Growing up, my entire life was focused on theatre. I went to rehearsals for two shows at a time, six days a week, with dance classes on Sundays to supplement that one free day. My 7th grade best friend had to make me a playlist of “real people music” for my iPod, because most of my music library was dominated by various Overtures, Entr’actes, and Finales. All of my friends were in theatre, and I never thought I’d be interested in anything else. Especially not sports.
While my parents watched the New England Patriots play on Sundays, I stayed as far away as possible. I was totally ready for the game food, for sure. But the game itself? No, thanks. I’m good with my “In the Heights” soundtrack. Despite the fact that we spent free summer nights watching farm team pro-baseball and every New Year’s Eve watching farm team pro-hockey, I was more interested in the fried dough than the actual games. The Tom Brady jersey I’ve had since age 12 was simply for showing off at school, where I hoped nobody would actually mention last night’s great play.
This all began to change when I moved to Boston sophomore year of college. Friends had extra tickets to Red Sox games. BU Hockey became a part of life when I joined The Daily Free Press and sat next to the sports editor. My whole life I had avoided sports pretty much like the plague, and now it was all starting to make sense. The fandom and the team spirit radiated through Boston. But it wasn’t until my boyfriend began religiously watching the Patriots that I started to as well.
What all of this rambling is getting at is the idea that it’s never too late to pick up a new hobby. Now a senior at BU, I take back what I said as a kid about football being boring. There’s something really special about a whole community of people coming together and rooting for something bigger than themselves. This Super Bowl was one of the craziest games ever, and I had the opportunity to witness it! I’m the first to admit that it isn’t worth being stubborn and avoiding something just because I disliked it in the past.
This isn’t to say that theatre wasn’t or isn’t still an integral part of my life. I used to write a theatre blog, and I spent a summer in New York interning at a theatrical public relations agency. I still listen to “In the Heights,” too. I certainly don’t forget where I came from, but it’s nice to have a new sort of hobby that brings me closer to my dad and many of my friends. It’s nice to be in the know, and it’s never too late to find new interests!
