BOTH SIDES NOW
Sunday, May 29, 2022
It’s just a game.
That’s what we tell children – whether we are pulling them down from the ceiling to re-ground them after impressive victories or more often when we counselled them in defeat – as we wipe tears away, give them a hug, and say, “It’s just a game.”
Even when it’s an elimination game decided in overtime after a goal had been disallowed, it is just a game.
We need them – we cheer locals, Olympians, and TV celebrities, in soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball and every other sport. Whether we are participants or spectators, it’s just a game, regardless of age, skill level, amateur or professional; it is always competitors in contests. And in every context, it is still just a game.
But what a value that is for us.
As we’ve seen here recently, as history has proven, sports rivalries cause excitement and a lot of happiness for fans on both sides. Recently in Calgary, this city’s collective spirit was celebrating a solid season for the Calgary Flames and a solid first-round win in the playoffs. We’ve seen it from both sides now.
Whether you are a disappointed Calgary fan or an ebullient Edmonton Oilers fan, the joy is the combo we enjoy every spring of watching golf and hockey on the same day while watering flowers and mowing lawns during intermissions, happy that it’s a game, a great game.