In a time when America's government is as polarized as it's ever been, our country has looked for something to come together on. That something is sports.
In February, we saw our nation unite behind our Olympians in Sochi, Russia, at a time where tensions are high between our nations.
Even those who don't follow hockey most likely know about the "Miracle on Ice" game, where the US men's team pulled off one of the most improbable upsets in the history of sports by defeating the juggernaut Soviet hockey squad at Lake Placid.
The rivalry was renewed this year, and with the elite performance of TJ Oshie, the Americans pulled out a win against Russia on their home turf, 4-3.
The true beauty is America was watching, and the games were typically before 7 a.m. If others are like me, not much can get my attention athat early in the morning.
But I found myself glued to the television, feeling elation while watching the U.S. defeat Russia and then feeling crushed when the American's run ended with a lopsided loss against Finland.
While the Olympics were a good boost in patriotism, from what I saw in our local community, it was nothing compared to the World Cup.
As the popularity of soccer continues to grow in America, this year's World Cup saw the most passionate following of the American fan base ever.
The Americans' knockout stage loss against Belgium was the result of that passion as 16.5 million people watched it in the States.
Anyone in Auburn who was near downtown during the United States' four games saw everyone fully decked out in their America gear.
All of the bars were packed to the brim with roaring crowds, even at the early 11 a.m. games.
It was like the Fourth of July for several weeks, and for a while I forgot about all of the problems our nation is facing.
Sports are a gift to us because they allow us a reprieve from what is affecting you as an individual.
For a brief moment you can become so involved in the game, where your nation's pride is on the line, you forget about everything else.
It didn't matter if Clint Dempsey was Republican or Democrat.
Nobody cares if Tim Howard voted for Obama or Romney.
America came together and rallied around our boys in the red, white and blue.
When we won, we cheered and celebrated.
And when we lost, we rallied around our team and celebrated a good run, while looking forward to what the future holds with our nation and it's soccer history.
But at the end of the day, it was all about what sports is truly about. It may not be for everyone, but if sports can put our government's issues in the shadows for a full month, somebody has to take notice.
America has taken notice, and hopefully our government will do the same and quit with it's bickering.
At the end of the day our sports teams can teach us that, regardless of our individual differences, we can all unite as Americans.
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