The magic of watching sports live

I am an unabashed sports fan and have been for most of my life. Earlier, I would be happy playing some outdoor sport or the other, with the passage of time, playing has lessened and focus has shifted to watching live sporting action. And my last job sure helped me fulfill some of those ambitions.
The sheer thrill of walking into Lords to watch the traditional season opener for the English season is something I cannot put into words. It has to be experienced. The envious comments among friends upon seeing a picture of that experience is itself reward if you ask me.
Another tick on my list of live sporting events to watch was ticked off when I made it to Reading on a cold November night and saw a woeful Reading team take on the mighty Gunners with Adebayor in full flow. Adebayor had not succumbed to greed and shifted to City then. The abiding memory for me was the biting cold in the stadium and immense respect for the thousands of fans who throng these games in almost subhuman conditions year after year and the players who have to ply their trade in these conditions.
And after years of wanting to see Sachin score runs in an Indian win, I finally saw it in the India vs Australia test match in Bangalore. The final day was magical with the crowd going wild with every run being scored and also watching a debutant play the innings of his short career was truly magical. I must recommend the sports loving crowd in Bangalore for the wholehearted support they give the players. Barring some boors, the crowd in general is very sporting and passionate. That is an experience worth living.
Another longstanding ambition was to see Schumacher drive a F1 car in anger. That was fulfilled this year at the Marina Bay street circuit in Singapore earlier this year. Though he was woeful, it still meant a lot to be able to see him drive in the flesh.

When you know that there are many more such experiences worth looking forward to, you know that life is good!