Blackout Contest: How sports can mean so much

Thanks for reading. I'm going to make this quick...

Growing up in Placerville, you don't have a whole lot to do. That boredom made me embrace my sports teams more than your typical city dwelling kid. I needed something to occupy my time and luckily I had our Sacramento Kings. I have so many memories from my childhood about the Kings and most of them aren't too pretty to anyone who doesn't love the Kings, but to me they're priceless. OP, The Rock, The L Train, The Wizard, Hurley, Funderburke, Sarunas, Tyus. These were the names of my best friends. The team sucked, but I didn't mind. I loved them.

While I was in high school, the Kings hit their stride. Suddenly things weren't so bleak, this injection of talent had finally made my beloved Kings relevant outside of my living room. It was a totally new feeling, I loved it. The following several seasons were filled with such excitement and heartbreak. Even though we never accomplished the goal of winning a championship, the Kings made me so proud to be from Sacramento.

After high school, the Kings settled back into mediocrity and I left my hometown to pursue a life in LA. From the moment I steeped foot in LA, I was so proud to tell Laker fans that I was from Sacramento and that I was a King. They mocked me relentlessly, but I relished in it. They don't know the bond I have with my team, they don't know the bond YOU have with this team.

Fast forward about 6 years, I'm at a crossroads. I have a very successful career and life carved out in LA, but I'm not happy. My job required me to work long hours and it was something that I knew I wasn't passionate about. I needed to change things. After a lot of soul searching, I decided that I wanted to return to my northern California roots. I was so excited to be back. Besides being close to my family and friends, I knew I was returning to my Sacramento Kings. The fact that this was during the ongoing relocation saga made it all the more emotional. The fact that the team was playing so poorly made it all the more familiar...

I've been back up in Sacramento for about 6 months now. The job I was promised before I moved fell through. My girlfriend and I fell on hard times. I found myself living on my savings and wondering what would be next. But whenever I feel down, I can watch our Kings and feel good.

I'm a firm believer in history repeating itself. Instead of Mitch, it's Tyreke. Instead of OP, it's Demarcus. Instead of Tyus, it's Isiah. I know that the Kings will return glory, but in the meantime I don't care. I don't mind the mediocrity, I don't mind the losses. It's so much bigger than that. I have my Kings again and that makes me happy.