Dear [Insert Favorite Team],
We always hear you thank your fans, after a great win or a great play. But now it’s your turn to hear from us, or at least me. I know it might sound silly, thanking a group of people who don’t even know I exist in the world. To you I am just another person, a tiny fish in a big ocean. Although people think I’m crazy for being so invested in a group of athletes who simply throw around a ball or hit a puck into a net, they don’t realize that there is more to you than another point on a scoreboard. So even though you don’t know I exist, you have a bigger impact on my life thank you think.
Just like my family, you’ve been there growing up.
I’ve known you about as well as I’ve known my alphabet. My family loves you and I love you. You bring us together.Your colors and history have been passed down from generation to generation. Even in diapers I’ve been dressed in your gear. You’ve inspired me to play myself. You gave me goals to reach for and how to improve everyday, in sports and in life. In this tough transition of being a teenager to almost an adult, you give us that spark of our childhood that we will never let go. From every second on the clock or every inning, in a world of constant change, you are familiar. Your players may change through out the years, but your legacy does not. It’s almost like you grow with us.
You taught me that life is about winning and losing.
You can’t always win. I get that. You taught me that life isn’t about winning. You taught me that it is about how you come back after a loss. You get back out there the next day and never give up. “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” There are bumps in the road and we shouldn’t be afraid to fail.
We Support Each other.
When you are expected, you are there. When we need you, you are there. Whether it is every Sunday or every night, win or lose you are there. If it rains, you make it up to us. How many people can you say that about?
You are my escape.
Whether it is a bad day at school, in a fight with my parents, or I just need to let loose, one click of the remote and there you are. My mind becomes unwound with the stress and drama and all that matters is that we got a game to win. And yes I mean “we.” Because even though I might not be right there on the side lines, you give me something to be a part of that’s bigger than myself.
So yeah, to you I am a tiny fish in a big ocean. And yeah when I’m with my friends I may be a fish out of water. But as soon as I walk into that stadium or arena, adrenaline surges through my veins, I see nothing but colors of victory, the sound of the crowd cheering bursts against my eardrums. Every person here, every single soul is a stranger. Most we may never see again. But we all share a strong bond that can’t be broken. These strangers suddenly become family. All these fish in this big ocean, you bring together. You give me hope, you give me faith, you give me confidence and most importantly, you give me home.