It’s not easy being a college student these days.
The classes are tough, the income is low, and Burger King is gone.
But if you think those roadblocks are tough to overcome, try being a sports junkie, and see where that will get you.
Being an avid sports fan has been a part of my life since I was about 5 years old. I remember watching Jim McMahon and Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears doing the Super Bowl Shuffle in 1985. That was reason enough to build a hatred for that franchise that still exists today.
But that’s not the point.
The idea here is that whether rooting against the Bears or even shedding tears for the Packers, I need sports in my day. I can’t go a day without watching a game or reading a sports column.
It’s an addiction that I am having a hard time with and just as many other addictions ruin people’s lives, I am afraid that this one could get to that point if I don’t do something quickly. Yeah, we all need some sort of release from the everyday rigors of school, but come on, this is dangerous.
If you don’t share my pain, nor have any idea what I am talking about, then consider what I am up against. During the week I work anywhere from 25 to 30 hours. When I get home, I should spend some time doing homework or reading the assigned pages for my classes. About the only reading I do, however, is the sports page. Forget Sociology 314, give me the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, page C1, and then we have something to talk about.
It’s hard to believe that I made it this far with such a good standing. Maybe you think I study on the weekend and use that free time to catch up on work. I should get plenty of chances to accomplish something then, right?
Forget it.
Take last Saturday, for example. After spending my morning running around in the rain officiating for fifth- and sixth-grade football at the YMCA, I came home with good intentions. Before I knew it, the day was over.
I guess most people would say it was a total loss, but I beg to differ. I had a chance to watch the Badgers survive and Notre Dame sneak by Michigan.
What more can a sports fan ask for?
That was just Saturday though. Sunday features NFL football and fantasy football to boot. How is anything supposed to get done that way?
There has to be something I can do here. Maybe I can petition to the chancellor to get some sort of help. Yeah, that’s it. Anyone with a heart would understand that I suffer from a disease of too many sports.
Maybe there is a help group I can consult. They have so many of those get-a-life groups now that there has to be one out there that can help me get a good education. Or maybe I can see a hypnotist. I don’t know what they do or exactly how they do it, but I am desperate here.
Maybe it is best to look at the good side in all of this. That is, I enjoy school for the most part, and I definitely don’t think sports are a waste of time.
The problem of too much sports action is something that others surely must suffer from too, but just don’t admit it. At least I have that going for me. Now I just need to deal with it.
There’s no better time than now to start while I still can get something out of this college career. I know I can do it, I just have to concentrate.
Just as soon as the Packers game is done.