Again apologies for the long layoff. I must improve at finding time to write even in hectic times. At the outset I anticipate this being a shorter entry in to the annals of my blogging history, but things can change. Hopefully this will get back in the swing of things.
I can think of very few things in this world that are better than the sports mob. Some will say the birth of your child or getting married, but not me. Nothing beats the pure elation of the instant in which a sports mob occurs. It is the only situation I can think of where 15-50 men can pile on top of each other, hug, and scream like a bunch of girls who haven't seen each other for a month all while keeping their heterosexuality 100% intact. Perhaps the best thing about the celebratory sports mob is that it can happen after any outing it doesn't have to follow only the most important games. A walk off win on badly misplayed fly to right field on Jan 23 can give way to jubilation that gives me chills. I think every person who played sports growing up dreamed about having the chance to dogpile after winning a championship, and that moment of unadulterated joy.
I have been fortunate enough to experience some form of the sports mob a few times in different forms, and only one of those moments left me questioning gay or not gay. The one that sticks out in my mind the most right now was following a shoot out win in a rain soaked high school soccer game. The field was covered in so much water that puddles had formed to the point that they would stop the ball from rolling. Our team was down to our last shot before the ref was going to call the game, ending in a tie unless we scored. My brother buried a shot giving us the win. We all bum rushed the field enjoying a dogpile, and sliding head first on the water drenched field for what seemed like 30 yards spraying mud everywhere. After the on field celebration we all retreated to the locker room and group showered to get what mud we could off (in true high school form everyone left their uniform on except one ambitious soul). Funny thing about that, this incidence isn't even the one that makes me ask gay or not gay. I still get chills when I think about that game, and how much fun the celebration was, and I did absolutely nothing to influence the outcome. I sat for 120 plus very cold very wet minutes and that celebration will be with me forever.
Maybe I am alone in my feelings for the sports mob, but I doubt that I am. When a team that I cheer for wins something significant I long to be in that pile. I get sports choked up, and it is possible that after one of my teams finally made it to the world series I might have had a short sports cry. It might be why I spent close to 100 dollars on champagne in 2010 and didn't drink a drop, but instead celebrated the division title and the two play off series victories with the stickiest showers any one could ever love to have.
Having kids and getting married is pretty cool too.
