In and Out of Season

by Angela Ware

Like many of our readers, I am a big sports fan. Although I enjoy almost all sports, in the wisdom pointed out on t-shirt worn by little children everywhere, “basketball is life”. For me, there is little entertainment that can compare to the wonder of March Madness and the beautiful way it transitions into the NBA playoff season, culminating in the final game in June. Ahhh, a new champion is crowned!

However, shortly after the confetti falls and ESPN plays a video montage of the “road to the playoffs”, it hits me that the season is over! Now, don’t get me wrong. I enjoy baseball and I will gladly cheer for the Texas Rangers, as we await the start of the NCAA and NFL football season and then on to the glorious return of NCAA and NBA basketball. I do go through a slight mourning period. But, I don’t stay there long because if I do, I might miss out on a great moment in sports where another athlete has pushed him or herself beyond what was believed to be their best, in an effort to achieve victory and a spot on Sports Center’s “Play of the Day”.

I can’t choose the season. But I can choose to cheer in and out of my favorite season.

As professionals we all work on projects and, during the course of our careers, there will be projects that we like, projects that we love and, yes, projects that we tolerate. But if we allow ourselves to stop being a fan of our profession, we might miss out on an inspiring moment.

Although basketball is my favorite sport, I must admit that there have been moments in hockey, football, tennis, baseball, soccer, golf, and track and field that have all grabbed my attention and left me inspired.

So the next time you find yourself working on a project (season) that is not your favorite, keep cheering and stay in the game. Who knows--you might just make a play of day, become the league’s new MVP or be recognized as a number one fan. After all, at the end of the day, we all want to be on the side of a championship team.