on tuesday night my favorite baseball team, the team i have followed for my entire life, won the world series. they dealt with injuries all year long. they had a losing record until august. they fought and battled and came together at the exact right time and pulled off what no one expected. it was amazing and incredible and i cried and shouted myself hoarse over all the excitement.

and then, not even 12 hours after this incredible moment, news broke that the quarterback of my favorite nfl team tested positive for covid and would miss this weekend’s game. not only that, but it turns out he is unvaccinated and has not been following protocol for unvaccinated players when dealing with the media these past few months. the story is still unfolding, but that was a steep fall after all the happiness of tuesday night.

i know i am more emotional than most about my sports teams, but they have been such huge parts of my life. i have very little skill for sports myself, but i grew up attending all of my brother’s games and meets and learning about team loyalty and those lessons have stuck with me. i am generally not a sore loser [unless it’s because of the officials], but i feel a lot of feelings when my teams are in high-pressure matchups. this week has been no exception.

i have so many great memories of watching my teams play over the years. so many braves games as birthday presents over the years. the years my father and i would go to the sec tournament together. watching the grizzlies in the western conference finals. that time christina and i went to a game at lambeau field. being in the stands for some big arkansas bowl games. my sports teams are such a big part of my life, and my feelings are so intertwined with them.

most days there’s not much going on. a win here, a loss there, maybe a trade. and then there are days like this week where you feel like a yo-yo because so many things are happening at once. it’s a wild ride, but i also wouldn’t trade it.

xx