People always joke with me about how sports seem to consume my life. Honestly, I've always just laughed at them. Granted, maybe at them and not with them, but I've laughed none the less.

Not until today did I realize that they might not be wrong, and that it might also not be the worst thing that could consume my life or have an impact on it.

I've written before about spending those moments with my dad and sporting events. Whether it was throwing a ball outside, watching a game from home, or even going to a game, they are all precious moments. These are the moments that will never be forgotten and are even now, becoming more and more precious to me as I realize that we will all be parting ways here in a few months when I leave for college.

Sports have always given me something to talk to my Dad about. They have given him and I something to discuss when he gets home from work, clearly not wanting to talk about his hectic day at the office. They have given him and I something to talk about when I get home, clearly not wanting to talk about whatever boy has done me wrong this time. They have given us something to talk about on summer nights, winter days, and fall mornings.

Suddenly, the day's craziness might be temporarily forgotten by one of us mentioning the latest news about a new recruit that signed with a school, a game that's supposed to be coming on, or maybe our in-depth analysis of a game that was played that night or earlier on in the week. And yes, we do analyze these things as if we knew what we were talking about. Or I do anyway, true to female form.

They have given a teenage daughter and her dad a way to bond. More importantly, they have given us something to talk about as I head off to school, when life won't be at home anymore.

Sports have given me that ability to have all kinds of different emotions. From happy as I watched the Alabama Crimson Tide win their first National Championship since I was born, to nervous as I waited to see if Mount Cody really could pull off a second field goal block in a game, to sad as the Basketball team loses a game that they came so close to winning. (There were too many to mention here recently, so I just left it open ended).

Sports have shown me that it is perfectly ok to be passionate about something. It's ok to be happy that they won. It's ok to be sad that they lost. It's ok to be mad when they can do better. It's ok to be passionate and dive into something heart first.

Sports have taught me that being better is always an option. Whether it was a basket that you could have made but didn't, or a play you could have run better, or even a free throw that you know you could have made had you been paying a little more attention to your form, you can do better. There is always room for improvement.

Sports have taught me that no matter how bad it may be, it will always get better. I remember after September 11, 2001, people being worried about holding Football games or any other sporting event because of the mass number of people that would be gathered. They were scared that another terrorist attack would happen.

I also remember arenas holding games anyway, because they realized that for so many people, it was their place they could go to escape. It was their place to escape their loss of a loved one. It was their place to escape the hurt that they felt at the attack on their country. It was their place to think about their son or daughter that enlisted right after, so they could go and fight.

It was normalcy, even if for only a couple of hours. It was moving on.

Sports continue to be that break, even for just a moment, to so many people. It's the break from everyday life that gets us boggled down sometimes.

It's that reminder, that you can still enjoy things, when times are tough.

Sports are what fuel me to be the person that I am. They have helped me into becoming the person I am in some small ways. This is how they have impacted me, and I'm curious to know how they impact you.

Tidbit of information: The case that encloses the famous button that controls whether or not the United States anilities another country is called "the football." Coincidence? I think not. If it proves to be crimson…well, that would just be brilliant.