Coming alive: The ecstasy of sports

I had only a few courses during my last semester at IIT Kharagpur, thus providing me the opportunity to explore a lot of new activities. I had been an active football player in Kharagpur for four years, representing both the institute and my hostel in various tournaments. However, I wanted to utilize the free time to pick up a new sport. I chose tennis.

A friend, who is an accomplished tennis player, decided to coach me. Barely a week into picking up the racquet, I challenged him to a three set match. He reluctantly agreed. Half an hour later, I was 4-0 down, and gasping for breath. He suggested we call it quits, as I clearly had a long way to go before I could play a proper match. I told him, “Look, I could be 6-0, 5-0 down, perhaps a point away from defeat. Maybe then I will think about quitting. But most likely, perhaps not even then”. I eventually lost 6-1, 7-5.

That is exactly how I look at sports. Sport is not something which is a hobby, or something to keep me fit. It is not even something which I have a lot of “fun” doing all the time. But it is definitely the activity where I give a hundred percent all the time, be it physically, mentally or emotionally. This, as opposed to academics or work, where I am at best half present. In short, sport brings me to life.

That attitude towards sports has helped shape my perspective towards athletes as well. One example is the past season of Spanish football club Atletico Madrid. Armed with a beggar’s budget as compared to the deep pockets of Real Madrid and Barcelona, Atleti didn’t just win the La Liga, but also finished runners up in the Champions League. Any recording of their matches in the past season will reveal the same thing; their players had desire and hunger. Long after the opponent had tired themselves out, Atleti players would just refuse to stop running. I would any day support a club like that, rather than a club with brilliant individual players, but no desire (read Real Madrid).

I confess I was not the most skilled player in my college team. I used to play in the defense, initially starting as a right-back before moving on to play center back in my final year. Ask me to juggle the ball or perform a round-the-world, and I would probably disappoint you. But whenever the referee blew his whistle, it was war. I would do anything and everything to ensure that no one would dribble past me, and thus an ordinary player like me developed quite a reputation in college. Of course, all the tackles and sliding challenges ensured several scraped thighs and bruised knees, but it was frankly pain I relished. This continuous dedication resulted in a drastic improvement in my own game, and some of the best football I played was in my final year.

There will be success, failure, money, power, disappointment, love, and plenty of other experiences in the future. What will however remain unmatched is that exaggerated feeling one experiences when he is giving his hundred percent while playing. For that is the only time one comes alive.

And with that, it’s time to turn to the idiot box to witness two men slogging it out in the French Open Final.