This past weekend, I had the opportunity to return to my alma mater and watch my beloved Fighting Irish of Notre Dame play Northwestern in a football game.

Although the Irish ended up on the short side of the scoreboard, I still wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I was able to have my father join me for the football game and a small trip to Chicago, and that is what made it special.

Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a dad who took me to sporting events. I got the chance to see Atlanta Braves baseball games, Atlanta Thrashers hockey games, Birmingham Bulls hockey games, Birmingham Fire football games, University of Alabama football games, and many others. Because my brother has never been into sports much, they were usually games where it was just my dad and me.

There’s no doubt that a shared love of sports has kept me close to my dad, even though he lives in Missouri and I only get to see him on rare occasions. Almost every time we talk, the subject matter eventually becomes the Braves’ trades or the state of the Irish football team, or if Iowa (his alma mater) needs to hire a new coach.

Of course, it’s even better when we get the chance to talk about these things face-to-face, like this past weekend. I always cherish those times.