The Championship Season - Aug 2 2021

 

The Championship Season

Aug 2 2021

It's been 30 years

since the championship season,

and the fair-weather fans

and bandwagon jumpers

have long since departed.

And ever since that great communal high,

it's been year after year

of false hope, and heartache

and veterans past their prime.

Of promising young players

lost to bad trades,

squandered leads

dropped balls

running out of time.

But the hardcore supporters,

who attend games religiously

root unabashedly

and know all the stats,

huddle hopeful in the stands;

loyal

to their last place team

committed to the tribe.

This is what onlookers miss.

Yes, winning matters,

but it's more about identity

belonging

keeping hope alive,

constancy and grit

and cheering lose or win.

Because this is who we are

and these are our people.

Players change, the team goes on;

mercenaries

marginal players

and anonymous bit parts

clad in home town regalia.

So perhaps, as Jerry Seinfeld quipped

we are just cheering for laundry.

But think of the joy when we win.

And when they lose

how reassuring to know

that even great athletes suffer;

that in every fan's

everyday

struggles, failures, losses

we are not alone.

So it's our team all the way;

vicarious in victory,

misery tearfully shared.

I'm a giant Blue Jays fan, so 30 years is about right. It may not be horseshoes, but close is still good enough for a die-hard like me. Because win a few and we're happy. Play a good game and belief is rekindled. And every new season begins in first place, when hope springs eternal.

It really is very much about identity, belonging, and perseverance. We sneer at the bandwagon jumpers and fair weather fans. We're proud of the struggle, enjoy being underdogs. After all, would you really want to be a Yankees fan, with their unbecoming swagger and deep pockets?

And just imagine how sweet it will be when we finally triumph. And anyway, isn't deferred gratification a sign of maturity?

Although the choice of subject is revealing, isn't it: it's always “we” won, but more usually “they” lost! So while we manfully own both victories and losses, language unconsciously reveals our natural tendency to distance ourselves.