The Sport Spectacle

Farhan

Port Moody, BC

Why are sports such a popular spectacle? Why do millions of people around the world rush home from work every night and plant themselves in front of the television for three hours, or salivate at the opportunity to watch their favorite teams compete live? The answer is simple, really. Other than the fact that we all want to see our preferred team succeed, people watch sports for the drama that comes from it and for the atmosphere and sense of unity that it can create. If the 2004 CFL Western Conference Final between the B.C. Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn’t illustrate this, I don’t know what will. The Saskatchewan Roughriders silenced the 55,000 hostile fans, including myself, on hand at B.C. Place after quarterback Henry Burris found Elijah Thurman in the end zone late in the fourth quarter. The Riders, the underdogs, were up by three points with just over a minute remaining in the game. Drama. “It’s over,” my friend looked over and said to me. I thought so too, especially with Casey Printers, B.C.’s star quarterback and the CFL’s most outstanding player, sitting on the sidelines nursing an injury he suffered earlier in the game. But it wasn’t. Dave Dickenson - not bad for a back-up quarterback - was able to manufacture a few big plays, but it wasn’t enough to get the ball into red zone. So the fate of B.C.’s season was left in the hands, or in this case in the right foot, of oft-criticized place kicker Duncan O’Mahony. Drama. “It’s over,” my friend said a second time. I thought so too, especially considering the fact that O’Mahony had never kicked a playoff field goal in his life, and this one was from 47 yards out. But it wasn’t. O’Mahony nailed it, and sent the crowd into elation. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so loud in my life. We were all cheering, and all cheering for the same reason. Unity. The game went into overtime. Saskatchewan started with the ball, and moved it quite handedly to B.C.’s 18-yard line. All that was left for the Riders to take the lead was a little chip shot from their usually reliable place kicker Paul McCallum. “He can’t miss this,” I thought to myself. But he did. How’s that for drama? “We win!” my friend yelled, even though the game was still tied. He was right, though. O’Mahony nailed another lengthy field goal in the subsequent set and the home team was victorious. We poured out of the building with smiles on our faces, chanting the name of our team. “B!” one man yelled. “C!” we responded. Unity. With this win in the books, there was no way we would lose the Grey Cup. We actually did end up losing, but I didn’t really care. I’m not even that much of a football fan. And yet, I remember this game like it was yesterday. So, why are sports such a popular spectacle? That’s why.
 

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