Sports were always a huge part of my life. I have probably had more conversations about sports than any other topic.  It has always felt like a security blanket of sorts for an introvert like myself, who often has trouble thinking of topics to bring up when making small-talk with people that I don’t know very well. The successes and failures of the local sports teams is almost always fair-game for conversation, and this type of banter comes easy, is light -hearted, and works well in most situations.

Almost every weekend during my childhood was spent Playing wiffle ball or touch football with my friends in the neighborhood. I also tried my hand at swimming, water polo, baseball, soccer, tae kwon do, volleyball, golf, and basketball. I played some of these sports through high school and beyond, and others for just a season or two, but all of them served to fulfill the never ending desire for competition. I also spent all of my allowance money on baseball cards, and obsessively followed all of the local sports teams.

Of course, once we step into adulthood and have kids of our own, the opportunities to find time to play sports tend to dwindle a bit. We spend far more time escorting our children to their various practices and games, than we do playing sports ourselves. While we can somewhat live vicariously through our sons and daughters as they compete, in reality they are writing their own sports stories. It’s only our jobs to encourage them, to teach them, and to help them develop.

My wife and I are very lucky in that we both love to play volleyball, and we have had the good fortune of playing together in many different sand and indoor leagues in the last decade. Playing a sport together keeps us active, gives us a regular “date night”, and gives us the chance to work on something together to improve our skills. The long-term commitment to getting better is one of the things that I have always loved about playing sports.

However, there are periods where our schedule just wont allow for us to give a night to grown-up volleyball. When this happens, we have to find other avenues for our competitive cravings. I spent a few years playing online poker (and having some success), and I still play poker with the neighborhood dads every other month.

Like many guys in America today, I also get quite a bit of enjoyment from Playing Fantasy Football each year. Yes, I know it sounds a little bit silly to have “teams” of “my players”, but the smack-talking and camaraderie that comes along with playing fantasy is always a great time. To be honest, the game of football has lost it’s fastball in recent years, or maybe it just seems that way because my city recently had it’s team ripped away. However, playing fantasy football makes the NFL personal, and makes it tons and tons of fun. I look forward to the season each year, and have actually won some decent money in recent seasons.

I believe that the reason for the football’s explosion in popularity in recent years is due to two main reasons. The first is the rise of fantasy football, and the second is how well the game lends itself to gambling. Betting in football is far easier to understand than betting on baseball, hockey, or basketball, and as a result it is much more fun as well. I only do it for fun, and stick to only small amounts, but I do like to place a wager from time to time. For more information, you can bet on today’s football matches with William Hill.

I believe that a love of sports will always be a big part of my life.  I share this love with my wife and kids, and I believe that having some competition in my life really helps me keep my edge. Is a love of sports a large part of your life as well?