Sports can provide a pleasant diversion for an hour in your day or they can become the dominant aspect in your life. Athletes go to practice and participate in games while fans may count down the minutes until their team plays in an important game. Athletes and fans have to learn how to manage their time to get the most out of their sporting experiences.
Participation -- Practice
Playing an organized sport requires you to practice regularly. Football requires a practice that is at least 90 minutes long and will likely include a study session before you hit the field. Whether you are playing at the high school, college or professional level, you need to learn about your opponent prior to playing. That means studying video and talking to your coaches. Add at least an hour in addition to the practice time on the field.
Participation -- Game
A high school athlete will have to set aside at least four hours for basketball and baseball games and five hours for football. There's much more to playing in sports than walking onto the field and competing. There's a team meeting in the locker room, warmups, postgame sessions with the trainers and postgame media obligations. College and professional games will require a longer time commitment than high school athletes face.
Sports Fan -- Game Day
A sports fan's entire day may center around the sporting event he will attend or watch on television. For many, it's more than rooting for the team of their choice when they take their seat in the stadium. It's the sense of community that comes with sharing the experience with their family, friends, coworkers and neighbors. Many NFL fans rise at 6 a.m. to attend a noon game, arrive three hours early, grill a meal while tailgating in the parking lot, watch a three-hour game from their seats, enjoy a postgame snack while tailgating, drive home and watch a replay of the game when they come home. That three-hour game may only have 11 minutes of action, according to the "Wall Street Journal." Nevertheless, all waking moments may have some association with the sporting event.
Sports Fan -- Day-to-Day
Sports fans are often consumed by their passion. They read one or more newspapers and devour the sports section. Many hours are spent going online reading and gathering as much information about their team or their sport. Additional hours are spent listening to sports-talk radio while working or doing other non-sports-related activities. Depending on the passion and familial obligations of the fan, the individual can spend eight hours or more per day following sports.
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