The Sporty Road Less Traveled

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, I thought we should travel down a road that I like to call "the road to sporty"...

To say I missed the sporty gene is an understatement. What's a sporty gene, you ask? No, its not denim meant for athletic use, although I think with jeggings science is moving in that direction. They're extremely flexible. I'd work out in them...Oh wait, where was I? Sporty...right. The sporty gene basically encompasses all things sport related; being an athlete, team sports, being a fan, understanding sports, etc. As some sort of a genetic mutation, I was born without the sporty gene. And let me tell you, I am the total oddball in my family. I'm actually still piecing together the conspiracy theory which explains my adoption... Anyways--back to the sports.  

I grew up surrounded by sports. In addition to playing football in college, my dad was a football and baseball coach for the better part of 30 years. My mom, a maniac on the tennis court, goes a little mad come March and I believe her dying wish would be to attend a final four game (yawn).  My oldest brother, ran all through high school and is also the only true hockey fan in our family. Couple that with his wife and in-laws love for the Penguins and you've got yourself a couple that knows what they're talking about. My sister, a three sport high school athlete, can hold her own on Sundays spent watching football with the boys (unlike a certain person in the family) and I'm fairly certain she won her school's March Madness pool a few years back. Finally, my other brother, also a three sport athlete, would probably live without a major appendage if it meant the Eagles saw a Super Bowl in his lifetime.  Then there's.....me. 

Now don't get me wrong. I gave the sports game a shot, they just couldn't handle me. There was my 4 year swimming career, which to be honest was never a passion and more an attempt to find a way to exercise that didn't involve running. There was my t-ball career, which was halted by my love of daydreaming and dandelion picking in the outfield. I did give softball a go, until my freshman year of high school. I pretty much threw the towel in after I somehow turned into the team scorekeeper (true story, thanks for the emotional scars coaches). We had a good run. But I did contribute to the sport community in other charitable ways. There were the occasional baseball boyfriends, the waitressing at the ballpark (counts right?), the donning of fashionable sports gear, and the fact that I may not be able to tell you what sport a professional athlete plays, but I can most definitely tell you who they're dating or what they were just on Perez Hilton in the news for. 


Since moving to Philadelphia in August, I have been surrounded by genetically complete people (they're so annoying aren't they?). People who didn't miss said gene. My masters program is made up of a combination of sports & recreation kids and tourism & hospitality kids, so it has kind of forced my inner sporty spice out. 

I will still be paying more attention to the ads than the game, and I will still be more interested in the chicken wings and beer. Hey, that's just me. But I am making strides. I would even say there is hope for me. And if nothing else, I've mastered the sporty look...

At the Phillies game..

At the Flyers game..

At the Celtics game..