Well, that escalated quickly. Literally every sport is cancelled until who knows when. There’s a lot of disappointment around the sports community and while I understand it, I also understand the necessity to suspend these large attendance events. So, if you’re like me and live and breathe with sports, you’re probably wondering what you’re going to do. Yeah, me too. I tried to brainstorm some ideas that might be helpful as we await the return of some of the league’s play. Hopefully these are short term time fillers because you and I both know that this is quite the empty feeling.
Netflix and Chill…but not too close: I mean, Netflix is always an option when there’s nothing else to do. I’ve been so out of the loop when it comes to what’s actually on the streaming service, so maybe the Unwrapped team can assist with five shows (listed below) to start on Netflix. I’ll tell you one show that I absolutely loved was Ozark. There’s some raunchy parts that might not be in your girlfriend’s wheelhouse, but regardless, give it a shot!
Unwrapped Sports Network’s Five Netflix Choices:
- Ozark
- Narcos
- Last Chance U
- Basketball or Nothing
- Losers
Video Games…Get on the sticks!: I don’t care how old you are, you aren’t too old for video games. Don’t listen to those entrepreneurs out there that beat you down and tell you that unless you’re making money, certain things are a waste of time. There’s nothing better than linking up with the boys on 2K or NHL and immersing yourselves for whatever amount of time. The aforementioned 2K and NHL are great options as well as the upcoming MLB The Show, which might be an issue when it comes to shipping. Grand Theft Auto is always a solid time killer…no pun intended. And of course, your war games like Call of Duty, Battlefield (if that one is still cool?), and whatever other first person shooters exist.
Card/Board Games…Where’d you get all those pink 50s?!: It’s a bit old fashioned and might be boring to some of the younger crowd, but I feel like depending on who you play with, these are really underrated. Play some Poker, get the Monopoly out if you’re trying to pass an entire day. Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity is always a family favorite. Even if you have young kids. Yes, nothing they hear in those games aren’t anything they haven’t heard at school or on social media. You have your favorites, so gather the troops and play. If you don’t want to play the same thing, I have some suggestions that you may have never heard of. Skip-Bo has always been a family favorite. It’s a simple card game that involves you completing a 1-12 deck a bunch of times in a row while trying to get rid of cards in front of you. Okay, I don’t really know how to explain it otherwise. Just trust me, it’s fun. Another one is Sorry. This one is kid friendly. It’s a really classic game that involves different colored pieces that you have to get around a board and into one circle…way more fun than it sounds. Then there’s always Yahtzee. Obviously I’ve stuck to the older games, but they’re still fun. Have at it.
Old Hobby…pick it back up!: This one seems, for a lack of a better term, dumb. Hear me out. Maybe you played guitar or piano…or trumpet back in the day and haven’t touched the instrument in a while. All this extra free time trumps the excuse of you not having any. If you’re wondering why you’d pick up that old instrument again? I don’t know, record yourself “shredding” and upload it to Instagram and gain some clout. Maybe upload it to Facebook and get your old high school ex thinking, “wow, I can’t believe I missed out on THAT!” In all seriousness, this might be the most constructive idea in this article. Playing an instrument can do wonders to the brain that no, don’t replenish any damages caused from certain drug use. Drawing may have been in your past that you just ran out of time for…now is your chance. Maybe you knit? I don’t know, I’m struggling just as much as you are. You get the point. Take this time to restart a hobby.
One last idea I had for you all was that maybe you could get some household chores done? You’re right, bad idea. Not having sports to consume means that we’re going to have to listen to our significant other’s rant about their day, clean more (maybe not), and do things that don’t involve trying to time the channel switch with commercial breaks. It’s a weird time to be a fan, but I’m pretty confident that if we stick together and take this one day at a time, we’ll come out on top. Good luck everyone and stay healthy.
Josh Barlog is a Contributor for the Unwrapped Sports Network. Follow him on Twitter @ChiSportsJosh.