People ask me all the time how I am able to stand watching so many sports for so long each day or week.

The answer I give them is simple; it’s my job. It goes much deeper than that for me, however.

I grew up watching the Atlanta Braves, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Red Wings and first and foremost the Auburn Tigers.

I played little league baseball for eight years, from the age of five to 13.

I played two years of toy bowl football. Sports have always been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, I played three years of football in high school. I didn’t get much playing time, and we didn’t win many games, but I wouldn’t trade those three years for anything, knee injury and all.

Those years taught me a lot about teamwork, sacrifice for the common good, toughness, responsibility and listening to my betters.

I had a few tentative offers to play at the collegiate level, but it was mostly “hey, come here, we have football too.” I was nowhere near a scholarship and would have had to walk-on wherever I went.

It was decided after high school that my future was in academics, so I knew that the stomping Cordova gave us my senior year on the coldest night of my life in 2006 would be the last time I ever suited up for my favorite sport.

I decided afterwards that the next best thing to playing sports would be to cover them.

At the time I wanted to be a meteorologist, but the math classes I would have had to take made me stray from that path.

It was my mom who first suggested I pursue a career in journalism. I already wrote for my high school paper. I enjoyed the work and seemed to have a knack for it, so my college major was decided.

So when people ask me how I can stand to be in a high school basketball gym for the fourth night that week, I just tell them I love sports. What’s not to like?

It’s my job. If I didn’t enjoy what I do, I wouldn’t be doing it. I managed to get a good job soon after college and get my foot in the door.

I have been with The Franklin County Times for only three months, but it has already been the best working experience I have ever had.