blog

It’s April 2nd, and again this year, I’m amazed at the sacrifice so many Cincinnati people make in order to participate in the ritual called Opening Day for America’s longest living Major League Baseball franchise…our own Cincinnnati Reds.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a baseball fan (sort of). I attend a few games each year. I’ve been to Boston, Denver, New York and Pittsburgh to see games. But, I guess I just don’t rocket for baseball since some of what I see just surprises me.

In Cincinnati, today is a day of wearing red. You’re supposed to take the day off to go to the Opening Day parade, do some tailgaiting, watch batting practice and then spend the afternoon watching baseball for 4 hours. In the end, it’s at least 9 hours of living and breathing baseball. Since it’s Monday, it’s a vacation day for us working stiffs that want to experience a true Opening Day.

That’s the kind of power athletics can have over some of us. Sports can get woven throughout our lives and even become the things we trade up for. On Saturday, I attended a beautiful wedding with a magnificant and exlcusive reception location overlooking all of Cincinnati. It was breathtaking. But what made it truly special was that the family who hosted it was considerate enough to ensure there was a special flat screen television with satellite reception avaialbe so that we could watch the Final Four. What’s a wedding between a 6′ bride and 6′ 6″ groom without a little basketball?

And then for Opening Day in Cincinnati there are thousands of people buying new Cincinnati Reds’ gear, choosing to use one of those precious vacation days to spend the day at the park. And finally, a late night sacrifice tonight to watch the NCAA Men’s Basketball Finals until midnight. It may actually be the longest sports day of thousands of people’s lives in our area given The Ohio State is in the finals.

So, how does sports and Opening Day impact Barefoot? Well, it’s pretty quiet around here. Not just because a dozen or so people are at the game, but also, several of our clients are there too. And, you really can’t hold any meetings in downtown Cincinnati since all the parking spaces are filled with fans and workers alike as an additional 30,000-40,000 people enter downtown for the festivities.

I’ll pass on the baseball today. I guess sports just isn’t a passion for me. But, while I’m thinking about it, anybody know when Tiger tees up at the Masters on Thursday?