Welcome to the Stadium

Welcome to the stadium! May I please see your ticket?
…Section 48, that’s right over there. Enjoy the game!

Stepping into a stadium, an arena, a ballpark—wherever—is one of the coolest feelings I get inside. I get tingly, knowing I am inside a building filled with history—both good and bad—and about to watch a sporting event. I get to watch the same athletes that many consider “God-like” perform in ways that only they can. You never know what you are going to get at a sporting event. Inside the lines, anything can happen. Every day or every night, you might be a part of history.
Sports is a passion of mine. I come from a sports family. My dad played professionally. My brothers played at the college level. I passed up an opportunity to play at smaller D1 schools to advance my desire to make it in this world as a sports broadcaster. I am still a fixture in the intramural world and still practice with the baseball team. I am constantly talking about sports, playing sports, thinking about sports, or watching sports. While I am not an ‘ESPN’ expert, I have worked in and around sports since the age of 13, and at the age of seven had a weekly radio segment at Dallas’ #1 Sports Radio Station, KTCK Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket, in which I was interviewed about my sports knowledge. I don’t have official credidation yet, but it’s coming.
Sports fascinates me in so many ways. I could go toe-to-toe all day long talking about strategy, free agent signings, who’s hot and who’s not, among other points of interest. But there is more to sports than just what goes on inside the offices and within the boundaries of their respective athletic venues.
However, in this blog I am going to bring up the cultural impact of sports—the athletes and their actions.

Reporter: Did you visit the Parthenon while in Greece?
Shaquille O’Neal: I can’t really remember the names of all the clubs we went to.

Athletes are incredibly interesting—among other descriptive labels—inside the lines, but more so, outside the lines. They do some of the most caring, intelligent, incredible things, and other times some of the stupidest, cruelest, darndest things. These actions stir all sorts of emotions and impact all sorts of people, including those who don’t know what a touchdown, slam dunk, or home run even is. Whether people want to acknowledge their presence and power or not, sports play an incredibly significant part of our society and have a tremendous impact.
For instance, the Michael Vick fiasco had such a tremendous effect on people that have never even seen a football game. Steroids is a polarizing issue that eats away at every baseball fan, but has an external impact that many people don’t consider, or that parents don’t realize until it is too late. However, for every story with a negative undertone, there are a variety of stories involving athletes that are uplifting inspirational, and put athletes in a good light. How about Hurricane Katrina? Want a list of all the work—not just money donated—put in by various athletes in the effected parts of New Orleans and beyond? Or what about the superstar athlete who stands up for a cause and boycotts an opportunity to make money in support of what he believes in as it pertains to global issues. These are the types of stories and issues that will be covered in this blog. Stay in your seats. You never know when you will come across something special.