I kept asking myself the moment I saw my name among the list of volunteers on the desk. For a girl like me it seemed to be ‘crazy’. I grew up never liking it and for reasons I’m not so sure of anymore. Maybe it was just for the mere fact that it appeared aggressive and time wasting. Thinking and limiting it to just soccer and boxing, allowing my ignorance rob me of the lessons and opportunities it could offer me.
I am required per my current job as a journalist to report, analyze and be abreast with all sports activities but how then do I get something done when I have very little or no idea of it.
To make some good juice out the situation I deliberately visited the fields to watch games, interact with players, coaches and other match officials of the different sporting events on and off record.
For months, I did this continuously without fail yet was still not really interested. I had great opportunities come my way as I climbed up to ‘high places’ and met ‘big people’.
For a moment it felt good and I loved it. The exposure was great, at least, compared to happenings on the other desks, so I thought.
Well, I stayed, although the interest still not as one would have thought, I was just enjoying the ride till I watched a game and got the opportunity to interview a player and his coach.
That single game and interview changed and turned things around, indeed my way of thinking. Well it gave me something to think about and something to fight for.
There I was eager and ready for my interview….. then the question was posed to me, “Why sports?”. I stood, looked blank-eyed, thought for a second and lied. I told him it was fun and that I loved it, listening to myself say those words made me laugh.
Was it fun? Oh yeah it was, but did I loved it? Hell no!
He sat me down, looked me in the eye as though he saw my very soul, smiled and asked again, why sports and this time I want the truth. With my head bowed in shame, I said it offers me the opportunities to make it to the top. He again asked me what do I make of the games watched so far and for a moment my mind went blank. I really had nothing reasonable to say aside the fact that the players were strong, handsome and with great abs so I said it out without thinking. He looked at me intensively and asked, how I thought they came about that. “If you ain’t got it, you ain’t got it” said the silly old me.
He took my number and started inviting me to some of their training sessions as well as some games. We went out few times and chat over drinks as I got educated more on happenings in the world of sports.
The few times I spent with him and his players made me appreciate sports the more.
In the world of sports it’s not always rosy as myself and probably some others see it; sportsmen riding in their luxurious cars, owning mansions, with beautiful girlfriends and wives, decorated in expensive jewels and going on all the exotic vacations. It is more than that, they train endlessly, they fall and break bones, they cry and beat themselves really hard when they lose, but they never give up.
I watched games and videos where players and athletes fall and wail in pain from a broken leg, twisted knee or ankle, and even death for some from cardiac complications and the likes and I ask myself why sport.
Why sports because they love it, because it’s fun, because it’s their dream and because sports is passion. For me, why sports because it’s fun, because it’s educative, because its sacrifice and because it’s interesting. With sports I have come to the realization that pain is temporary, it may last for minute, hours, days, months or even years but eventually it will pass but if you quit, its forever, and of course, the joy of winning cannot be compared to the pain of injury. If you have a dream protect it and make it happen, don’t be afraid to fail because you can’t always win just believe something can happen and it will.
Hi, my name is Deborah Naa Mensah and yeah, sports is bae.
By:Deborah Mensah/Ghanadailies