One Benefit of Watching Sports: It Maintains the Sense of Normalcy for People

The fact that most sports fans around the world haven't watched a single live sport since March when most of the major leagues went on a hiatus due to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, has gotten most of us to do things that we usually don't do. For some, they've already cleaned every single corner of their homes. For some, they've probably tried every single recipe they could in their cookbooks. For some,  they've probably watched every movie and series that can be watched on Netflix. But not being able to watch live sports even on TV? It takes out something valuable: our sense of normalcy.

In the past, there have been numerous researches that have been conducted to prove that watching sports, whether it's basketball, baseball, football, or even horse-racing, helps in preventing depression among other psychological problems. And while it's normal to feel sad whenever your team is on the losing end, researches show that when someone's is actively rooting and attached to that team, that someone is less depressed compared to those who don't watch sports at all. Watching sports makes one stay interested in events around the world and not just in the world of sports. And that's where the sense of normalcy comes into the mix. 

Whether you live in hurricane-stricken areas such as New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005 or, you live in a time of a pandemic, having the sense that everything will be back to normal eventually is something that can help people maintain their sanity. One perfect example of this happened right after Hurricane Katrina flattened almost the whole of New Orleans that saw the devastation took more than 1,700 lives. According to Hugh Weber who is now the president of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, "Sports is a part of our American culture and is part of what we define as normal in our lives," He proceeded on noting that that's the reason why the US government is trying to put sports back into the lives of the American people. Weber added that "When sports come back, it will make it feel everything else is fine"

The only difference is that we are living in an uncertain time and unless a vaccine is developed within the year, the old normal way of watching sports will remain out of the question. For now. But that doesn't mean that sports cannot return to our lives even if it means us watching games on TV or through streaming services. And if you think watching sports gives us a sense of normalcy and that, it only works that way, what do you think the athletes themselves are feeling? They, too want to play ball because like us, it also gives them a sense of normalcy. In fact, one baseball assistant coach in the United States said that seeing all teams for the first time all season was a "sigh of relief". Even the National Basketball Association (NBA( players believe that resuming the season gives people something to be entertained with. After all, guys like LeBron James aren't just mere athletes alone. They are, first and foremost, entertainers. 

Then again, we are all affected by the absence of live sports and while sports may be only a small part of life for some, sports have been in fact, a source of hope especially in times of crisis. It was evident in the post-Hurricane Katrina days in the US. And yes, it will also be the same once sports resume gradually in the time of a pandemic. After all, past researches have been able to prove that watching sports can help to build a person's self-esteem. It's as if you're also a part of the team and when that team is winning, you will feel proud of yourself and that will make one feel better about himself. And in these times of crisis, we need all the things we can have to make ourselves feel better even if it means getting ourselves stuck in from of our TVs.