Editorial

2020 YEAR IN REVIEW: When Facing Chaos, You Might As Well Embrace It

OPINION
David Hookstead (Credit: David Hookstead)

David Hookstead (Credit: David Hookstead)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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2020 is nearly behind us, and what a wild year it’s been for people everywhere.

When 2020 started, I think it’s safe to say it was business as usual for everyone. At the very least, we had no reason to believe it wasn’t going to be business as usual. Then, thanks to a little virus from China known as coronavirus, everything changed in March. I can tell you the specific spot I was when the lockdowns started. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

I was sitting in Stoney’s in Washington D.C. with a few great friends drinking a bloody Mary when word broke President Trump was going to address the nation. We literally didn’t take it seriously at all. In fact, we hit up several more bars and drank until the early morning hours.

We didn’t have a care in the world. Little did we know, that would be the last time we saw each other for weeks as the country shut down. March Madness would be canceled, society would come to a grinding halt, Wisconsin’s national title run was snatched away and we were told to stay inside.

I had a choice to make. When faced with living in my basement forever or safely and smartly continuing to live life, I chose the second.

The months that followed will forever be remembered as an absolutely insane year, and I don’t mean that as a bad thing.

Yes, people have been struggling, and that’s not a joke. In fact, we should do everything possible to help people. That’s why my co-workers, family and friends put together some money this Christmas season to help those in need.

Not only were there bright spots over the past nearly 10 months, but there were some awesome events in 2020.

The friend crew spent more time together from June forward than I think we have in years. As some of you know, we have a lunch crew that has met for years.

For the first time in nearly five years, we didn’t meet because no place was opened. Against all odds, we eventually found a spot in Virginia, and we haven’t missed a Friday since May.

Secondly, I did a little thing called save college football. In any war, and make no mistake about what the past nearly ten months have been, you’re going to take some losses.

It’s in those moments you really find out who you are. When the Big 10 tried to cancel football, I retreated to an undisclosed location with my closest advisors and friends. In the 72 hours that followed, I vowed to safe college football.

I looked out over a lake in the darkness of the early morning hours while drinking a Busch Light, looked over at my friend and promised to do whatever was necessary. Despite being told I was fighting a war I couldn’t win, little old David Hookstead unseated the power players trying to ruin your fun and saved college football.

I didn’t do it for me. I did it for you, and even though the Badgers were awful this season, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

However, it wasn’t just me who proved to be resilient under fire in 2020. We saw many people in the world of sports rise up.

Dana White literally built an island so that UFC events could occur! Another loss for all the cowards and liars in the media!

You know what else we saw in 2020? We saw a shocking amount of people helping out complete strangers. In our darkest hours, Americans came together to remind each other that we’re all in this together. From friend of the company Kendra Lust to Hollywood superstar Matthew McConaughey, some of the most famous people in the country lent a helping hand.

Another great thing about 2020? Movie theaters might never be necessary again. Yeah, I said it, and I mean it.

Instead of having to haul ourselves to the theater to watch movies, pay for overpriced food and buy drinks that aren’t even cold, we can just stream new releases from the comfort of our own home.

Short of a huge action movie, I never plan on going to a theater for anything I can now watch at home.

So, if 2020 taught us anything, you have choices in life. You can either stay inside forever, or you can choose to dance with the risks around you. I’ve always fancied myself a dancing man.

The fact you’re reading this right now tells me that you most likely do too. So, while this year had a lot of awful moments, we learned a lot about ourselves, and I damn sure liked what I saw.