Sometimes I envy the die-hard fans of a particular sports team. Me, I like to watch. But I don't have the mind for memorizing players and positions. Maybe if following a team had been a core piece of my childhood, my mind would be wired differently. 
On the other hand, it is a true fan's inevitable disappointment. Every sport can only have one champion and all the rest are, if we can be honest with ourselves, losers. And yet, I envy those who so strongly identify with teams, especially in Major League Baseball. True, we found ourselves swept up by the Cleveland Indians in the 1990s and even attending a World Series Game in October. It was bitter cold yet we have many memories. This includes the plaintive cry of a young women seated somewhere in the five remaining rows above us, encouraging and reminding each batter how she felt: "We love you Omar! We love you Manny!" They say love conquers all but there just wasn't enough. We lost this game and ultimately the Series to the Atlanta Braves.
It must be the metaphors associated with baseball that explain how deeply many fans embrace it. The video and lyrics below were created as a tribute to a baseball announcer. What touches me is not simply the effort to honor the man and reminisce about one's golden youth. There are lessons and ambitions and promises this artist makes that caught me off guard. In addition to the highlight of his 1995 season during which the baseball announcer calls an amazing final inning win, this musician looks at his life, what he has done, and where he's going. The title quotes the baseball announcer but also how many of us feel when we look back on things and are amazed by what we've seen and heard and felt. The whole video is great as are the lyrics. What I have provided below are just the final few moments which say so much and stand alone.
On the other hand, it is a true fan's inevitable disappointment. Every sport can only have one champion and all the rest are, if we can be honest with ourselves, losers. And yet, I envy those who so strongly identify with teams, especially in Major League Baseball. True, we found ourselves swept up by the Cleveland Indians in the 1990s and even attending a World Series Game in October. It was bitter cold yet we have many memories. This includes the plaintive cry of a young women seated somewhere in the five remaining rows above us, encouraging and reminding each batter how she felt: "We love you Omar! We love you Manny!" They say love conquers all but there just wasn't enough. We lost this game and ultimately the Series to the Atlanta Braves.It must be the metaphors associated with baseball that explain how deeply many fans embrace it. The video and lyrics below were created as a tribute to a baseball announcer. What touches me is not simply the effort to honor the man and reminisce about one's golden youth. There are lessons and ambitions and promises this artist makes that caught me off guard. In addition to the highlight of his 1995 season during which the baseball announcer calls an amazing final inning win, this musician looks at his life, what he has done, and where he's going. The title quotes the baseball announcer but also how many of us feel when we look back on things and are amazed by what we've seen and heard and felt. The whole video is great as are the lyrics. What I have provided below are just the final few moments which say so much and stand alone.
My Oh My by Macklemore & Ryan LewisNot sure that this would appeal to a larger audience as a conference talk. So maybe it's enough to post it here and let others decide what to make of it.
I don’t really collect cards anymore,
Just a box and some old cardboard.
Memories embedded in the dust,
In the fighters that age
Just like us
Living somewhere off in the drawer.
This is what you make of it
Yeah we play to win
Live it like we’re under
The lights of the stadium.
Fight
Until the day that
God decided to wave us in,
Right.
Until he waves us in.
