Basketball Parents Struggle To Watch Patriots In AFC Championship Game

My daughter is lucky enough to play in the Cape Hoops travel basketball league here on the Southcoast and the Cape. Unfortunately, one of her games this weekend tips off minutes before the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

"You don't have to go, Daddy," were the first words she said as I realized the scheduling conflict last night.  Ugh!  No way.  I need to be there. Honestly, there are few things that bring me more joy than watching my children compete in sports. I thoroughly enjoy it.  Missing one of her games (when I am freely available to be there) is just not in the cards.

Instead, I will DVR the game, but there needs to be a game plan. I've tried this before, and inevitably it ends in a disaster. The last thing I need is to be walking out of the game and have someone blurt out the score of the game.

Please allow this to serve as a PSA reminder to the general public.  Unless they specifically ask, please never offer the score of a Patriots game (particularly a playoff game) to someone. Chances are...NO ONE will ever have the need for you to share the score of the game because....ya know...iPhones.  If someone wants to check the score of the game, they have these amazing gadgets in their pockets with all of the information about the game they could dream of.

My plan is to go to my daughter's basketball game, find a seat far, far away from other people...and enjoy the game as a hermit. As the clock winds down, I'll lower my head and barrel out to the car to "warm it up." We'll drive home in tense silence as I wonder if Tom Brady's throwing hand is OK. I'll avoid Facebook and all outside forms of communication until I catch up to the rest of the world on the DVR. Don't you just love playoff football?