Cory's Corner: I Need Sports — Especially Now
I'm not sure where to begin this.
The sports world has been kicking the tires on when and how to start but they haven't been able to firm anything up. And outside of the sports world, I'm left with emptiness and anxiety.
Normally about now, NFL players would be going on vacations as they reset their batteries for the upcoming season.
However, we don't know when the Packers training camp is going to start. Heck, we don't know if training camp is even going to take place.
I love football a lot. There are so many early memories I have as a kid peppering my dad with questions about strategy and what would happen next. (Who knew that my father would predate Tony Romo as the NFL soothsayer?)
I'm going to be selfiish for a moment. I would sorely miss football if it doesn't come back in its full form that we are all used to — which means no pass interference review. That's not to diminish the coronavirus or the protests, but sports has a place in this country and in this world. Do the players make a lot of money? They sure do. And because of all that money, are a lot of professional athletes relatable to the Average Joe? Probably not.
But none of those things keep NFL stadiums from buzzing each Thursday, Sunday or Monday. None of those things keep fans from standing outside in the melting summer sunshine just to get a glimpse of players in training camp.
Sports matter and I would argue that one of the main reasons that people share the same emptiness that I do is because sports have been on pause for so long.
I mean, we can talk about what the Packers' receiving corps is going to look like, if coach Matt LaFleur is going to transition to a new run-first scheme right away or if Rashan Gary is going to take the next step as he enters his sophomore season. But all of those things are tough because the fields have been empty. We haven't even seen what the rookies look like with practice jerseys on.
I'm not saying that sports are the end all be all. I'll be honest, I have watched a lot of National Geographic over the last 10 weeks and have learned a lot about the Grand Canyon, Antartica, the Great Lakes and the Titanic.
But those things don't allow you to stand up and yell after Jared Cook is able to haul in an amazing grab with 12 seconds left, or to let your jaw hit the floor when Reggie White had back-to-back sacks on John Elway in the final 1:50.
Sports is raw emotion, it's unpredictable and it's the one life raft for live television in an ever-growing on-demand world.
Stay safe and if you ever had thoughts about hiking the Grand Canyon, just remember that it's 750 miles.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (14)
Lphill
June 02, 2020 at 07:15 am
Sports don’t matter right now.
Coldworld
June 02, 2020 at 07:41 am
It doesn’t matter, it would help provide a welcome diversion. But I’m skeptical that it will arrive soon in the form that we are used to at least.
jannesbjornson
June 02, 2020 at 08:28 pm
Roger that,LP. Time for a reality check.
gkarl
June 02, 2020 at 07:23 am
Sports is entertainment. Covid-19 has taken most forms of enjoyment away from all of us. Those that aren't sports fans like most on this site, might be missing the movies, plays, dining with friends or whatever there prefer entertainment may be. This country is in need of anything positive right now and hopefully getting sports and other forms of entertainment back would help us start to feel normal again.
Handsback
June 02, 2020 at 08:27 am
Growing up I watched the big 3 professional sports on TV, baseball, football and basketball. I played all those sports some better than others, so I could escape into something that was defined by rules and allowed my skills to determine the outcome.
An example, when in 9th and 10th grades if friends and myself were in our high school for anything after hours we would go and see if we could get into the gym. If we were lucky, and the doors were unlocked we took off our shoes and made a basketball from our socks and played against each other. It was a small school, (around 400 students from 9-12 grades) so word must have gotten around and one day the gym was open and a basketball was there. It was probably there because the BB coach decided we were getting in anyway and might as well play with a real ball.
My point is during the Vietnam war, America's race and anti-war riots, and will add the Hong Kong flu scare that nobody seem to have in our area, sports was something we could do. Now at my current age, outside of writing adventure novels, shooting basketballs, and working out.....watching football, college basketball, and lacrosse its one of the strongest connections I have left to escape for 3 hours.
Of course after saying all of that, if the NFL keeps wasting time reviewing penalties after every 3rd play...that would narrow down my watching of college football.
splitpea1
June 02, 2020 at 11:02 am
I know what you mean. I've been watching a good deal of the Military History channel, which typically includes a lot of WW2 programs and footage; so I now have a greater appreciation of what some of these soldiers went through across both oceans. But I'm ready for some sports now--even baseball, as substandard as the MLB product has turned into.
murf7777
June 02, 2020 at 11:05 am
My thoughts on sports is that it isn't a diversion, but something that is in our heritage, something that brings us together with friends and family for good cheer and socialization. It brings us closer to one another. It is not the end all, but important for our well being.
Not just watching, but also playing sports and games. Whether that be, throwing horseshoes, skiing or playing football, it is all a form of a sport that brings family and friends together.
The other important issue sports does is donate and give back to our communities. Millions to billions of dollars are spread amongst our community needs thru sports. It is very important to our economy. Lastly, I believe sports will be instrumental in helping lead our country in civil liberty for all citizens.
flackcatcher
June 02, 2020 at 01:43 pm
(sigh........) I hear you Cory. I wish the idiots at MLB (owners and players) and the NFL (ditto) were listening too....
PDX_Packfan
June 02, 2020 at 06:56 pm
I hope you all will keep the faith that there is more love in this country than hate. We are currently in a leadership vacuum that is compounding the anxiety and making things worse than the need be. I'm not sure what us regular folks can do besides be strong for those that need us and then to VOTE so we don't end up having to fight our own military.
As an aside, you all should watch WW2 in color if you haven't...
Amy Berk
June 02, 2020 at 10:32 pm
Funny, I love watching Packer football and especially got a kick out of the live blog during the games on Cheesehead TV. Hilarious! Wonder why they stopped that last year.
I really don't know how they will play football with COVID-19. How do they protect the highly compensated players and when someone gets sick do they all have to self quarantine. What a mess?
Along with the protesting which I believe is necessary. I just hope we have a democracy after Orange man wrecks our country.
I now watch Secrets of the Zoo, Aquarium, National Geographic unless the wild animals become too violent and lastly MSNBC the educated news channel.
flackcatcher
June 03, 2020 at 12:58 am
Well Amy, we're about to get a heck of a stress test. If numerous protestors come down with conrona-19, a large number of politicians, media types will have a lot of angry people to answer for. If we have only a relative hand full then politicians, medical experts, and certain media types will also have a lot of angry people to answer for. I just want this over...
fastmoving
June 03, 2020 at 07:02 am
You are so right Amy, Dont know how long it takes to clean up that mess. The Orange loooooser might be one of the dumbest guys in the states and the only thing he can do is hate and being racist. And the only guys who cant see that are the Fox News victims.....
DrMixerGED
June 03, 2020 at 10:15 am
I don't believe this country can survive another 4 years of Trump.
Stinced
March 21, 2021 at 12:33 pm
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