Sports : The True Unifier

Ever since I was little sports were always the constant in my life. I was taught from a young age that sports were all about cooperation, teamwork, work ethic, and having fun. What everyone seemed to forget though was that sports had the power to unify people of vastly different and conflicting backgrounds, even if just for a few brief hours. There are not many things in the world that can bring together people who are so opposed to one another like sports can. This is exactly why I fell in love with sports, many who think that they are just games fail to see the lifetime memories, bonding, and atmosphere that they create. Sports become a part of the fabric of the cultures of various parts of the world. For example, look at baseball in the Caribbean islands like the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Baseball is literally a part of their culture and is celebrated throughout the islands on almost a daily basis. The same is the case with soccer in almost all parts of the world. Fans of soccer in Europe and Latin America go absolutely crazy at games for their teams and when they lose they feel the heartbreak as if it were their own. In general, sports create an emotional bond to them that lead different people to come together. True sports fans know that the wins and losses of their favorite teams feel like achievements of their own or of their family. All in all sports are all about playing the game with passion and forgetting about any problems or issues you have in the real world. Sports are truly an escape to all involved, a place of real comfort and understanding.