Influx of sports in April divides fans’ attention, loyalty to teams
By Matt PetersonAnyone who's a generic Arizona sports fan must have his/her head spinning like a record at a '70's disco right now. This is because for anyone without a definitive loyalty to one sport and/or team, there are too many places to turn come spring time.
In one corner, you have America's highly caffeinated version of basketball; that is, March Madness. Granted, it will be April when this edition prints, but the culmination of all that mayhem last month will be on full display this weekend. Will you be watching?
Or do your sports cravings lean more towards the, dare I say it, more mature brand of basketball found in the NBA? Granted, it's hard to use the word mature for some of the antics that occur in professional basketball. All of that aside, however, it's hard not to be drawn to what is arguably the greatest show in sports (I'm referring to the Phoenix Suns, of course).
The rollercoaster ride that is the Suns got more interesting just when it was in danger of derailing. After rumors of discontent on and off the court, the Suns traded for Shaquille O'Neal, bringing an intriguing element on the court and a dynamic one off of it. Not since Charles Barkley has such a personality rolled into town.
The NBA playoffs commence in two weeks. Fans and experts alike are raving about how the Western conference has never been this competitive. Are you going to risk missing it? Then again, maybe the hard court doesn't have nearly as much appeal for you as the classic grass-encased baseball diamond. You've been pining to hear the crack of the bat, the snap of ball hitting leather. You're going to be at Chase Field as often as possible in hopes of rising as one with the crowd to snag that elusive home run ball so you can tell your buddies, "Yeah, I was there…"
And why not? The D-Backs were the low-scoring, high-character darlings from last season; the team everyone patted on the back while whispering behind their backs, "They just don't have enough scoring…yet."
But they were a young team last season when they exceeded everyone's expectations (including your own), so there's no reason to think they won't grow and be even better this year.
It's those arguments that might make you miss the Suns win their first championship in their 40-year history (the longest such drought in the NBA).
Then there are those who will say, "To heck with all these warm-temperature, lovey-dovey, sissy sports. I'm a Coyotes fan. I want to hear the crack of the stick on somebody's helmet. I want to see blood bounce off the ice. I want to find myself sitting next to the Great One and exaggerate the experience to my kids."
It's that kind of violent stubbornness that keeps you from checking yourself and admitting that the 'Yotes are already out of the playoffs. You're a hockey fan, and that's what you want to see.
Heck, we haven't even touched on college sports. ASU baseball is always a draw, especially if you prefer going somewhere with college friends. In April's banquet of Arizona sports, the choices are many, but time is short.
Caught up in the rush of it all, you'll probably completely ignore the fact that Glendale Community College boasts a baseball team that is first in its division and is lead by a Hall of Fame coach. You'll walk to or from class and see some kids on the tennis courts, not realizing they're part of the now-second-place men's and women's tennis teams. The advice here is to treat April and May like a banquet, because if you don't sample everything, you'll might miss the next great course.
Unless, of course, you're the guy waiting for the NFL draft in late April, hoping for the Cardinals to get it right. In that case, you'll probably starve.
