I'm a fan

Last Friday I went to an Atlanta Braves game. I wouldn't consider myself a Braves fan, or even a baseball fan, but last Friday you wouldn't have known it. In fact, I enjoyed the game so much, you might have thought I was born and raised Georgian. We walked in and the field just looked so beautiful!! The grass was so green, the dirt so copper, and the seats completely filled. I immediately felt like I was in a movie set.



...."If you build it, they will come"

...."There's no crying in baseball!"

The game started off somewhat slow with the Marlins having a 1-0 lead, but it wasn't long before the Braves came back to hold a small lead in the 8th inning. We thought we had it in the bag, but the Marlins tied it up in the 9th. Two innings later, we were on our feet screaming for the 3-2 Braves victory!! When I look back on our weekend in Atlanta, that was the highlight. I've been thinking about it and wondering why it made such a big impact on me. Why, in mere moments, could I identify so closely with a team I've never rooted for and a city that doesn't have much sentimental value to me?

I'm thinking a few things...

1) It truly is an American pastime...and what better time to watch a game than Fourth of July weekend? If you can believe it, I actually felt closer to my American roots for simply being there.

2) It's community! I don't know you, you don't know me, but we are cheering for the same team and that makes us united. I love it. There is nothing more fun than watching a "wave" continue around the stadium 4 times! We're all in it together!

3) It touches on a God-given need we all have to cheer for the good side, to hope, and believe that good wins in the end.



Humanity is a beautiful thing, I think. Messy at times, but beautiful.