In my nearly 21 years, I thought I knew just about everything related to sports. Then, this weekend, it hit me like a Mike Tyson uppercut: There are many things in life more important than sports.

Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Count me out as realizing the obvious, until just recently, when I’ve begun to grasp the concept of sports being little more than entertainment.

I still believe in the camaraderie, teamwork, effort and the all-around fun associated with sports.

Participating in sports has, I feel, helped me grow into who I am, and made me a better person. My kids will have every chance to have the same athletic opportunities I had, because sports at the grassroots level is much more than entertainment. It’s a learning experience no classroom could provide.

I was in those pee-wee leagues, learning the games, working together and having a great time at it, but I was also in front of the TV for the game of the week on many occasions. I could lie there for hours and not worry about a thing. My dad would often stop by the living room, glance in at me and shake his head. I can’t speak for him but I think he thought my sports-binge habit was a little crazy. I’m sure he would have much rather seen me driving a tractor instead of enjoying another NBA or NFL game.

This may sound corny, but the time I spent absorbing all that was sports could have been used to bond with my dad. Sounded unexciting then, but now it’s something I wish I could do over.

I still record every ISU game that’s televised, because the one aspect of sports I’m sure I’ll never get tired of is the drama they can provide. While, in most cases, drama is something I could do without, the sports-related version is one of the most exciting things I’ve discovered in my lifetime. You never know what is going to happen.

Oh, brother, here we go again. Just 2.2 seconds remain for the Cyclones here in Boulder. They’re down by two and they’ve got the length of the floor to go. Here we go. Hoiberg, running the baseline, long in-bounds pass to Thigpen at mid-court. Thigpen at the buzzer … YES! Wow! It’s a three! Iowa State wins it! Wow, wow, wow!

Nine years ago, I watched every second of that game, clad in red ISU sweatpants and palms sweating. Iowa State’s Justus Thigpen made a running shot from about 25 feet to give the Cyclones a one-point win after a back-and-forth contest. That one still gets my juices flowing every time I replay it, and stuff like that will never grow old for me.

But as I watched part of Game 7 of the World Series Sunday night, I realized that sports have changed, maybe just slightly, for me. As one of the Giants flied out to right field, my girlfriend, who was watching along with me, had a thought.

“They should make a rule that if the guy who hit it gets to the base before the other guy catches it, he should be safe,” she said.

It wasn’t just a different perspective on a routine fly ball.

It was an ear-opener.

It was then that, for whatever reason, I began to realize that missing ‘the game’ won’t change me. Besides providing me something to talk about with people who will listen, a game gives me nothing in return — besides entertainment.

Just like my childhood, when I was taking it all in from the couch, I was missing out on some things I shouldn’t have.

Earlier this month, I stepped down as assignment sports editor of the Daily.

Part of the reason I made the decision was because I didn’t have time for myself, or other people around me, for some time. Sports had consumed me to the point that I couldn’t think about anything else.

For some, that’s perfectly fine.

But I knew there was something missing.

Maybe not missing, but patiently waiting.

Family.

My name is Jeff, and I’m a recovering sportsaholic.

Jeff Raasch is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Odebolt.