I had one of those experiences a few months ago... One of my pre-teen kids plays on a soccer team in Euclid that travels to other local communities to play soccer... thus they call it a "travel" team.  It is considered by some to be elite.  I am not so sure; I think it might be that it is primarily just the kids who have parents who are willing to go all over for their kids.

There is a lot of truth to the idea that soccer is the universal game.  To the typical American sports fan, it can be downright boring.  It is a sport which has its most interesting moments not in its amazing dunks, or touchdowns, but in the subtle actions of teamwork.  The quick one touch pass to a streaking team mate... The anticipation of a developing play on defense... Soccer is not a sport where the successful are constantly overpowering others... Yes, like any other activity in life, there are times when the bullies win out... But eventually they grow bored with the marathon running, and the lack of bloody tackles and in-your-face dunks that are the hallmark of our culture's fetish for sport... blood sport one might say...

So it is that my son's team is into the finals at a tournament near the end of last season, and they have worked so hard, and the parents are all going crazy, for the boys have been robbed by two really bad calls... And it's hard to see your kids meeting with injustice... And they lost, by a single goal... They have come in second on four or five occasions at these tournaments...

So disappointing... And to watch them come off the field? The girls team, who they had supported earlier in the day, set up a little London Bridge for them to run through... And the boys?  They ran around with smiles and dog piled in the middle of the field having more fun than the kids who won the tournament with the way-too-serious coach...

And I made a note of it... Because they cared about the result for about two seconds... It was their friends and their relationships that were important.. They lost with more dignity than the other team won with... And in losing, they had the chance to show character that the other team never had the chance to test...

So it is with our town: We have lost to the Broncos, the Marlins, the Red Sox, and the Spurs.  We have been bankrupt, on fire, and made fun of.   We've lost industry after industry.   We just lost Geauga Lake.  Only under such circumstances does one have the chance to show character.  I learned that from soccer.