As Thanksgiving approaches, 精东影业 sports commentator Terry Pluto spent some time reflecting about why sports holds a special place in people鈥檚 lives.
Pluto is a sports columnist for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, but he doesn't see himself as working in the sports department.
"I work almost in the diversion department,鈥� Pluto said. 鈥淪ports is a diversion from real life.鈥�
While sports is entertainment, it's also a source of connection and comfort, he said. And that's been evident when he's had meaningful conversations with people in waiting rooms at hospitals and doctor鈥檚 offices.
鈥淵ou know, you might be talking to the person next to you. 鈥極h, yeah, mom's having cancer surgery,鈥� and 鈥極h, we, you know, we're worried about this heart problem,鈥� and that. But after about 10 minutes, you're kind of done with that," he said. "And then a lot of times people will figure out, especially if they hear (my) last name, they say, 鈥極h, you're the sports guy. Are the Browns ever gonna get a quarterback?鈥� It takes you into this area of something else to talk about that lifts the burden of the things that are really hard to talk about in our personal lives.鈥�
He had even more examples.
鈥淪ometimes I'll get to know some people and then they may mention, 鈥楤oy, you know, I've been going through this chemo and this.鈥� You never would have known. They were too worried about the Browns not having a good offensive line. It's a diversion from real life. And I'm glad to be in the diversion department," he said.
Sports not only offers some comfort in difficult times, it also bridges divides and bring people together, he said.
鈥淚t goes right across political lines, racial lines, economic lines. I mean, it's a whole lot of fun when you know the Guardians are on a playoff run or the Browns actually do something,鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 also fun to connect not only with the teams, but with the personalities, the individual sports heroes.
鈥淟ike, if you say to Browns fans, 'Nick Chubb,' you know, it's pretty hard to find a Browns fan that didn't like the former Browns running back, or right now with the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell, or Jose Ramirez with the Guardians. It's interesting to me how that again brings more people together than divides them,鈥� Pluto said.
Pluto noted that there is a game to watch, in some sport, every day. And in Northeast Ohio, there are three pro teams to cheer for.
鈥淥ne of the benefits of being where we live in Northeast Ohio is we're in what I would call kind of a big, small city. In other words, Cleveland is the smallest market with teams in Major League Baseball, the NBA and NFL,鈥� he said.
Much of the enjoyment of sports, Pluto explained, comes from family traditions and the memories that are passed down.
鈥淔or example, my father would take me to Tribe games and we'd be walking down to the stadium and he put me up on his shoulders. You see the blue lake area, you go into that old stadium, and you come out the ramps and the grass looks so green," he said. "Then somebody may say, 鈥榊eah, but I'm a little younger, but I remember when we first went to Progressive Field. It was Jacobs Field back then, and I never thought a ballpark could look so nice."
What impresses him in in Cleveland is the fans' connection to the Browns.
鈥淚 mean, one of the reasons, for example, the Browns have such a powerful hold on the fan base is because it's been passed down from generation to generation," he said. "They went to the Muni Lot, or after church we would go to grandma's house, and she'd make pierogies, and we'd watch the games.鈥�
