Being one of the few Arizona natives, I am a homer through and through. The downside is that we don’t often have the opportunity to celebrate. We are historically terrible. So…it has been refreshing and crazy exciting to have a winning team right now. Thank you, Phoenix Suns.
Do I like the actual sport? Yes, I do. But above the actual game, what I love about having a winning team is the comradery.
In Phoenix, we are a fairly spread out city. We are one of the more individualistic cities around. I work with a few people from other cities and they tell how much of a shock it was moving out here. They said the 8ft block walls separating everyone, the lack of neighborhood socializing, and the general sense of wanting to be left alone was odd to them. It’s not weird to me, because its all I know. I do see how we are more individualistic.
When there is a winning team, people it moves to the front of our mind. Which means we wear our gear more. When we wear our gear out, something special happens…people talk to each other. Here’s an example. In the grocery story, normally we would just stand there silently waiting for our turn to check out. Now, we stand there and the person behind us asks us if we saw the game the other night and we have a conversation. This is the true benefit of sports.
Philia is the love of friends with a shared experience or activity. When a sports team is wining, it basically generates philia love in the city. Yeah, I know that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the comradery is real. When we having a winning team, I have more pleasant conversations with strangers. As I said, I am a product of my state, so I keep to myself. But, I have to be honest, I really enjoy the positive interactions that I have with people. I enjoy the easy access to conversation in new situations. I enjoy my team not sucking.
Working for my life’s vision of writing stories in a beverage shop that I own.
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