On Valentine’s Day, SIU Athletics is playing the role of Cupid when the men’s basketball hosts the Missouri State Bears for Tinder Night.

Love will be in the air as students try to connect with one another on the popular mobile app and look for matches throughout the seating sections of SIU Arena.

As strange and offsetting as this may sound, it may actually make a lot of sense to be done at a sporting event. After all, I have drawn the conclusion that sports are a lot like relationships.

Before I get into that, let me preface how I came to this epiphany.

While attending a sports reporting workshop in Nashville, Tennessee, I questioned myself.

Why was I there? Why do sports even matter to so many people?

The answer: sports are romantic.

For me, sports was a first true love. They broke my heart, provided obstacles and proved to be rewarding at the same time.

Sports can send an individual on a roller coaster of emotions throughout a single quarter, game or season.

The unpredictability of competition is what keeps fans tuning in day after day.

In a relationship, one never knows what the next day will bring. That’s what makes it worthwhile.

Most people find themselves rooting for one particular team or athlete with no apparent reason other than they were drawn by something that they found special. That special element creates a lifetime passion and connection.

Relationships require both entities to be one another’s biggest fans and constantly cheer for each other.

Like many sports teams, if a game is lost, they go back out the next day and try again, looking for ways to improve.

Sports and relationships are continuously evolving and require creative and interesting ways to better the team and increase chemistry within the unit.

Teams and partners suffer through wins, losses, triumph and anguish. No matter what, the love remains.

It is how they react to those experiences that determine the success and longevity of the bond that is created in a team.

Like sports, relationships require an extensive amount of hard work, time and commitment. You get out what you put in.

A unit must dedicate itself to reach a common goal without dishonesty or cheating. Nobody likes a cheater in sports or in a relationship.

Also, the foundation of a team comes with trust and the ability to know that your teammates have your back and would do anything for you.

So if you have played sports and intend on partaking in the festivities at Wednesday night’s game, treat your Tinder match like they are your favorite sports team and you just may have the best Valentine’s Day that SIU can provide.

Sports editor Nathan Dodd can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @NathanMDodd.

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