SALT LAKE CITY — It is almost an unimaginable scenario — a fall without the NFL or the NBA.
A year ago, everyone knew it was possible.
With the NFL regular season only two months away (Sept. 8) and the NBA owners and players admitting they're no where near an agreement, that possibility has evolved into a probability that at least some of both seasons will be lost to labor disputes.
So what does a world without the two most popular professional sports leagues look like? How does a sports fan navigate a scenario that hasn't occurred in modern sports history?
I have some ideas.
First, I admit that I am not the typical professional sports fan. While I appreciate the talent and ability of professional athletes, I am not a fan of their egos. I much prefer to watch high school or college athletes because, for the vast majority, they are playing for the love of the games. (Yes, I know a small percentage are playing for the opportunity to play professional sports. But more amateurs means more love, less egomaniacs.)
I do not want to seem unsympathetic to those who are fretting now that both leagues are in an official lockout. So here is my list of 10 ways to survive, even thrive, a fall without the NFL and/or the NBA.
10. Take ballroom dancing lessons with your husband or wife. Think of it as stockpiling good will for when the leagues do return to action — or for when you become a hockey, soccer or WNBA fan.
9. Start that exercise program you've been putting off. If you can't watch your favorite athletes compete, try looking like him. It will, at least, improve the quality of your life.
8. Take up a participatory sport — tennis, racquetball, running or cycling. DO NOT, under any circumstances, join a rec football or basketball league. Pretending you are Mark Sanchez is just another form of fantasy football and it will NOT make you felt better about missing out on the real (pretend) thing.
7. Get involved or start a community service project. Put that frustration and free time to good use.
6. Support college sports — including non-revenue sports. You'll be surprised how much easier it is to cheer for athletes who don't think the world revolves around them.
5. Support High School sports. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where athletes actually learn the value of athletics and, if you're really lucky, you might see one of tomorrow's stars before the spotlight spoils him.
4. Support women's athletics. They work just as hard as their male counterparts for either a fraction of the money or no cash at all. You may never convert completely, but you may gain some appreciation or understanding into why women want the same opportunities as male athletes.
3. Support non-traditional sports. From MMA to roller derby to motocross, you will be moved and surprised by the talent and stories of athletes who are putting these sports on the map.
2. Support winter sports. It's colder to watch in person and sometimes tougher to understand when watching on television, but watching Shaun White compete is every bit as exciting as watching Peyton Manning work his magic.
1. Spend more time with your own family. Watching sports together is definitely considered "quality time" in my house, but let's be honest, sometimes actually talking to your children, parents, siblings is more memorable — and meaningful.
And while you ponder the ways in which you will fill the void that will most definitely will exist, keep one critical fact in mind.
Life will go on. The world will keep turning — even the world of sports.
That realization may very well be what ends both lockouts and offer fans at least a partial season.
Every player, every owner knows what Major League Baseball learned in 1994-95 — fans hold grudges when millionaires get in fights with billionaires.
We may prefer football to soccer or basketball to hockey, but one thing sports fans have proved over and over is that above all, we love competition. And, we will do what we have to do to satisfy that craving.
In the words of Stephen Stills, "Don't be angry. Don't be sad. Don't sit crying, over good times had. If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with."
Email: adonaldson@desnews.com Twitter: adonsports