It’s not just turkey, ham, and pumpkin pie that we see in bulk at Thanksgiving: the weekend provides an oversupply of fodder for sports gluttons, as well. I rarely watch any football game that doesn’t involve the University of Georgia, but at least half a dozen games have danced across the TV screen at my parents’ home this weekend — and the Georgia-Georgia Tech game is still to come (as of this writing).
I’ve found it interesting to monitor Twitter and Facebook while games are going on, and note how many folks use social media to cheer when their team does something good. The downside of that is when one posts a bunch of “Sooey pig!” or “Go Tigers!” comments and the team ends up losing, the deflated cheers remain for posterity instead of dissipating into the ether.
And when did “Woot!” become a victory cry? I’ve never heard it, but it’s become a social media staple.
My hometown team (the Lincoln County [Ga.] “Red Devils“) lost their playoff game to Savnnah Christian, leaving nothing but private schools in the semifinals (after six of eight in the quarterfinals) and prompting renewed grousing about how hard it is for small public schools to compete with wealthy private schools with a recruiting budget. The names of all four teams in the finals end with “Christian Academy.”
And, the news this morning is that, after a marathon bargaining session, NBA players and owners have a handshake deal that will make possible shortened pro basketball season and guarantee that both owners and players ensure their place in the nether regions of the “one percent” income bracket. From a selfish standpoint, I’d hoped we’d be delivered from pro basketball this year, but the settlement is good news for all the lower “99 percent” folks who park cars and sell hot dogs and tickets for the games, so I’m glad for them.
This afternoon (Saturday) starts another sports marathon, but today I’m more excited about space: NASA is planning to launch the roving Mars Science Laboratory (called “Curiosity”) this morning, and I’ll be watching online at NASA’s TV site. I’ve been tracking the last two Mars rovers for the past five years (“Opportunity” is still going, though its expected life was three months), and “Curiosity” is my middle name, so I’m watching this with special interest.
And if the launch is a success, I may even say “Woot!”
Professor of Old Testament at Campbell University Divinity School in Buies Creek, North Carolina, and the Contributing Editor and Curriculum Writer at Good Faith Media.
