It’s that time of year again: Cupid is floating around on his cloud, bow in hand, waiting to shoot some poor soul with an arrow of infatuation. If you lived at Hogwarts, you might be mixing up a love concoction in Potions class to give to that special someone and make them fall madly in love with you.

For me, this is the time of year when bracket bubbles are burst in college basketball, the contenders are separated from the pretenders in hockey and everyone starts to realize that Lebron James will indeed win the MVP award in basketball…again.

I may sound crazy, but hear me out.

When I come home from a long day and need something to distract me from the stress of Sing Song, some sporting event always is on TV. When I get out of bed and need something to do while I eat my bowl of Rice Krispies, Sportscenter is right there to tell me everything that happened the day before and preview me for the coming day.

Sports has been there for me during the ups, the downs, and everything in between. My greatest memories of all time each has involved sports in some way. I live vicariously through my favorite team, whether its the Nashville Predators, the Florida Gators or the ACU Wildcats. If they win, my day is great. If they lose, don’t even talk to me.

For those of you who are curious, I do have a beautiful girlfriend, but even she knows that sometimes I have a void that can only be filled with sports, and there is no better time of year to fill it then this.

College basketball is coming down to that crucial point in the season when every single game matters, and a loss can be the difference in playing in the lofty NCAA Tournament or the laughable NIT tournament. Questions start to fly as to who the next mid-major Cinderella story will be, or which teams are already a lock to make it to the playoffs.

Hockey and basketball are just beginning to hit the home stretches of their respective seasons, with teams fighting for playoff seeds. And, if none of that sounds appealing, you always can revel in the fact that the countdown to the NFL Draft has begun, with the Super Bowl now over.

I can’t get away from sports, nor would I ever want to. I love sports, every nuance and detail of each, from Sunday golf to World Cup soccer.

I will get a present from my girlfriend this year, and she will get one from me; but the true gift this season is knowing that I am in the midst of a sports lover’s fantasy, and I never want to leave.