Indoor Insanity

I am having a bad case of cabin fever already this month. New Year’s Eve we had a snowstorm in New York and it’s been way too cold and windy to go out and about anywhere. Times like these make me long for hazy summer afternoons, seated poolside with a book tanning in the sun. I miss walking and wandering the meandering mazes of my town’s lengthy lanes. Trail riding and street biking seem to gnaw at me as I look outside and watch flurries galore pile up. I really need to get outside and enjoy some fresh air, but since the cold has me locked up inside, I decided to write about indoor sports.
The NHL started a tradition not long ago of playing an outdoor hockey game on the first of the year. The game was played at Wrigley Field between the Blackhawks and Red Wings this year. Most fans enjoy the climate and rawness of the annual competition. It makes me wonder why more games aren’t scheduled outdoors. People probably would not want to endure the temperatures and conditions I am sure. But sports are meant to be played outside in my opinion. Arena league football and NFL games played in domed stadiums do not have the same appeal as their outdoor counterparts. I especially think playing baseball inside has a negative affect. If I wanted to go to a sauna, I’d drive to the local health club. I wouldn’t buy a ticket to a summer ball game and sit inside eating my hot dog. Baseball has to be an outdoor affair. The smell of fresh grass and sounds of the game are meant for open air. Football in the middle of November and December outdoors adds to the roughness and toughness of the sport’s physical nature. Some of the most memorable games in NFL history were played in snow, ice, and subzero temperatures. Why else would there be proud franchises in Buffalo, New York and Green Bay, Wisconsin?
Tennis is a sport I definitely cannot stand swinging and sliding inside. It’s hard enough to see because of the poor lighting but when you start to sweat, it just sticks to you in an indoor venue. I could do without the wind outside, but some say that’s part of the game. Much like the winds in football, tennis winds can be both an advantage and disadvantage. Learning to serve with a glaring sun, hit an overhead in wacky winds and use the spacious sideline alleys is actually fun. I always hated playing tournaments in high school and college because it meant having to suffer through a monotonous indoor match. I would much rather see the outdoors and capture a true tennis playing experience in the crisp Fall air.
Many sports are just more suitable for indoors, such as basketball and racquetball. It’s very hard to play both outdoors, although not impossible. Basketball outside doesn’t feature squeaky sneakers or bleacher cheers. Chained basketball hoops are not as good as real indoor nets with backboards. But it is intriguing to catch a pickup game on a concrete court outside. Nothing against hot, stuffy gymnasiums, but again, being outside participating in sports really is better. I never played racquetball outdoors, but the game is meant to be an indoor sport. It’s probably the one sport I do not mind being played in a box. Being in the box beckons boredom on most occasions, but not in racquetball.
I understand games like the Superbowl need to be inside in a warm weather city due to all the publicity and money involved. You simply cannot have a rainout or Superbowl postponed due to snow. But it would be awesome for once if the Superbowl were played in Giants Stadium or Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Imagine the fans bundled up in parks, mittens and scarves. Imagine the players sipping hot cocoa on the sidelines instead of Gatorade.
For the record, swimming, soccer and lacrosse are all better outside. And, hitting and fielding softballs indoors is about as sad as it gets.
I think my cabin fever is starting to wear off. I want to be out riding my bike right now. Stationary indoor bicycles are worthwhile exercise machines, but actually moving and seeing different scenes is more appealing.

Parting points: Thank goodness for football Sundays. Time to tune into the second installment of this weekend’s playoffs. I am 0-2 so far. Yesterday I was surprised by both winning teams.