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MikeWaters · 05-14-2012, 07:20 PM

I've watched more regular season MLB this year than perhaps the last 10 years combined. It's because the Rangers pulled me in during the last two postseasons. And then the Darvish signing.

Was watching some games with my daughter, and she's young and excited and learning the rules of the game as I explain them to her. You realize how silly some of the terminology is, takes a little kid to make you think of it.

This has been a ritual for a long time in America. Father teaches child about the rules of the game, and what it means to root for your team. As I thought about this in the last couple of days, made me think about my own life. My father never taught me much about anything in sports. He was not a fan. He didn't watch baseball, football, or basketball. Except for the odd BYU football game on TV. Neither was my mother. Somehow from these two people, sprung a kid (me), who actually liked watching and playing sports. My brothers followed in my parents' footsteps. They don't care about sports. But me, I was a big fan of the Cowboys (Danny White), the Braves on TBS (Dale Murphy), and the Houston Rockets. I watched BYU whenever I could, and A&M as well. In fact, this would often cause conflict in our household. One TV for most of my childhood, and no one else wanted to watch sports. In particular, my father didn't want me to watch the Cowboys because of the sabbath (I didn't listen). He thought watching the Braves all summer, in particular, was a huge waste of time.

What to make of this? Was my father right? Here we are on a sports forum. I still struggle with what the roles of sports should be in my life. I mainly debate whether I give it too much time. But compared to most, I'm not a hardcore fan. However, beyond all that, I'm giving my daughter an experience that I never had. A father teaching the game, and enjoying the game together. Giving each other high-fives and cheering. It's all in fun, and I think it's a good bonding thing. Maybe one day she will look back fondly at these times. When I am long gone.

05-14-2012, 07:20 PM	#1
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	Watching baseball with your kid I've watched more regular season MLB this year than perhaps the last 10 years combined. It's because the Rangers pulled me in during the last two postseasons. And then the Darvish signing. Was watching some games with my daughter, and she's young and excited and learning the rules of the game as I explain them to her. You realize how silly some of the terminology is, takes a little kid to make you think of it. This has been a ritual for a long time in America. Father teaches child about the rules of the game, and what it means to root for your team. As I thought about this in the last couple of days, made me think about my own life. My father never taught me much about anything in sports. He was not a fan. He didn't watch baseball, football, or basketball. Except for the odd BYU football game on TV. Neither was my mother. Somehow from these two people, sprung a kid (me), who actually liked watching and playing sports. My brothers followed in my parents' footsteps. They don't care about sports. But me, I was a big fan of the Cowboys (Danny White), the Braves on TBS (Dale Murphy), and the Houston Rockets. I watched BYU whenever I could, and A&M as well. In fact, this would often cause conflict in our household. One TV for most of my childhood, and no one else wanted to watch sports. In particular, my father didn't want me to watch the Cowboys because of the sabbath (I didn't listen). He thought watching the Braves all summer, in particular, was a huge waste of time. What to make of this? Was my father right? Here we are on a sports forum. I still struggle with what the roles of sports should be in my life. I mainly debate whether I give it too much time. But compared to most, I'm not a hardcore fan. However, beyond all that, I'm giving my daughter an experience that I never had. A father teaching the game, and enjoying the game together. Giving each other high-fives and cheering. It's all in fun, and I think it's a good bonding thing. Maybe one day she will look back fondly at these times. When I am long gone. Last edited by MikeWaters; 05-14-2012 at 07:49 PM.