Watching sport is an experience unlike any other
Today, I watched India win the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup.
Watching sport is an experience unlike any other. The twists and turns of a match can be thrilling. When South Africa needed to chase 30 runs off 30 balls, the game was firmly in their favour. An hour prior, it was in India's. In a well-fought, tightly contested match, there's is an environment of suspense and an inability to relax. Movies and TV can induce this for short durations, but sport amplifies and elongates the feeling.
Sports are a microcosmic arena where flourishes the Great Man Theory of history: the actions of a few influential individuals can change trajectories and ultimate outcomes. Sometimes, it's a single person's staggering performance: Glenn Maxwell's unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in last year's World Cup and Virat Kohli's 82* to defeat Pakistan in 2022 are some recent examples.
On days like today, it's not just one player - multiple people step up, make an impact, and forge the way for their side. Today, there were Jasprit Bumrah's absolute masterclass bowling performance, Axar Patel's surprisingly effective knock at #4, and Suryakumar Yadav's heroic catch to dismiss South Africa's final hope David Miller, to name a few. There's beauty in watching these performances unfold.
Most importantly, sport evokes strong emotions from players and fans alike. You could see how much winning this game mattered to the veterans of the Indian team, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. At the watch party I attended, I could see the sheer elation of the fans as well. There's a raw quality to that joy, as though it's the release of a primal energy.
Rather organically and unexpectedly, sport has emerged to be the theme of this month for me. There's so much beauty, joy, skill, and humanity in watching this kind of competition. I've thoroughly enjoyed it.