As the LA Lakers play in the West Coast finals my mind begins to worry. It always does during these tense playoff moments. Having your heart broken by sports teams is such a sucky feeling. While folks not interested in sports may find iit ridiculous, I still find it heartbreaking.
My best friend asked me “Are you a real Lakers fan or are you just joining the bandwagon?”
I scoffed at that question. Mini Me, you would have yelled and thrown a book at her. My early sports memories are me as a toddler watching the Lakers play the Celtics…and losing. Do you remember how hard it was watching stupid Larry Bird beat Magic, Kareem, and Big Game James???
Then came the first of the consecutive championships. 1987. Smiling from ear to ear. Hearing the whole block cheer for joy. FINALLY. We Won. Then the magic year. 1988. The Lakers won the NBA World Championship and Kirk Gibson sealed the deal on the Dodgers winning the World Series. Do you remember the tears that welled up in your eyes as you witnessed those moments in sports history? The City of Angels dominated your two favorite sports. It was like the heavens opened up and graced our fair city with Sports royalty. Then the stupid Pistons came and had their turn. Then the Lakers turned sour, but I was still there. Rooting for the Purple and Gold. Through the years of Cedric Ceballos, Vlade Divac, Nick Van Exel. And then our heart broke when they traded Eddie Jones. Why, Jerry Buss? Why?
I remember not being able to connect to other kids, but when there was a Laker game on TV it was like we were best friends, rooting, yelling, laughing. We’d become thick as thieves, for just a moment. This city is so big and seems to swallow people whole. People get lost in the cracked cement, forests of palm trees, and graffitti littered walls of dreams. But mention the Lakers and you can bring strangers together. Now if we could only do that with art, with words, with songs…how beautiful would that be?
Crazy beautiful? Drunken Beautiful? Sweaty beautiful? Ugly Beautiful?
Or simply,
Beautiful?
If you find the answer, please whisper it to me in my dreams.
L
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Ahh yes, a true fan. Like a friend you were there through the hard times. Experiencing every moment of happiness and sadness, and most of the time, unknowing to them. Wish my friend would come through, come on Wizards!! (Never understood the name change though)
Lakers, baby! Great stuff, it’s awesome to see how sports teams can bring people/strangers together.