WHY I LOVE SPORTS: LETTER TO THE EDITOR

`I love sports for the bond it has provided our family'

Sports is the glue that bonds families. I have been a sports fan forever. Started watching Lindsay Leopard football, basketball and baseball back in the early 1970s. I found out early in my marriage that sports was a way that I could relate to my family.

I coached little league sports of every kind. Even soccer. And all I knew about soccer was to yell, “Kick the ball!”

We have been Texas Rangers fans for many, many years. My wife and I were married in 1980 and we haven't missed going to at least one Rangers game each season.

The family attended a St. Louis Cardinals game in 1998 to watch Mark McGwire chase the home run record (we got to witness one of the homers). Also in August 1998, our oldest daughter enrolled in OU and was a member of the Pride. The family went to Shreveport to watch the Sooners in December 1999. We got to watch our daughter on national TV as the Sooners won the championship in 2000. Then as a family we attended the 2001 Cotton Bowl to watch our Sooners beat Arkansas. We attended the Final Four game in Houston in 2016 with our youngest daughter. Almost would like to forget it, but we can say that we witnessed a record — just not the one we wanted to witness.

When the Thunder moved to Oklahoma City, our son was fortunate enough to get a parttime position as a game attendant. My wife and I even celebrated our 35th and 40th anniversaries at Thunder games.

We have transitioned to watching the grandkids play all kinds of sports. Mainly soccer, but also basketball, baseball and cross country. My youngest daughter and I are runners.

We have even talked the family into running/ walking in several runs — The Memorial run and recently the Thunder run.

I can honestly say that I love sports for the bond it has provided our family and look forward to many, many more memories.

Donnie Condit, Edmond