Oliver: Here’s to sports viewing of all kinds
I cringe every time I hear the term “football widow.” As if the only people who find themselves on the sidelines while their other halves watch sporting events are women.
In my household, there’s a “football widower.” And a “basketball widower.” And sometimes even a “hockey widower.”
It’s not that my husband doesn’t like sports; it’s just that he doesn’t have a need to watch every NFL game being broadcast on any given Sunday. Or every Blackhawks game. Or every Bulls game.
As I do.
It’s just as well, really, since he prefers a certain NFL team to the north whose colors are green and gold. That makes for a brutal couple of weeks every football season. Unless, of course, the Bears win.
I suppose I could blame my NFL football-watching habits on the fact that the season is so relatively short with only 16 games, not counting preseason or the playoffs.
College football, with its myriad teams, just doesn’t hold the same appeal. Unless, of course, Northwestern happens to be having a particularly good year. When I went there, the thought of going to a bowl game seemed ridiculous. But with a trip to the Rose Bowl and several other bowls since, even that’s not impossible anymore.
However, it’s not just football. In fact, this time of year is by far my favorite for sports.
The NFL season hasn’t been going on long enough for the Bears to be statistically eliminated from the playoffs. I could give you a fairly credible rundown about what’s wrong with the team, but I’ll leave the detailed analysis to the folks in Sports.
And the Bulls season has commenced, and with it my hope that someday the team will regain the glory of the Jordan years.
It’s too soon to make predictions about how well they’ll do this season. But at least there haven’t been enough games yet to crush that dream for another year.
The NHL season also has just begun, and with it another chance to watch the Blackhawks, the most recent of my favorite teams, make a run for the Stanley Cup.
I even was able to take in my first Hawks game at the United Center last week.
If you haven’t had a chance to do that, I’d highly recommend it.
It’s a bit of a sensory overload with all the activities going on, but Rocky Wirtz and Co. put on a really big show. One that you just can’t fully appreciate unless you see it live.
I expect to get back there again.
But in the meantime, if there’s a game on, chances are pretty good that you – and my husband – will know where to find me.
Rooting from the best seat in my house.
• Joan Oliver is a community editor for the Northwest Herald. She can be reached at 815-526-4552 or by e-mail at joliver@nwherald.com.
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