By Sam Horn, Sports Editor
I wasn’t always enamored with sports. At a young age, I couldn’t stand the thought of getting crunched by a bone-jarring tackle in football. I wondered why 80,000 screaming fans were so enthusiastic about watching a soccer game in Europe. And don’t even get me started on golf.
When I was in fifth grade, I was focused on honing my writing abilities in the fantasy realm. Dragons and magical kingdoms fascinated me. I seemed destined to write about epic battles for ages to come. And then I entered the sixth grade.
During a P.E. class one day, my instructor showed us how to shoot a basketball. I thought to myself, “this looks like fun. I should try it.”
From that moment on, I was hooked. I played basketball every chance I could and when my friends weren’t competing with me, I would just shoot by myself. I loved it. Every facet of the game intrigued me and I became more knowledgeable of the rules every day. Soon after, I was introduced to football in seventh grade.
Playing sports was a great way for me to spend my time. I enjoyed every moment I was outside playing a variety of sports with my friends. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time. Playing sports allowed me to enter a different mental realm, one in which I didn’t have to worry about everyday ordeals.
However, down the road, I discovered that I couldn’t just play sports for a living. I had to find something I was interested in and something I could do for the rest of my life. After writing a short novel in seventh grade about football, I found my true calling: sports writing.
In high school, I wrote for the school newspaper and covered almost every sport. As each day went by, I became more and more intrigued by sports.
The deal with sports is that no one play is ever the same. Sure, soccer players score goals every game, but they do it in a different fashion every time. No one goal is ever the same.
Sports are not mundane. They provide an intense level of excitement. Nothing is better than watching an underdog battle four quarters to beat a powerhouse program. It’s like witnessing a child with almost no family support gain acceptance into a prestigious college. It’s mesmerizing. It’s emotional. There’s nothing quite like it.
Looking back, I had no idea I would ever be interested in sports. I thought I would have been a LEGO inventor or a creative writer — I was obsessed with LEGO at a young age, and that love hasn’t ceased yet.
I think sports have changed my life for the better. I am motivated to pursue a career in sports journalism and couldn’t be happier with that decision.
I am blessed and honored to be an intern at 710 ESPN Seattle for the winter quarter this year. I will learn a great deal about sports and it will no doubt be a good experience overall.
I am actively following my dream, and I love watching others follow theirs. Life is fragile, and to waste your one chance to do something special would be a crime.
Make the most out of your life. Make the world a different place. Don’t let anything stop you in pursuing your dream. After all, “having dreams is what makes life tolerable,” according to the 1993 film, “Rudy.”
