Athletes are artists.

The Merriam Webster definition of art is a “skill acquired by experience, study, or observation.”

Anyone who practices a skill overtime and performs, shows, or expresses it is an artist.

Athletes absolutely are artists because of the time and effort they put in to study, observe, and practice it.

It is truly amazing to see athletes perform whether it is with a team or individually.

Athletes are just like artists because they also practice each and every day to create something beautiful for others to enjoy and to be the best that they can possibly be.

As athletes grow and learn in their respective sports, they become masterful in what they are doing. A small percentage of them go on to do it for a living and have become household names and are simply the best at what they do.

Sports are a form of art that nearly everyone in the world enjoys or at least witnesses at some point in their lives.

Each year events such as the World Series, WBNA and NBA finals, the World Cup, the Super Bowl, the US Open, the Little League World Series, March Madness, and a plethora of other youth, high school, college, and professional athletic events draw an enormous number of fans who witness some of the most beautiful art that these talented athletes have to offer.

People just need to realize that these are people just like us and they provide us with some of the best memories of our lives.

One that specifically sticks out to me was when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years in 2016.

I was only 15 at the time and my brother and I were so excited to see the Cubs in game 7.

I will never forget the last play when Mike Montgomery’s pitch was hit and bounced to Kris Bryant who quickly tossed it over to Anthony Rizzo for the final out where the Cubs won 8-7 and then all the players and staff stormed the field and celebrated arguably one of the most beautiful moments in sports history.

My brother and I bonded so much in that moment and remember it clearly after six years have already passed. We were filled with emotion as we watched that singular play unfold. We are filled with emotions as we reminisce. It felt like such a movie. It was perfect.

These moments in sports history are things, just as art, that cannot really be replicated in a way that will make people feel as good as the first time they see it.

We are so lucky that we get to witness these moments or these pieces of art that athletes and teams provide us.

We get to witness these masterpieces here at EIU as well. These moments leave us anxious and excited.

In my short time here I’ve seen amazing things come from all of the teams that we have here. If you love the art of sports, please go watch the talent this campus has to offer.

Every single team on this campus has amazing artists and they all work hard to perfect their craft to better themselves and their teams and for the enjoyment of us all.

While we don’t exactly see win after win, we see bits of beauty come out of them all. Even singular plays, as I mentioned earlier, can fill us with so much emotion and we remember these things for the rest of our lives.

Like I said, each team truly has something to offer, and you ought to go fill the stands to see these artists at work.

Kate Stevens can be reached at 581-2812 or kestevens2@eiu.edu