By Matt Won

Macalester soccer has been my life for four years.Roughly calculated, I’ve spent 9,613 minutes of my life the last four falls at the stadium cheering on the blue and orange-that’s over six days, 80 games, or 107 jiggalos for those of you counting.

Why did I ever watch so much soccer?

I know some of the players, but I’m not BFFs with any of them. I enjoy writing these articles, but riches and fame haven’t exactly followed.

Really, it just boils down to a simple fact: soccer is sweet, and Mac sports have become an obsession.

I’ve spent more time watching soccer than taking tests, discussing in classes, or making ‘friends.’ If you factor in all the time I’ve spent thinking, discussing, or writing about soccer, my obsession is probably right up there with time spent eating and sleeping. I don’t even want to guess at how many more minutes have been spent playing, watching, and writing about all the other sports as well.

I’d like to say that academics have always come before my sports passion, but I know that’s not true. Everything (usually) gets done, but there have definitely been all-nighters pulled the same evening I was yelling at refs.

As I’ve sat and cheered at game after game, watching the players and surrounded by hundreds of you, I’ve been struck by one thought-who are these people, and what do they do? I mean, relatively, I hardly know any of you. The only times I ever see you are at the games, and you know what, I think that’s great.

The best part of Macalester is that everyone does something different. I’m sure a lot of you could care less about sports, or how Mac teams do (you’re probably not reading this article if that’s the case). And honestly, I could care less about a lot of your passions and pet projects.

But I’m happy you have those passions and projects. We simply don’t have the time or energy to get involved in everything. So we pick and choose our battles. But the critical point is that we pick.

When I meet friends of friends from other schools, I’m often struck by how little they do. Class, and…party. That may work well for many people, but I’m glad I go to a school where I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t do some sort of extracurricular.

Too often we get bogged down in classes we don’t like, papers we’re not interested in, or petty squabbles with friends and family.

That’s when it’s nice to have something to fall back on, something you can pour yourself into completely. Without reservation and without guilt.

For me, it’s Mac sports. For a certain professor of mine, it’s Mongolia. What’s yours?

As my time winds down here, I’m going to miss the beautiful game.

But more than that, I’ll miss cheering and living among hundreds of other people who all have their own interests and passions.

If I’ve learned one thing from all my soccer watching these last few seasons, it’s simply this: Macalester is wonderful. Go Mac.