While the majority of attention in sports is placed on the athletes and the play on the court, the games are also about families and relationships.
These bonds are what make sports so enjoyable, and they were on full display during the championship game of the Western Regional on Saturday.
When the Florida Gators lost to the Louisville Cardinals in the Elite 8, a young Gator fan in the front row was crying into his father’s shirt.
Across the court, it was the father who was crying, but for a different reason. The father of Louisville junior guard Peyton Siva had to hold back tears as he watched his son climb the ladder and cut down the nets.
The family ties continued in the postgame press conferences, where Louisville coach Rick Pitino mentioned how hard it was to coach against Billy Donovan, someone he views as his “seventh son.”
There is nothing wrong with spending the majority of the time talking about the Xs and the Os of a competition, but sometimes the game is just a cover. Sometimes the game prevents people from cherishing the moments spent with each other.
In the quarterfinal round of the tournament, the game was not a distraction. Emotions and family ties were on full display, making the round a memorable one.
