symbiosis
I've got some things to say tonight, but I'm not sure I can string them together with much coherence. So I'm not going to worry about it.
I went to the celebration event for the Cowgirls' WNIT championship victory tonight. I guess that's what you call it, anyway. Remember the Cowgirls' big win? Yeah, that was like three weeks ago. Maybe more! A while ago, is what I'm saying. So now, on a Monday night long after the 15,000 came and cheered and did the wave in support of the home team, a mere 500 fans (I'm being optimistic) came out to recognize the impact of the girls' big dance. Including me, though I'm not sure why. I don't like watching the State of the Union Address, and this was sort of the same: people stand up at the podium, talk about how great they are, blow smoke about how great the audience is, then there's a bunch of cheering and clapping. Lather, rinse, repeat.
One thing, though, was that the speakers kept talking about how they couldn't've done it without us, without the crowd to carry them on. Which got me to thinking: who are sports for? Is the crowd there to support the team, or is the team just there to create a crowd, or both, or what? Which makes me think of my middle-school science class, when I learned this word 'symbiosis.' A symbiotic relationship is one in which both parties benefit. You know, like oxpeckers and zebras. Like bees and flowers. Like the spider crab and algae. They both benefit, that's the big idea. And somehow I think that sports must be a symbiotic event: both the audience and the players get something out of the deal. But what, exactly? Golf is a dumb sport, by the way.
The turnout was depressingly dismally low. I felt bad for the team; how anti-climactic. If they thought they were still riding the wave of victory, this may've been the big reef of reality. But it isn't their fault. Who planned this thing? On a Monday night? Weeks later? With no real incentive to come? (Oh, wait: the incentive was a cut rate on next year's season tickets. Which suddenly makes the event feel like more of a publicity stunt, a PR deal, than a sincere celebration. Shame.)
But, there will be other opportunities to be celebrated, I hope, for the Cowgirls. They'll receive standing ovations at next year's opening football game, perhaps, and certainly at the opening of the basketball season. Good for them.
I went to the celebration event for the Cowgirls' WNIT championship victory tonight. I guess that's what you call it, anyway. Remember the Cowgirls' big win? Yeah, that was like three weeks ago. Maybe more! A while ago, is what I'm saying. So now, on a Monday night long after the 15,000 came and cheered and did the wave in support of the home team, a mere 500 fans (I'm being optimistic) came out to recognize the impact of the girls' big dance. Including me, though I'm not sure why. I don't like watching the State of the Union Address, and this was sort of the same: people stand up at the podium, talk about how great they are, blow smoke about how great the audience is, then there's a bunch of cheering and clapping. Lather, rinse, repeat.
One thing, though, was that the speakers kept talking about how they couldn't've done it without us, without the crowd to carry them on. Which got me to thinking: who are sports for? Is the crowd there to support the team, or is the team just there to create a crowd, or both, or what? Which makes me think of my middle-school science class, when I learned this word 'symbiosis.' A symbiotic relationship is one in which both parties benefit. You know, like oxpeckers and zebras. Like bees and flowers. Like the spider crab and algae. They both benefit, that's the big idea. And somehow I think that sports must be a symbiotic event: both the audience and the players get something out of the deal. But what, exactly? Golf is a dumb sport, by the way.
The turnout was depressingly dismally low. I felt bad for the team; how anti-climactic. If they thought they were still riding the wave of victory, this may've been the big reef of reality. But it isn't their fault. Who planned this thing? On a Monday night? Weeks later? With no real incentive to come? (Oh, wait: the incentive was a cut rate on next year's season tickets. Which suddenly makes the event feel like more of a publicity stunt, a PR deal, than a sincere celebration. Shame.)
But, there will be other opportunities to be celebrated, I hope, for the Cowgirls. They'll receive standing ovations at next year's opening football game, perhaps, and certainly at the opening of the basketball season. Good for them.
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