world. The commentary is legendary, is not the one of this goal but the one of Diego’s second goal against England in the 1986 Mexico World Cup.

Exhibit B: Kumi Yokoyama’s Messi-esque goal against Korea DPR in the 2010 U-17 Women Football World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago. The beginning is not so brilliant but then the way she passes from ‘foot-to-foot’ not once but twice before finishing is remarkable. The commentary is also very good!

Exhibit C: something very different from the previous two is Andrea Pirlo’s goal yesterday for AC Milan against Parma in the Calcio encounter. The way the ball travels without moving (bending, spinning) for such a long way before finding the top corners defies dynamics. As the commentary says: "The reaction from Ronaldinho says it all".