Being a sports fans is a lot like being part of a family. You support the ones you care about. You don’t always agree with what they do, and you have several suggestions on how they could improve their existence. Here are a few of the sports developments I’m thankful for this holiday:

Thanksgiving isn’t just about stuffing your face and going into a tryptophan-induced haze while basking in the warm, high-definition glow of your television. It’s a time to relax and reflect. It’s sharing a table, a meal, a piece of pie, and a piece of your mind with the people that love you, frustrate you, and tolerate you, otherwise known as your family.


I’m thankful that the Red Sox are comfortable being the Red Sox again. The Sox seemed to believe there was a nobility in winning with self-imposed financial restraints, curtailed contracts, and prospects. Now, they’re back to being big spenders after dropping a guaranteed $183 million on free agents Pablo Sandoval (five years, $95 million, including his sixth-year $5 million buyout) and Hanley Ramirez (four years, $88 million, with a vesting option for a fifth season). Red Sox principal owner and Boston Globe proprietor John Henry said on Tuesday that the club can “blow through” the $189 million luxury tax threshold this coming season in pursuit of starting pitching. The Sox don’t have to admit they’ve had a change of heart after a humbling last-place finish in 2014. Their checkbook speaks louder than words.

I’m thankful for the College Football Playoff. The first season of the College Football Playoff has been nothing short of revelatory. The season-long tension around the four-team postseason has boosted a sport that’s full of more adrenaline than a case of Red Bull. Having actual human beings who have to explain their rationale as opposed to the nebulous Bowl Championship Series rankings has made the debate — like college football’s national championship — more accessible. The selection committee will be working on Thanksgiving because they should be watching TCU, which is ranked fifth, just outside the playoff, take on Texas.


I’m thankful professional sports have found a social conscience on domestic violence. No matter how ham-handed or PR-driven the response has been by the NFL, at least the handling of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson incidents has brought domestic violence out of the shadows of the sports world and exposed it. The NFL, the NBA, and the NHL have all dealt with domestic violence cases recently. The NBA suspended Charlotte Hornets guard Jeff Taylor for 24 games after he pled guilty in October to misdemeanor domestic violence assault. The NHL has suspended Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov indefinitely after he was charged with felony spousal abuse. The message should be loud and clear to professional athletes: If you decide to hit a woman or child you are putting your career in jeopardy.

I’m thankful that I get to watch Tom Brady’s decline. Exactly when again is Jimmy Garoppolo replacing Tom Brady? There will come a time when Brady, who is 37, loses his luster as the crown jewel of Patriot Place. But it’s not this season. Since the Patriots got massacred on a Monday night by the Kansas City Chiefs and Brady was replaced by Garoppolo with 10:34 left in the fourth quarter, he has averaged 315.3 passing yards per game and thrown 22 touchdown passes and four interceptions during the Patriots’ seven-game win streak.


I’m thankful that Rajon Rondo isn’t Derrick Rose. Say what you will about Rondo. He is inscrutable and froward. But at least the polarizing point guard is willing to play through injury, unlike Rose. Rondo returned earlier than expected from his fractured left hand and has not reported any problems with the knee that kept him from playing back-to-back games last season. He has missed one game this season — against Rose’s Bulls. Rose has become as fragile as an iPhone screen. He has gone from league MVP to a frangible punchline and punching bag with his comments earlier this month that he was thinking about his post-basketball career in managing the leg injuries that have plagued him since he tore an ACL in the 2012 playoffs. Rose has played in just 17 games since then. He only played 10 minutes against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night before his hamstring tightened up and exasperated Chicago hoops fans turned as red as the Bulls jerseys.

I’m thankful that the Major League Soccer blind draw put Jermaine Jones with the Revolution. After all those years of complaints about the Kraft family not being willing to invest the funds for a high-profile, impact Designated Player, the Revolution have flourished since the addition of Jones. The US World Cup hero is making $4.3 million — about Julian Edelman money — to play for the Revolution, who are 11-1-1 since Jones joined the club in August. They’re 8-0-0 when he has a goal or an assist, including his winning goal in the 2-1 decision over the New York Red Bulls in the first leg of the Eastern Conference finals. The Revolution can advance to the MLS Cup for the first time since 2007 on Saturday when they play the second leg at Gillette Stadium.


I’m thankful that some media mogul hasn’t decided to replace reporters with tweeting teens. Kudos to 14-year-old baseball reporter prodigy Jake Wesley, who broke the news of the Red Sox signing Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez on Twitter. Wesley, who goes by the Twitter handle @mlb_nl_al, seems to be legit. How would a news organization pay Wesley? I’m guessing Xbox games and One Direction tickets. Keep up the good work, kid.

I’m thankful for Thanksgiving high school football. The MIAA playoff system has taken some of the steam out of the traditional Turkey Day games. But the ritual remains an important one in cities and towns across the state. These rivalries are the essence of sport. They forge friendships and memories that last a lifetime. Happy Thanksgiving!

Christopher L. Gasper is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at cgasper@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @cgasper.