I love sports. I plan my schedule around whenever the next hockey game for the Chicago Blackhawks game is on, and I always make time in my day to give myself updates on what’s taking place in the world of sports. Going a week without following anything was probably the worst decision of my life. Somehow I managed to become even more disorganized than normal and I felt like a part of me was missing everyday. I ended up turning off notifications from six different sources including the NHL app, the Blackhawks app, The Score, Bleacher Report, Twitter and Instagram. I also muted every single account on Twitter that I follow that has to do with sports. It was showtime.
Sunday was the worst day of the whole stint because not only were the Blackhawks on TV, but they were playing the Washington Capitals, the team that most of my friends support. The last time the two teams faced each other it was October and the Capitals won 4-1. I had been waiting months to finally be able to catch the rematch and of course, day one of my week without sports fell on gameday. It took everything in me to not turn on NHL Network and watch the game, and I almost gave up on day one. Unfortunately, my mom refused to let me into the room to watch the game and I was forced into spending my Sunday doing just homework instead of keeping up with sports
On day 4, teams for the World Cup of Hockey were announced and I so badly wanted to turn back on all six of my NHL notifications to see which players from my team made the team for their respective country. I didn’t want to wait for the week to be over.
By the time Wednesday rolled around, I had no idea when the next Blackhawks game was. Because I normally plan out my week according to their schedule, I felt so disoriented and unorganized that I ended up mixing due dates and assignments regularly. I nearly forgot about an Socratic seminar because I was so out of it. I hadn’t realized how important sports games were in planning my life. They truly have taken over everything I do.
I did cheat a little bit and I eavesdropped on my parents talking about the games to each other so I would have a small idea of what happened but not being able to watch was torturous. As soon as the clock hit midnight on Sunday I turned on all of my notifications and caught up on all of the action that I had missed. I was so happy to find out the Blackhawks beat the Capitals and the Detroit Red Wings.
It was definitely interesting to see how I would manage with no sports for a whole week and I would say I did so successfully to an extent. I would never do this again and I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone either. It’s a huge relief being able to follow sports again.