Anxious Times

With the Lakers defeating the Nuggets last night, and the Magic/Cavaliers within one or two games of ending the conference series in the east, many sports fans are becoming anxious.

The anxiety does not stem from looming concerns about who will prevail in the finals. The anxiety is fueled by the realization that within two weeks there will be nothing but baseball to occupy the hours that are currently spent anticipating, watching, and becoming excited by the televised games.

The six week period from the end of the NBA and NHL championships until the start of the NFL exhibition season is a trying period. Like a marathon runner who hits the wall at mile 20, sports fanatics who start counting the months after the Super Bowl until the next NFL season, hit a wall in late June and July because their sports fix is tough to come by. The days before and after the major league all star game are particularly stressful because on those days there is almost nothing to watch.

Not all sports fans are so monomaniacal. They/we have other hobbies but so much of the fan's life is filled with the joy of actually or vicariously participating in sports, that the void that is formed during this time can make a fan antsy, and make the spouses of fans who may not be similarly immersed, long for the nfl season as well--if for no other reason than to avoid being victimized by quirky withdrawal behaviors. My suggestion to those anticipating these throes is to start reading and/or purchase the Madness of March, for your loved ones.