"It's Just a Game"

David, Brett, and Papa Wearing the Wrong Colors, Christmas 1992

This morning as I was still trying to work off the disappointment of last night's BYU game, I set to thinking about my enthusiasm for BYU sports, trying to understand why it is that I inflict so much pain and anxiety on myself by being a fan of them.  As I thought about this, a phrase that I have heard over and over again throughout my life (usually in connection with a poor performance by BYU) came to mind:  "It's just a game."

The meaning behind this statement is absolutely true.  Even as a devoted fan, I am a firm believer in the idea that as a society we have placed too much emphasis upon sports.  It has become a big business, and in many regards has undermined the commitment of universities and colleges to academic excellence.  And hitting a little closer to home, anyone who has ever watched a BYU game with me can probably attest that the experience is memorable (and not usually in a good way).  Legends abound among family and friends of what it is like to watch a game with Brett Dowdle.  While I have made a lot of strides to improve in recent years, I am still not proud of just how hard it can be for me to contain my emotions during a football or basketball game that isn't going well for the Y.  As Elder Holland referred to this past Sunday in his CES Fireside, "Israel, Israel, God is Calling," I have often be guilty of "checking my religion at the door" and not being the best of disciples in the sporting arena.  I am ashamed to admit all this, but it is true.

So given all these issues, why do I bother?  Is there any real value to all of this besides the entertainment value of seeing a team perform well from time to time?  I believe there is.  And so this is my attempt to explain why, for me, there are reasons why it's not just a game.  There are reasons why, if I can learn to control my temper and the anxiety that sports cause me, there is value in still being a fan and supporting the team.

I don't want to go into sports analogies for life, which have their value.  Certainly there is value in learning about winning gracefully, losing with class, working hard, etc.  All of that is important, but it isn't why I am a fan.  At the most basic and fundamental level, I am a fan because of the way that BYU sports have shaped and influenced my relationships.  I am a fan because BYU sports gave me an opportunity to connect with people that I love.

Going to games with my Dad and my brother Rob has been one of the most memorable and happy activities of my life.  One of my earliest and happiest memories is of watching a BYU game (against Utah State I believe) on a rare Saturday afternoon that my Dad had off from work at ZCMI.  I don't remember anything else about it other than Dad and BYU football.  As I got older, I remember Dad getting 2 season tickets to the basketball games each year.  Since there would usually be 2 games a week, Rob would get to go to one game and I would go to the other, always with Dad.  As I've gotten older, I've realized more and more how much of a sacrifice those tickets were for my parents, not only financially but also in terms of time.  Dad didn't get many free evenings, but for several years in a row, he found two evenings a week to spend with Rob and me watching BYU basketball games.  When both Rob and I had graduated from BYU, we made one of the best decisions we have ever made and started buying regular season tickets to the football games.  We bought three tickets so that we could take Dad with us and watch the games alongside him.  Between 2005 and 2010 I saw a lot of wins, a few losses, annoyed more than my fair share of surrounding spectators, and spent memorable hours with Dad and Rob.  Last season my parents flew down to Texas to see me and I got to go to one game with Dad (BYU v. TCU).  It was one of the best parts of last Fall semester.

I remember watching games on TV with my Grandma Dowdle--who had learned to enjoy BYU sports because my Grandpa Dowdle loved them.  I remember going to games with my Papa Haycock and watching in amazement as he seemed to find somebody he knew everywhere he went (little did I know, he actually did know someone just about everywhere he went).  Rob and I went to the 1990 Holiday Bowl (admittedly a very forgettable game) and several other games with my aunt Marilyn and my cousin Becky.  Even having family members who cheered for the University of Utah added to the experience for me because it always included a little bit of light hearted ribbing, a few moments of shame and humiliation, lots of laughs, and plenty of happy memories.  During college, Rob and I went to countless games with roommates and friends.  The games became a place where in between all the yelling and screaming, I formed close relationships and had memorable experiences that shaped my life.

Now that I'm in Texas, I still watch the games.  I can't help myself and can't even turn it off when it gets ugly.  But it isn't the same as the last five years watching the games without Dad and Rob.  I don't find it nearly as fulfilling when we win because it isn't like being there with my family.  As much as I love the game, for me it has always been more than just a game.  :)

Brett