Jimmy stares at the clock.

It’s 3 o’clock. Just 15 minutes to go. School is about to end. Yet another day in the third grade comes to a close.

The bell rings.

Jimmy and his friends scream from the bottom of their lungs. The sprint out the door. They catch the bus and go home.

Jimmy does his homework, completes his chores, watches cartoons, and goes to sleep.

One day goes by. Then another. And another.

The same cycle repeats.

20 years later, Jimmy becomes a successful banker.

Jimmy Anderson, Financial Analyst

****

Michael is one of the most popular students at his university.

He has an INSANE daily schedule.

He wakes up at 4 AM, studies for his midterms, eats breakfast, and goes to marching band practice swiftly at 6:30.

It’s 9 AM now, which means it is lecture time.

He focuses on his classes, finishes his homework during lunch, peruses world history brooks at the library, and takes a short break for some delightful coffee.

At 3 PM, he goes to his entrepreneurship club. To finish off his day, he decides to volunteer at the Food Bank.

He later catches the 9 PM train while he studies some more before he reaches home and crashes on his couch at 10:30 PM.

10 years later, Michael gets a coveted job at the United Nations headquarters.

Michael Jordan, US Policy Analyst, Diplomat in Training.

****

Roger is a doctor.

Serena is an engineer.

Rafael is a lawyer.

Novak is a successful businessman.

Roger spends his entire life in Switzerland. Serena spends her entire life in the United States.

Rafael spends his entire life in Spain, and you guessed it—Novak spends his entire life in Serbia.

Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal never cross paths in their entire lives.

****

We can have our endless debates—Who was the greatest of all-time? Michael Jordan? LeBron James? Or was it Kobe Bryant?

We can have our mindless fan wars. Kohli vs Rohit vs Dhoni.

We can have our arguing, fighting, and grappling. We can have our podcasts, pre-match analysis, post-match analysis, stories & tributes, the numbers game, and the statistical predictions.

But for once, just once, imagine if this all went away on a whim.

Imagine a world without sports.

Just imagine and think—can be just take a step back for once, reflect, and be grateful for what we do have?

What does sports means to you? How would life have been different without it? Comment Below.

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