My beloved Dodgers are in the playoffs this year. It's not looking good for them. They are down three games to one and the Cardinals look good. Real good. My mom always told us we aren't allowed to pray for sports because "sports aren't that important." And she's right; in the grand scheme of things, sports aren't important. So why is it that all over Los Angeles right now people are lighting candles, saying prayers, wearing rally caps and lucky shoes and growing beards, all in the hope that the Dodgers will stay alive? Why is it that a Dodger win feels so important? Why are we so desperate to keep the season going?
Sports bring us together. A large, diverse city like Los Angeles is united right now. Everywhere I go I see Dodger shirts and blue everywhere. Random strangers will ask each other the score when they hear a radio on or pass someone walking with earphones in. People in bars hug people they've never met and cheer and talk and hug with people as if they have known each other their whole lives. In sports stadiums, people of all races and ethnicities, religions and beliefs and socioeconomic status sit side by side. (I'm not lying here... in Dodger stadium you can still get tickets as cheap as $5 a seat. That's because we're awesome.) I've heard that the only other place people are brought together like this is in church. (And of course there probably most people aren't of different religions; just kind of by virtue of the fact that it's church. Except for those really supportive spouses like my own.)
In our own family, sports, and particularly the Dodgers, are definitely bringing us together. My mom and dad share season tickets with a few other couples. They have four seats, so they bring other couples with them or they bring Jason or me or the kids. The kids go a lot! It's been a great way for the kids to bond with their grandparents. All season long we talked about the games. And it's not just with my immediate family. If the Dodgers are playing the Phillies, I text my cousin in New Jersey and brag about how awesome the Dodgers are. It keeps us connected. Watching the Red Sox on TV reminds me of my grandpa (a lifelong Red Sox fan) and it reminds me to contact my cousins in Boston. Right now we are dreaming of a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series.
Through the past couple weeks, our family has sent emails, phone calls and even texts. My mom has only sent about four text messages in her life. (Her first was sent from Target, where she brought Juliette to spend her $10 gift certificate. The text? "I'm in Barbie hell." That has to be the best first text ever. Ever.) But last night, as she was sitting at the game with my dad, my mom was texting. The last one read, "Getting desperate." My brothers live in San Francisco and Italy. And to be connected to them every day is rare. To be connected to my brothers every day, sometimes several times a day, is amazing. I feel bad for my sister-in-law in Italy who has to put up with my brother up at weird hours, his constant cussing and yelling and superstitions. But for me, it's great to feel like we are all sharing something together. I feel like we are on the same team, in the same room, like we were when we were kids.
So I am hoping, if not praying, for the Dodgers' season to keep going. It may seem silly and unimportant, but sports keep us connected. And that's important. And maybe even worth a few prayers.
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