Taking a Break…
….. from the sad news of the day. There is so much it is hard to find good news, but happily it is found on the sports page (as in a newspaper page when we used to read newspapers). My family members are huge fans of the San Francisco Warriors basketball team. This team has been built in large part through cleaver draft picks and the recognition of players who had not reached their true potential. The Warriors will play in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years. A remarkable achievement accomplished only by the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. My hockey coach son is also ecstatic that the New York Rangers and the Colorado Avalanche are playing in their respective conference finals. Although there are losses and tragedies, i.e., sad news, in sports, it is the overarching positivity that makes sports news always hopeful. Individuals and teams do not play sports thinking that the outcome will be bad news. Sports are embraced because we are hopeful. We identify with sports because most of us have played sports throughout our lives. No matter the level of play, what is important is we have played the sport and can identify with the challenges and the successes. Regardless of the level we achieved in a particular sport, we can identify with the difficulty of achieving at the highest level. It is that personal identification that brings us close to sports and supporting sports teams. I mean, really, who can or wants to identify with the likes of Mitch McConnell??? But Steph Curry!!now there is a man one can identify with, after all we are the same height….I can identify with that!!!
Location is important for identifying and supporting a sports team. No wonder The World Cup is so popular. Aside from being The Beautiful Game, The World Cup gives you the chance to support something your country does that doesn’t require you to ignore your principles as a human. For my family the 49ers, Giants and Warriors were an integral part in creating positive conversations and opportunities to attend spectacular events. The players were central to the community and could be seen as “regular” people thus furthering their relationship to the community. Always fun to see Joe Montana having dinner with his family at a local San Francisco restaurant.
So here is a shoutout to the sports we love to play and love to watch. They offer a pleasant respite from the sad news of everyday. They offer something to cheer for but most important the keep hope alive and a smile on our collective faces. Regardless of the outcome there is always next year and a better chance of winning.
GO WARRIORS!!!!!!