I realized something important on Sunday night.

After the excitement of Devin Hester’s kickoff return for a touchdown (I called it) and Rex Grossman’s depressing interceptions in the Super Bowl, it hit me.

Sports are not about championships and winning for the fans; that is for the players, coaches and owners that have a real stake in the team.

For fans, sports are no different than going to a Dave Matthews Band concert or sitting down for the next episode of 24.

Sports are entertainment and the reason fans want to see winners and see championships is because the joy and the journey get extended that much longer.

Every week in the Bears’ season was like a chapter in the best movie I have ever seen, even though I would have preferred an alternate ending.

The Arizona Cardinal’s comeback game will forever be lodged in my memory. I will never forget Robbie Gould’s unbelievable consecutive field goals streak and his game-winner in overtime against the Seattle Seahawks. I will also never forget watching the Super Bowl at the Panther Paw with a raucous crowd or getting tons of text messages after the Bears shut-out the Packers to start the season.

Those are memories all fans want to have.

The Bears and Colts alike gave their fans five more weeks of fun and that is all we can ask for.

Sure it hurts when we see our team lose, and sure it feels good when we see our team win.

But there is always another game, always next week and always next season to create new memories.

The offseason, preseason, regular season and the postseason are the four seasons of the year sports fans love best. Like winter, the postseason can be depressing for some, but all the seasons bring something new to enjoy and they will always come around again next year.

The Bears will have a chance to add a few more players to the team and get back to the Super Bowl. The Colts will try to bring everyone back for another run at the Lombardi Trophy and the St. Louis Rams will try to add more talent around Steven Jackson, Marc Bulger and Torry Holt.

The NFL season will start again in six months as students start filing back down to Charleston for the next school year. Sundays will be back to normal soon and fans will be back to their lucky seat on the couch or stool at Marty’s and the ride will start all over again.

In sports, the journey is always more enjoyable than the destination.