It’s a bit of a rainy day for us here in Cleveland. Literally and figuratively. Our Cleveland Cavaliers were heading for an NBA Championship and last night after putting up a great fight and playing their hearts out, they lost. So everybody in my house is a bit down in the dumps, even the people who don’t care about sports, (me and my daughter) because my husband and boys were so hopeful, they were having such a good time, and then their hopes were dashed.
As I write this, I feel a bit silly. I know deep down, there are worse things that can happen, there are real troubles out there in the world. But sometimes it feels good to get caught up in the simple pleasures and subsequently the simple disappointments of life. It distracts us from the real stuff that pull at us and tug our heart strings.
Then again, if you think about it,there is a lesson here, (I already wrote about sports teaching kids to be resilient)
it really isn’t so silly after all. Although, I never really understood my husband and sons’ fascination with watching sports (I happen to love the actual playing of sports) after this NBA series, I think I finally get it. There is something potent and uniting about rooting for a Championship team, the underdog in this case. The whole city of Cleveland was energized. Cavs flags were flown, Cavs t-shirts were worn, mottos were created “All In” and hashtaged on Social Media (#allin), Ohio cheers were sung and old sports rivalries were revived. Our son’s 8th graduation was actually rescheduled so that everyone would get home in time for the game.
There was in all of this a sense of community that in modern times we might sometimes feel is lacking. Feelings of belonging to a group is integral to our mental health. People who have a strong sense of community, are happier and physically healthy, they feel they have a support system at hand to help them through any of the rough patches of life.
My husband has always maintained that sports are important. I see now, that he uses it as a way to create a sense of community in our nuclear family, to bond with our kids, whether playing, watching or having intense conversations about the upcoming game. He often uses sports metaphors about how we work as a team, or he refers to our family as “Team Soclof.” I don’t have a problem admitting that he is right.
So now that it is all over, it’s okay to be a bit sad. Not for too long though, it is still baseball season. Go Indians!