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Seasons come and go, and they affect us differently. I’m a big fan of spring and summer, with daylight savings time and extended sunlight. Fall and winter have their magical moments, but the shortened days and longer nights I find a drag. Psychologists call it “seasonal affective disorder,” a mild depression correlated with the diminished exposure to sunlight.
College sports fan have our own version of “seasonal affective disorder”: the summer intermission between last season’s college sports and next season’s college sports. Helpful media types try to get us through by ranking this and that, past or present. YouTube has a nearly infinite supply of games and highlight clips at the ready when things seem bleak, a chance to go relive a memory such as Coach K staring in shock as UNC ends his career with a L in the Final Four. Still, none of it’s the real thing. Christmas lights can light up the darkness of mid-December, but they can’t replace an August dawn on the Outer Banks with 12 hours of the beach beckoning.
Some lean into professional basketball’s interminable playoffs or major league baseball’s 162 drag of a regular season. That’s one way to cope. Mine involves walking and hiking. Living in western North Carolina means an endless supply of nature trails and the like, easily accessible and easily traversed by even a someone who spent way too much of the preceding nine months with eyes glued to college sports. It’s a chance to recover a bit of the health lost in dedication to following all things Tar Heel.
We also head to Chapel Hill at some point during the summer. No competition for seating at our favorite restaurants, much lower hotel rates – it beats a game weekend by a mile. Walking across a quiet campus suits reflection and remembrance. Give it a try if you find the opportunity.
How about you? What are you planning for the weeks between the close of college sports 2025-2026 and kickoff in Dublin?
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