“We’re coming to the end of October. For a baseball fan like myself, this doesn’t designate a merely generic period of days on a calendar. It’s World Series time. It’s the culmination of a whole month of baseball magic, where each pitch is charged with energy, where every player is ready to go the extra mile to make a great play, where every pitching change and lineup switcheroo is loaded with significance.
“But it’s also a time when the fans themselves become something of a marvel to behold. Playoff ballgames are always packed, filling the stadium with an electric charge that is palpable. This charge crackles and buzzes from foul pole to foul pole, and spins across the whole diamond, lighting up and enlivening the players on the field. As a fan at a playoff game in Pittsburgh earlier this month remarked in a text message,
‘It’s crazy here. It’s as loud as a concert and the place shakes every time something big happens!’
“If you’ve ever seen a playoff crowd erupt at a come-from-behind victory, you know it’s a gorgeous sight. . . .
'”But it also makes me wonder. What’s going on here? Is this a case of authentic joy or just some primal herd instinct running wild? To the sports fan it seems entirely natural to go crazy when the home team comes up with a victory. But to the outsider, it’s a ridiculous spectacle. They protest: ‘It’s just a game.’”
In a recent commentary, Brother Luke Hoyt, O.P., offered some reflections on the similarities between a ballpark full of cheering fans and our awaiting God’s final triumph.
To access Br. Luke’s complete post, please visit:
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