While I do my best to live my life with faith, family and friends in first place I think I've "discovered" the two "things" that truly bind us all.

Sports and music.

I could add food to the above list, and really as you drill down, the list could go on and on.  But in this day where all politics are too often divisive and media segmented; cities and states are segregated and religions (while unifying within their communities) are not an all-for-one and one-for-all proposition, I'm in on sports and music and here's why. 

At all levels, sports bring people together. Sure you can not like a team, player, coach or call. But when a team wins, loses, plays hard or just entertains, a community takes note and the elevation of endorphins escalate for the greater good.

The University of Wisconsin is winning. The Bucks are battling. The Brewers? Hope springs eternal this time of year. And, the Packers -- while heartbreaking for some -- are the focus of Sundays and more in Wisconsin. Marquette's ready to soar under a new coach.

Sports matter. Especially in our state. Sports build partnerships, make us cheer, smile, laugh, cry and care. I may not care about your kid's soccer game, but you do, and the lessons learned from sports transcend traditional teaching and lay ground work for all aspects of life.

And, then there's music. Music is life. Again, we may not all listen to the same artists, genres or generations of tunes, but music is everywhere. Live, streaming, in our theaters and arenas and in our heads. We sing alone, with thousands at concerts, and pretty much everywhere in between.

Sports and music matter, and investing in sports and music matters.

As I've written before, I worked on the lobbying and public relations team during the Miller Park saga/process. It was fascinating and full of passion. At the heart of the "should we build the Brewers a new ballpark" process was the fact that NOTHING else can truly bring a community together in a big way like sports.

People rally around their teams, jump on bandwagons, wear jerseys and high five strangers. This happens with winning, but also because teams have the resources to build fan bases, enhance the game day experience and build pipelines that fund projects and players.

I'm a passionate sports and music fan. I'm also a nearly 20-year Bucks season ticket holder. I love basketball. And, I love Milwaukee. I also love that we have the venues in our state to host big concerts, events and more. I work hard to bring events here too, and support our events by attending, promoting and caring.

Sports and music.

They matter, and they help us build a sense of community, a sense of pride and a greater sense of place. And while other states and cities have them Milwaukee and Wisconsin are truly blessed with amazing, unique opportunities for us all in both sports and music. And, as the Bucks work on the master plan for new Downtown arena and entertainment district, I say we all look inside ourselves and around us to see just how impactful sports and music are in our lives.

Onward.