For anyone who's anyone, you know that March Madness (and it was madness) ended yesterday with Louisville on top. Now for those who don't know yet, I go to the University of Michigan and was part of the somber crowd that shuffled out of the Crisler Arena after losing 82-76. I got in my car, maneuvered through some tricky traffic, and made it home by 11:50, thankful to be home.
It was an exciting night. From the bus ride down with all the drunken undergraduates to the chants and dances during the pre-game celebration to the game itself, it was a wonderful night with a sad ending. I cheered. I screamed. I danced. I high-fived so hard and so often that my hand was glowing red. Then, in the last minute, I knew it was over when he hit those two foul shots, the last two nails in our coffin. I thought, "Oh well" and went home and got ready for bed. I did my normal routine: checked my Instagram, posted on Facebook, ran my sprints, and read some more of my book, prayed and went to bed.
I woke up this morning with a song in my head just singing to God because He makes all things great, but I was still thinking about the game. But more than that, I was thinking about Americans and sports in general. I was thinking about why we care so much about ball games at every level; from the peewee league all the way to the professionals, we are so invested in sports and it's so sad for me to see people pour their lives into a team. I am not exaggerating. People pour their hopes, their time, their money, their families, their skills, their energy, and more into being a fan. Last night during that somber shuffle out of the Crisler Arena, you could just see the sadness on everyone's faces, some were devastated. They had put their hope in these 18, 19-year old kids and they weren't able to come through.
And I would have loved to win, for sure, celebrating is a hobby of mine lol, but my hope is not in education or sports or doctors or scientists or anything here on this earth. My hope is built on Christ Jesus, the cornerstone of my faith and so it doesn't matter what happens down here because He is an unmoveable, unshakeable, unstoppable God who rules over all and so my hope remains unshaken. I have many more thoughts on why Americans put so much of their lives into sports, but I don't think anyone wants to read for an hour about that 🙂
Anyways, good season boys and Go Blue!
