Well, Les Bleus lost last night to Italy and everyone in Paris looks miserable today. Even the very fashionable Parisian women, who are usually frowning anyway, actually look a little sadder than usual.
The game was great fun to watch, and very dramatic. I saw it on the street outside of a bar with about 300 other people. Everyone was drunk and screaming and having a good time. Until the end, that is. I had expected them to party even if the team lost, but alas, everyone walked home quietly, some weeping. There was no joy in Pastryville; the mighty Zazou had struck out.
It was a bit sad that such a great player got himself booted in his last match. But, why cry? I mean, these people live in Paris, for crying out loud! They have delicious food and wine for every meal and they all look like fashion models. Who cares if their team lost? I mean, the streets looked like the first night of the occupation yesterday.
This is what I don’t like about sports; they make the losers miserable. It’s also why the best sport ever is tag. Think about it, there’s never really a 'tag loser', and nobody ever gets pissed off because their favorite player got tagged. Can you imagine angry parents screaming at a tag referee? Or somebody getting in a fight with his wife because he lost at tag? Of course not. And have you ever looked at people’s faces while they’re playing most sports? Steely determination. Now watch people playing tag; they’re usually all laughing.
I realize that there are some deficiencies to tag. For one thing, there are no tag boosters. I would love to see young people with their bodies painted with tag slogans and wearing funny wigs cheering on their favorite tag players. This would ideally be at the World Championship of Tag and perhaps some of them would have large foam hands on and be flashing the television cameras.
I think I might become a tag cheerleader. I’ll make an outfit and hang out in the park and wait until I see some people playing tag. And then I’ll cheer something like: “Yes we got it! What can we say? We’re going to tag you! Then we’ll run away!”
My point is that sports would be a lot more fun if nobody kept score. And if there were tag cheerleaders.
3 comments:
That's exactly what the appeal of sports is, the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". That's why people get drawn into it to begin with, no one would care otherwise.
I'm all for tag, by the way, it's great fun. If it were turned into a national or international sport, though, it wouldn't take too long before it would end up looking like the NFL, and less and less like a joyous game of childhood.
Oh, I know. I was being silly. I like the drama of sports. I just think the French are agonizing a bit too much over l'affaire Zazou.
Yeah, I figured that. As for the French, that's understandable, after nights of happy elation at the prospect of winning, it was probably like suddenly coming down off a real fine, enjoyable high.
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