I went to a baseball game in Osaka. Hanshin Tigers. I'm not even a baseball fan really, but someone told me Japanese baseball games were a different experience.
They were right. The cheering was insane. Coordinated chants, everyone knew the songs, people brought instruments. It was like a festival.
I was sitting in the outfield, cheap seats. Didn't know any of the cheers, just clapped along trying not to look too lost.
The guy next to me noticed and during the 7th inning stretch, he handed me a little pamphlet. It had all the cheers written out in English with the romaji so I could pronounce the Japanese.
He'd made it himself. Printed it out. For random foreigners sitting near him.
I asked how many of these he'd made and he pulled out like 10 more from his bag. Said he brings them to every game just in case tourists sit nearby.
Didn't want money, didn't want anything. I just wanted people to enjoy the game properly.
With his help I learned the chant for the cleanup hitter. Next time that guy came up to bat, I did the full chant, arms motions and everything. The people around me noticed and started clapping for me, laughing in a good way.
The Tigers lost that game, but the guy next to me said "you are a Tigers fan now. Once you cheer for the Tigers, always be a Tigers fan."
He was right. I still check their scores sometimes. I hope they're doing okay this season.
Connecting young people to digital networks serves no purpose if they remain disconnected from themselves, others, and their own interiority. We must help young people rediscover silence, reflection, the ability to ask questions, the depth of relationships, and openness to transcendence. To listen to the soul, we must lend an ear, because the soul's voice is not a shout, but a whisper.
I want to give major props to @jylfeng , I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR THIS AT ALL its all him. I just got these EPIC videos he created and put it together. HOW WILL IT END @spurs FANS?? #gospursgo#porvida GO FOLLOW FOR THE ENDING COMING SOON!
๐ ๏ธ Quick QOL change on ALS: the score matrix now adds small arrows next to the team ranking to show how it changed after their latest game.
Makes it easier to see who climbed the most after a good game!