For a class this winter I had to put into words why people care about sports, and the shutdown has made me thing about it more.

Pro sports, in the grand scheme of things, are near-meaningless to a fan. It’s not a paycheck, its not family.

But boy do they add emotion to life.

Joy, triumph, childlike-wonder and heartbreak are all wrapped into a three-hour reprieve from the mundaness and realities of the world.

Sports are one of the few places we get to watch others live out a dream so many of us once had. To hear 40,000+ people chant our name.

It is impossible to compare what is going on in the world to sports.

But, how many times have we been told “we’re all playing on the same team”?

Sports allow us to be a part of something greater than ourselves.

And I know I will never take watching another game for granted.