Conflicted

The NCAA is running a commercial of former athletes now part of the everyday world, and, as soon as I saw it, I thought of my daughter. Then I thought of ten years ago coming up on March 31st. It was Clare’s first home game for Elmhurst. Between the playing of the national anthem and the words “today’s NCAA softball game” sounding over the speaker, I got goose bumps. Yes, it could’ve been the 45-degree chill, but I’d grown used to softball weather by then. Only a fool sat in the stands without wearing his long underwear, boots and at least two sweatshirts. No, it was “NCAA” that did the trick. Clare went three for three in the first game, four for six on the day, with a double that literally hit off the top of the fence and bounced back onto the field. I always found that it paid to keep score, in order to remember. “March Madness” is framed in much the same way, college memories in waiting. Only, they don’t broadcast the sports all those other ex-athletes played, at least not in prime time to national audiences. I listen to coaches talk about the “tournament feel,” which to me feels like more of a NBA audition for the one-and-done players. Good luck to them all, in particular those who go on to find the pro game is a lot more than they reckoned for. Clare has her own NCAA memories, and so do I. The commercial is right about one thing. The world moves on whether or not we want it to.