Sports weren’t always a passion of mine.
But spending time with my Dad has always been.
The sight of a baseball player on the television would bring tears to my eyes. My Dad’s Dan Marino jersey would force me to throw a tantrum. And I completely detested NFL Sundays.
At 3 years old, I was jealous of an inanimate object. Sports meant that I couldn’t play with my Dad for the next three hours.
I fought this battle for most of my early childhood — until he showed me what I had been missing.
One Heat game turned into seasons on the couch mesmerized by every dribble. One trip to the Orange Bowl turned into six years of season tickets in the west end zone. One quick one-on-one basketball game turned into countless others that grew more competitive throughout the years.
I was hooked not only by SportsCenter and all the incredible highlights, but with the bond that grew stronger along with those things.
The games and unforgettable finishes aren’t the things that will forever be engraved into my memory. The walks and the car rides with my Dad are.
I still talk about getting permission to stay up past my bedtime to watch the Dolphins lose to the Jets on Monday Night Football with him.
Sports gave us an excuse to spend thousands of hours together at the ballpark, even if my Mom got mad that we were never home.
My Dad and I were inseparable.
Now, as I attend games as a sports journalist, I still think about those times. I see father-son combos and I can’t help but remember gripping his hand as we crossed the street to watch the Miami Hurricanes in matching jerseys.
No amount of press passes, game stories or crazy interviews can erase that.
Sports brought us together, gave us something to build our relationship around and made us best friends.
Thank you, Guillermo Chiang. You helped me become the person I am today and sparked my interest in sports.
Without you, my two and a half years at the Alligator wouldn’t have been possible, and for that, I dedicate this last column to you.
Along with my mom and my sister, I am forever in debt to the unwavering support you three, and my entire family, have always showed me.
Without that constant push to become better, I wouldn’t have made lifelong friends at the Alligator like Adam, Mike, Kyle, Tyler, Greg, Corey and Tom. All of you made this job a lot easier than it should have been.
I also want to extend a thank you to my roommate and friend Anil for always helping spark column ideas with our lengthy sports debates, and, of course, my girlfriend Camila for keeping me sane.
I would like to think all of you agree that I have grown wiser throughout the years, but one thing I definitely have figured out is that my irresponsible childhood jealousy was pointless and stupid.
The thing I thought was keeping my Dad and I apart actually ended up creating a lifelong bond with the most genuine, hard-working and loving man I know.
Thank you for that, sports. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
