I live far from my home state of Michigan. There are almost no fellow Michigan sports fans near me. Yet as the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions are putting together impressive seasons, I feel completely immersed in the Michigan sports community.
Each day, I can dip into a stream of ever-flowing conversations, jokes, highlights, and complaints about these teams with others who love them and grew up with them just like me. I get to step into a Detroit sports bar any time of the day.
Before games, I read scouting reports and predictions. After games I chat about plays or press conferences. I share joy, pain, and everything in between in real time and after the fact.
This was not possible before social media. Sports Twitter is my favorite Twitter (along with parody sports Twitter), and the last few months as the underdog Tigers have made an historic run, I’ve felt completely immersed in the community of fans. We are in this together!
A 30 second video of a stadium or sports bar full of fans give me the emotional charge of being where I cannot. All the chatter, and ability to rewatch plays and clips of locker room celebrations creates an orbit of fans, held together not by geography but by love for the game and the team.
This is an unmitigated good in my life! I love sports and being able to participate in the grand storylines and heroic metaphors with others across the globe.
Thanks social media!