January/February 2011

Basketball Jones

For many of us, sports play a dominant role in our lives. While we may have many other obligations, we still find time to make the game. Whether it's in the form of watching it on television, attending it in person, or actually participating in it, the sports-minded individual makes sacrifices in order to make it happen.

For me, sports has always marked my personal history: I distinctly remember the temperature outside my house during the first Super Bowl I watched (IX); I recall the flat tire we got coming home after our loss in the junior high state sectional basketball playoffs; and I know that the day Ronald Reagan was shot was on the Monday of the NCAA Basketball finals between Indiana and North Carolina.

There is also a tactile aspect to sports that resonates over time. The feel of a worn leather glove, the aroma of freshly cut grass, the sound of the starter's pistol, and the smell of a high school gym all bring me back to places in my own personal sports and life-history. I don't always remember the victories or defeats, but I do remember the special moments that occurred – either during the event or surrounding it.

Looking back, I can clearly see the profound effect sport has had in my life. It is no wonder that the sports event industry has grown profoundly over the last 20 years. I now understand that these events produce great life experiences – from simply attending and watching to travelling and competing.

In the vein of creating great events, we offer this issue of SDM, which focuses on traditional winter sports, including basketball as well as the burgeoning world of action sports. We also examine the world of hotels and lodging and as well as locations with special off-season attractions. In the Perspectives column we showcase the upcoming NASC Sports Event Symposium, while our special section featuring small market leaders extols the virtues of being a big fish in a small pond.

As far as that loss at sectionals, I don't remember the final score. Or who managed the clock. Or the fact that the final shot was way after the buzzer. Those are erased from my memory.

Sincerely,
Scott D. Swoger
Publisher