Thank goodness for highlights

It seems like forever since I was able to watch a live sporting event, either for the paper or on television. For some, that’s not a hard thing to endure, but for me it’s akin to torture.

It might seem small in the vast scheme of things, especially when people are dying of the coronavirus, but I miss sports. Their absence is another painful reminder of how quickly the world has changed. More than anything, I guess I just miss seeing all the Colby and Abby student-athletes I have grown fond of and have enjoyed covering.

I was lucky enough to see many of them over the past few weekends during the senior parades. It was nice to see their big smiles, to wave hello to them and to see them wave excitedly back to me. I think some of them even missed me.

In spite of the lack of live sports I’ve found a great venue for me to get my sports fix. I’m talking about the recent Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance. It was great to relive some of those moments from the storied Chicago Bulls dynasty from the 1990s.

I was a huge fan of Michael Jordan and all his teammates like Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and, of course, the eccentric rebounder, Dennis Rodman. The documentary, which was extraordinary, gave great insight into Jordan’s unflinching desire to win.

Upon completing the documentary series, I found myself going back and revisiting some of those old games and highlight reels on You-Tube. I really do believe that Jordan would have dominated today’s game, especially in light of the fact that he took an absolute beating during his earlier years when a hard foul really was hard.

I find myself exploring even more highlights from those days, rewatching the Lakers when Magic Johnson was running the show, and when Larry Bird and the Celtics were dominating their respective conference. The game has come a long way, but greatness is always apparent — you know it when you see it.

I also spent time watching highlight clips of my beloved Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. I will certainly miss Jonathan Taylor as the Wisconsin Badgers’ primary running back, but I am glad I got to see him play these past three years.

Athletes come and go as quickly as lightening on a stormy summer’s day. They flash, they dazzle and, just as quickly as they electrifi ed us, they are gone. Jordan has given way to Lebron, in the same way that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird gave way to Jordan. Before them came Bill Russell, Jerry West, Bob Cousey, Wilt Chamberlain and George Mikan.

I am so happy that we live in a time when we have such a convenience as YouTube, it makes the self-imposed quarantines and lack of sports easier to bear. I hope and pray that by this time next year we are back to watching our student-athletes on the mound, the track or green. More than anything though, I pray for a world without COVID-19.

M USINGS AND G RUMBLINGS

ROSS PATTERMANN REPORTER