Friday, November 09, 2012

A Fan's Lament


I’m a lot like any other working stiff.  I get up early in the morning, prepare for the day, head to the train, and go to work.  Once at the office I have to deal often with people debating over large sums of money.  At the end of the day – usually a long day – I get back on the train and try not to think about tomorrow’s responsibilities at the office.  I get home, open the mail, and I find bills – the mortgage, insurance, the credit cards, utilities.  I spend a portion of the evening dealing with those matters. The weekend comes.  It is a time to relax, but it is also a time to fix the leaky faucet, clear the clogged gutters, mow the lawn, trim the bushes, and clean out the garage.

Just like any other working stiff.

I steal away some time for myself by buying a ticket to see competition on the ice and excellence in the display of talent.  I go out of a passion for those qualities, for the game, for the sheer entertainment of it.  It is recreation in the literal sense of the word.  I feel better; my spirit is “re-created” for having spent some time away from the commute, the job, and the chores.  It is an opportunity to step outside my life for a few hours.

For the last two months, the NHL and the NHL Players Association have debated over large sums of money.  They have put men in suits in the headlines, not men in jerseys.  The news is about talking, not competing.  It is about negotiation, not the game.

You want to know why fans are mad?  They have taken our game and made it look like our lives.

No comments: