Daily Egyptian F02
Sports provide us with lessons in hope, determination
Jack PiattDaily Egyptian
The world around us is a magical place with many forms of entertainment to keep us happy. We spend so much time and money battling boredom, trying to fill the empty spaces that sometimes fill our hearts.
Sports have always been a great outlet for people to come together and forget the worries of this unforgiving world, even if it's just for nine innings or four quarters.
Fans become so engrossed with their teams that they take on the role of assistant coach from their living rooms or the stands, and they sweat it out just as much as the coaches on the field that are paid to sweat.
The world of sports has developed into much more than entertainment throughout history. It has become a testament to desire, or hope for the unhopeful.
For all those who walk through life unbelieving, somewhere in time there was a game that proved the odds wrong, or an underrated team that rose above their minimal rating to prove that anything can happen in this world.
I have always rooted for the underdog, and why not? It breathes life into the heart of a hopeless romantic like myself.
To put all my faith and heart into the mere chance that this unlikely team will challenge the odds and beat them with a confidence that never doubted its victory. Watching sports is much more than entertainment, it is a class on heart, desire and determination.
For any of us who dream of doing more than just the ordinary, who dare to be extraordinary, these players on their fields prove every game that they are not satisfied with being ordinary.
So we pack into these stadiums and pay full price to watch extraordinary people do extraordinary things, and we feel good about it because it makes it tangible for the rest of us. Even if we never catch a touchdown pass in the NFL, or slam dunk a basketball in front of thousands of Saluki fans at SIU Arena, we have the opportunity to be a part of the whole picture.
Watching the Saluki men's basketball team charge into the NCAA Tournament and make it to the Sweet 16 was the greatest example of sports being more than just entertainment. Every SIU fan came together and felt that little skip in his or her heart, that feeling you experience as a kid when something so far out of reach takes shape in your hand, when hope becomes a reality, and all the wishing finally reached that tiny little star falling helplessly out of sight.
These lessons are taught when we are young and continue to manifest as we grow older. In a time of confusion, brought on by gutless terrorist acts, our people still look to the games we have grown to love and the players that bring them to life for reason and release.
I went to the Cardinals vs. Cubs game Sunday night and found myself enveloped by the magical surroundings. So many fans forgetting last week and ignoring the upcoming Monday morning drive to work, all for a few hours of sanctuary in a place that transcends the minute problems that plague us with undue stress.
I took a deep breath and sucked in all the excitement. As the sweat dripped off my forehead and the side of my beer, I looked at the beautiful girl beside me and felt the lights of the stadium beaming down around me. I realized that even as we all came for different reasons, she was rooting for the Cubs, my other friends were rooting for the Cards, and I was hoping the Reds would close in a game on St. Louis, we were all experiencing the same thing.
We were all laughing and having a good time, enjoying ourselves because the world was limited to the confines of Busch Stadium that night, and nothing else was important.
As the night crept on and the heat took its toll, many disappointed Cardinals fans left in the eighth inning as the Cubs had a 9-5 lead. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Cards scored two runs and cut the lead to 9-7. Even with the score two runs away, the Cubs fans were still confident that they had the game in the bag. I will have to admit I thought the Cards had at least made it look respectable.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I heard a roar from the masses around me and turned to see a ball soaring over the wall and into the stands as Edgar Renteria ended the Cubs evening with a three-run homer that had every Cards fan around me going wild as the Cubs fans stared in disbelief.
All I could do was shake my head and smile, because once again the wild world of sports proved that it is never over until it's over.
Reporter Jack Piatt can be reached at jpiatt@dailyegyptian.com
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