Don’t Let It Get You Down - Life’s Too Short

On Sunday I went to Tampa. I am a huge St Louis Rams fan and have been for 20 years. We usually go and watch them when they play in San Francisco but this year a ‘home’ game was too much of an opportunity to pass up on.

 

I have always liked sports and always been keen on watching the ones that I was no good at playing, which is pretty much all of them. I had a season ticket for 20 years to watch my soccer team Derby County back in the UK. They have just been promoted back to the Premiership (or EPL as it is known over here) for the first time in over 5 years. The season has been pretty much of a disaster to date with away losses of 4-0, 5-0 and 6-0. Not good, not good at all. They are struggling to compete with the big guns and will do so all season, but it was expected by all but the most fervent diehards. I sometimes go on a message board to read what other fans have to say and it has been carnage! You would have thought that the sky was falling and to make maters worse, the ground was rising up to meet it. Some people seem almost suicidal.  I don’t get it, it’s only a game, it really is only a game. There is however, some great gallows humor in there, which is why I read from time to time.

 

Humor is the best medicine for tough times. You can see humor in everything if you look hard enough. Victor Frankl saw humor in Nazi concentration camps in his brilliant book, Man’s Search For Meaning, so surely we can see it in sports? But some seem to think it reflects badly on them when their team loses. I have heard people say they are ashamed, embarrassed, disgusted and much worse.  Wow, that really is giving you personal power away.

 

We got to Tampa just before 10.00am on a blistering hot day. We met up with about 10 friends, mainly Rams fans. We ate some great food, we chatted and we had a beer or two. Ok, maybe three. Eventually time came to go inside and watch the game. We sat there in the oppressive heat watching the lack luster Rams try to get things going. They missed a field goal shortly before the half and then the heavens opened. We got drenched. It didn’t get any better in the 2nd half in fact it got worse, a lot worse. The Rams got pummeled out of sight and we ended up wandering out without about 3 minutes to go.

 

It continued to rain when we got back to the car and I started to get attacked by some very mischievous ants that wanted my pulled pork sandwich, but I guess that is what ants do. We stood around for an hour and a half letting the traffic disperse and talking football and then headed back home.

 

I had a great day even though the Rams were beaten out of site. I didn’t feel humiliated, disgusted or embarrassed. Disappointed with the game? Sure, but I can live with that.

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