In the last 312 days since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, there hasn’t been much hope in the country. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead, millions are unemployed and almost every household is tense over political drama that shows no signs of ending. 

But one thing that has been steadfast in this chaos is sports. 

Although sports aren’t for everyone, right now they are one of the only forms of entertainment that is solely focused on bringing joy and happiness to all. 

There’s some form of competition in everyone’s life. Whether it’s being the first to finish that math test or beating the car next to you off the line at the red light, a competitive spirit lies deep in everyone. 

What has driven humankind for thousands of years but some form of competition? Think of the Olympics, the World Wars or the Space Race. Then try ignoring the prowess of Jordan Lewis, the genius of John Petty Jr. or valor of Griffin James. 

The play so far in the spring stretch of sports has been electric. Alabama’s basketball teams are both dominating the competition with 10-plus wins and less than four losses a piece. Gymnastics is off to a hot start and looking to improve under new head coach Dana Duckworth. Not to mention the much-anticipated starts of baseball and softball, which both just announced their respective schedules for the year. 

Regardless of the sport, every team playing this spring is competing at high levels, some even unpredictable. Conference and national championships are in sight for men’s basketball, gymnastics, baseball and softball. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tune into any Alabama sport that’s not football.

There’s much to gain and little to lose in this situation. Tune into new sports this spring, and become a fan; it’s both rewarding and gratifying. They may not all reach the promised land, but it’ll be one hell of a ride.