Tears over a game

Most of the time I couldn't care less about sports. Never played it, don't understand it, never really cared much about any team. In fact, I usually find it downright boring unless my own kids are playing, and even then, I just have a hard time paying attention and understanding what's happening.

But this past weekend something happened to me. I felt like crying after my son's team lost a basketball playoff game. First time in my life that happened to me. It was weird, feeling emotion about sports.

First quarter, looked like they were outmatched. Second and third quarters, they did great and pulled ahead. Fourth quarter, it was tied. They went into overtime. My son fouled out. The other team scored four points and won.

A lot of the kids were crying. Often when kids cry after losing, I want to say, "Get a grip! It's just a game!"

But this time I wanted to cry too, I guess because it seemed like they were going to win, and it felt so tragic that they ended up losing.

After the game, I heard the referee say, "It's good when they cry!"

"Why is it good when they cry?" I asked, feeling like crying myself.

"Because it means they really wanted to win!" he said.

Right. I guess that's why I felt that way - I REALLY wanted them to win. And I felt really sad for all of us when they didn't.