Resolution for 2008-- Sports??

With one more day remaining in 2007, I’ve joined the debate around New Years Resolutions. Traditionally, I’m not big on making New Years resolutions. My thought has always been that if I identify something in my life that should be modified (diet, exercise, or swearing in public places) then I should alter that behavior at that moment in which I’ve acknowledged it as something that should be fixed, not wait until I purchase a new calendar. So historically, my resolutions have started and failed at many points in time across the years.

Since I haven’t made any resolutions recently, the discussion around New Years Resolutions caused me to examine my life to see if there is something where I have become deficient and should start anew. My list produced the regular cast of characters: eat better, exercise, get up earlier to be productive, blah, blah, blah. Since I’ve met me, I know these are tasks that I will deal with when spring rolls around; once warmth returns and the sun shows up for a few more waking hours. Right now, I’m pretty happy to maintain my current physical condition and continue to focus on the obscene growth of my facial hair. However, one new item on my list intrigued me and has caused serious consideration…..Sports.

Would it be possible for me to give up all Sports for one year?

Let me give you a little background. I have a single minded side to my personality, which borders on mild compulsion. I try not to let too many new things enter my life because if one of them takes hold, it becomes a point of focus for an extended period of time (reference the Poker Phase of 2005). In 1988, I made a New Years Resolution that I wouldn’t drink Soda (or any carbonated beverage) for an entire year. I don’t remember what started this idea, but I wanted to see if I could do it. For a Junior High kid, pop is a major food group, so this was a major sacrifice. I spent the entire year explaining why I wouldn’t drink pop and fighting off the prodding of friends to have a drink. I made it the entire year and on January 1, 1989, I sat inside an Arby’s and had my first drink of Mountain Dew and thought my lips were being melted.

Is this year long abstention possible? I love sports. Football, Basketball, Spring Training Baseball. The Duke Blue Devils are an extension of my family. The Dayton Flyers are finally going to be in the top 25. I listen to sports talk radio during the day and recap with ESPN during the evening. I’m in 3 fantasy football leagues, a fantasy NBA league and even did Fantasy NASCAR over the summer. When my son is ready for bed at night, he holds up both arms and says “hoops, hoops” indicating it’s time to snuggle. How could I possibly give this source of joy in my life up for a year?

The impetus behind this idea would be the productivity I might pick up in my life. Do you remember the Seinfeld episode where George gives up sex (having it, thinking about it, etc) and his mind cleared and he was able to understand the great workings of the world? What if I could gain this degree of clarity with the cleaning of sports?

I estimate that I spend ~50+hours doing something that involves sports (not including playing basketball which I classify as exercise). What could I accomplish if I put these 2500 hours towards some other interest? I have 38 hours to think about it. Could the family remove sports for the next year and not feel as though we’ve lost a family member? Will I be ok with the absence of a Super Bowl Party or a March Madness Bracket. If I’m going to do a resolution at the beginning of the year it has to be big, but am I ready to make the commitment?

January 1 Update-- Giving up sports for 1 year isn't going to happen. If this were an action that wasn't so engrained in our families day to day life, I undertake this experiment to see if there is a Castanza factor in life. Either way, I resolve to remove a portion of sports from my life in an effort to expand my scope of interest. Less talk radio in favor of NPR, reduce the fantasy sports to write non-sense on this site, and further prune the sports teams I follow on a religious basis.