Life without Louisville athletics is… kind of nice?

Life without Louisville athletics is not as bad as I thought.

For as long as I can remember, my life revolved around Louisville athletics.

Born into a family that likely would not have allowed me to be anything but a Cardinal, as I have aged, my internal clock has operated based on what was happening related to Louisville sports.

There’s always something on the calendar. There’s always a time to look forward to, an event to become immersed in, and a chance to lose myself for a few hours watching the team I love.

That your life can revolve around sports is hard to contextualize for someone who grew up knowing differently. But the best way to explain my love for sports is that they have always been my escape in life.

I loathed every second of school from the time I was old enough to understand the basic principles of a match-up zone, and I dreamt my days away playing out imaginary scenarios in my head, hoping to see my dreams become reality in front of a television set.

To me, the seasons mark the most important time of year on the sports calendar.

Some smell the blooming of the often-controversial Bradford pear trees in the midwest and hold their breath as they pass. For me, that’s the smell of March Madness brackets, baby. It might as well be a fresh bracket hot off the printer tray.

The steamiest days of summer mean that the start of fall camp is just around the corner. The sound of pads crashing together. The taste of the sweet Cardinal Stadium beer- Literal nectar of the gods.

Bitter cold hits right at the start of basketball conference play every year. The biting wind on your face coming in off the banks of the Ohio River as you you fast-walk with the masses into the KFC Yum! Center means a big name like Boeheim or Brey is probably in town. You gave yourself a pep talk before the game, but you’re probably going to get upset about a Ted Valentine no-call late in the first half.

As life carries on, we grow and change on a nearly daily basis. People come and go from our lives, new traditions end, while old ones fall by the wayside, and the unpredictability of life keeps us on our toes.

Sports, for the most part, however, stay the same. Sure, the storylines change, and that’s what we love. But sports never just go away. Ever.

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The Kentucky Derby is the first Saturday in May. Every May. For 150 years. The final round of The Masters falls on the second Sunday in April. The first weekend of September is reserved for college football. Every year. Life is ever-changing but sports are a dependable form of entertainment; An ever-present calm in the hecticness of life.

So, when sports just disappears, what does one do to fill their time? How does one even tell time? Surely we are not to be guided by the scheduled releases of new Tiger King episodes. And when the Louisville, Kentucky swamp ass summer heat rolls in, through the sweat beads in our eyes, we want to behold, at the very least, a Louisville Bats game. Or socialize in a Bardstown Road watering hole with the familiarity of an NBA playoff game in the background.

Sports are not just a hobby or something neat to follow; They are a way of life. Sports are the very reason we gather. It’s the reason you guys click on this stupid website every day to read my stupid words. They’re a reason to get excited- A source of optimism on a mediocre day. A way to unify and connect. A place to bond over a mutual love.

Sports are culture. They are a way to express oneself. Some like to sing, paint, and dance. Others like to throw back a six-pack and yell at a 52 inch TV while wearing a jersey with another man’s name on his back.

That’s sports. And I’m here to tell you something: I’m okay without them.

For now, at least.

When you can’t fall back on Louisville athletics

When life was put on hold in March, my initial reaction was frustration. As selfish as that sounds given the severity of the social and economic impact of the pandemic, at the time, Louisville basketball was preparing to make a long-awaited tournament run. The opportunity to witness the climax of the 2019-20 season was no more. The ACC Tournament was canceled the day Louisville was slated to play its first postseason game. The NCAA Tournament canceled soon after.

As difficult as it was to process, and as brutal as it was for any athlete to have to give up their season regardless of the sport, I think deep inside we all recognized the sacrifice that had to be made.

At that point, the world began to slow down a bit. Businesses began to close. The remaining world operated at a limited capacity.

Apart from my daily online pontificating, I do have a job that puts a roof over my head and food on my table. Though I do not consider myself a workaholic by any means, I understand the importance of work and the sense of purpose and organization that it provides in life. I consider this important for anyone.

At least, I thought, my fiance and I worked in essential lines of business. We would be spared. Life could continue as normal.

My phone rang a few days after the tournament cancellations and my boss was on the other end. “You’ve been furloughed,” he began.

“Oh, nice,” was my actual response. “Wait, so what exactly does that mean?”

After my initial dumbass response, I was extremely hurt and confused by the news. I hadn’t gone any significant period of time without being a full-time student or employee since before I could legally drive a car. I may never go this long again without a paycheck to be quite honest.

Losing the familiarity of sports is one thing, but losing the security of a job is another altogether.

Over the past three months, we have all learned to embrace the unfamiliar. Regardless of if you are working or not, you’ve had to alter your life in significant ways.

Personally, through the rising anxiety of the unknown, I’ve learned to enjoy the little things.

My relationships have never been better. Though I had to reschedule a wedding, and a much-anticipated honeymoon is in jeopardy, I get to see my fiancé every day for the first time ever.

I don’t have to worry about sacrificing time with my family in order to catch a game.

I am a hero to my dogs. They get extra playtime, extra treats, and extra-long walks since dad is always home.

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When you do have to get out of the house right now, there’s rarely traffic. And, although going to the store is a chore, humanity and general kindness and understanding of people working together to keep each other safe is refreshing. There’s something unifying about a good percentage of people wearing masks to protect their families as well as their fellow citizen from an invisible enemy.

The air is cleaner, the roads are safer, and the sidewalks are full again. Neighborhoods look like the 90s- Kids riding bikes, neighbors exchange pleasantries from a safe distance.

As for the lack of Louisville Cardinals sports, of course, I miss. Trust me, as someone who writes 300-plus articles about sports a year, not having a single game for months will really get the creative juices flowing.

But something about the lack of sports will leave me longing to return to this as we return to our “normal” lives. There is a peace and calm about spending your evenings doing something that’s not watching sports.

If we could have Louisville sports tomorrow, I would take it in a heartbeat, but I don’t miss it like I thought I would.

A life without distractions isn’t half bad after all.

One day, we will return to the familiarity of sports. But as we transition back to what we are used to, don’t forget about the time we had where our lives revolved around something different. These times taught us all something new about ourselves. And, weirdly enough, I have kind of enjoyed it.