Devaluing attitudes toward athletes, sports, and fans who are intensely involved in sports are pervasive, especially among well-educated people. Sports are viewed as a respite from life's hardships and serious pursuits—but not as serious pursuits themselves. If we acknowledge, however, that sports are essentially about play, and if we believe that playing is a vital developmental and lifelong need, then we may view people who are consumed with sports as deeply engaged in a critical activity: play. Moreover, in a world where virtual experience has largely supplanted embodied experience, involvement in sports—especially playing sports—may be an invaluable way to stay connected to a deep, ancient, and partially lost aspect of ourselves.