Passion


103108-city-celebrates-wb186851-940x598Everybody plays sports when they’re young. As we grow older size, talent and luck separates us. Some are blessed to go to the field while the rest of us are tasked with talking about them and telling them what to do (even though we would not have a clue how to do it if tasked to do it!). Sports allows us to escape reality and for a brief moment to celebrate being the best.
There is a line in the Desiderata that says “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself…” Sports debunks that and allows us to proclaim “I’m the greatest!” even if it is for just a fleeting second.
5287944-3x2-940x627During the 1990 football World cup, my favourite player was Andreas Brehme. I admired him for his cool demeanour on the pitch and his ability to play with both feet. Around me everyone was either a Diego Maradona or Lothar Mattheus fan. Being from Africa, we also had a special love for Roger Milla. When he scored the winning goal in the final, I felt like a king, I had earned bragging rights as ‘my man’ had done what Maradona and Mattheus could not, score the winning goal in a World cup final.
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Therein lies the beauty of sports, the ability to celebrate another’s success as if it was your own and to console in their sorrow as if it was a direct hit at you. It is this passion that gives us a sense of ownership and identity with our team.
Have a passionate season!

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