This article is an opinion piece and opinions expressed within represent the views of the author and not Newslibre.
For someone whose leisure and work is defined by watching sports almost every single day, this has to be the longest two months of my life and to imagine that this is just the beginning, I am certainly losing my mind.
I miss having to go to Najjera Gardens on Saturday and Sunday at midday just to get ready to watch the early kickoff. I can’t even remember how Lugogo indoor stadium looks like, the aroma that welcomes you as you enter through Kyadondo gates or the guys at KCCA Startimes talking about the golden days of Ugandan football.
I miss the adrenaline rush of trying to beat the Fantasy Premier League deadline so that I can have my team in place ready for the games.
Nothing beats having to watch your opponents having hope for a great result only to watch them curse from the moment the team is announced until Atkinson blows the final whistle.
On a normal Tuesday, I would be getting ready to watch the UEFA Champions League well knowing that some teams already suffered the fate of being eliminated from the tournament, the conversations in office are always a mixture of work and sports.
This weekend should have ushered in the NBA Playoffs and it would have meant waking up early in the wee hours of the morning to watch the best teams in the West and Eastern conferences going at each other. But here we are, two months into the lockdown that has affected not just Uganda but the entire world. And because of this, so many sporting activities have been suspended.
I recall it like it was yesterday when Arteta tested positive for Coronavirus and English Premier League was getting suspended and before one could comprehend it, the UEFA Champions League suffered the same fate.
Once Rudy Gobert tested Positive of Coronavirus, the NBA too came crashing down. Apart from that, a team member of McLaren tested positive too and the only glimmer of hope (Formula One) was taken away.
Ideally, my mind responded by saying ‘I will work from home, watch movies, learn new skills and focus on getting a better body’ (I have a good body by the way, wink wink), but the reality is that, this whole situation we find ourselves in is a total nightmare.
This quarantine saga has really been miserable for all sports fans around the globe
My Sundays that were always about racing and enjoying a good barbeque made by my friend Comrade Otoa have all been in my head. I was recently watching the virtual Grand Prix and I could mention one two times, I looked by my side to see if I had friends shouting only to realize, it was the pillows besides me.
Now here I am, watching Criminal Minds, Telemundo (How do people remain sane watching this channel?), quite honestly, I am going to run mad further.
Over the weekend, Jim Beglin shared a video of Peter Drury sharing with his fans a message and that was the closest I came to a football match in over a month. I promise you, I did shed a tear.
Following many sporting platforms and seems like almost all sporting events will be set to return in June. That June is just a month and half out but to the sports fans, that is an entire eternity.
So yeah, now it feels like I am in a maze where I can’t even move, my thoughts are reechoing and I feel like I am running mad.
Reading sports stories is helping but that is not the same as reading the stories in preparation for games or a sports show. But the reality is, I honestly appreciate the mental strength of people who don’t watch any sports. What really are you doing with yourself if you can’t have any sporting activities?
I feel drained mentally, I feel like everything is going against me and my mind is constantly battling itself. I want sports to return so bad.
But at this moment, I just want to thank every single medical personnel out there who is doing everything possible to ensure that they manage to contain the Coronavirus that has claimed so many lives and brought paralysis to every single activity in the world.
At this particular moment, I ask each and every one of you reading this article to send out a tweet, a Facebook post or Instagram Message, a Tiktok video clip to appreciate each and every single medical person, janitor, cook, driver and administrator working tirelessly to see to it that we restore normal setting in the world.
Stay home, Stay Safe and protect your friends and loved ones from the Coronavirus.
Also read: Betway Makes COVID19 Relief Donation to Sports Journalists in Uganda
