Yesterday in the middle of an oppressively hot and humid Orlando Wednesday I drove from the airport not to my hotel for a quick cold brew but to Inter&Co Stadium to watch a World Cup tune up between England and Costa Rica. Before I left the airport and was waiting for my car at Enterprise, a family blew past me loaded a van and jumped in their car, reminding me of the old Hertz Commercials where a then young and spry OJ Simpson raced through an airport on the way to wherever.
What I noticed was their shirts…all wearing England shirts, just off a plane from Newark, rushing to get to a somewhat meaningless match that was going to be delayed by Thunderstorms because that’s why they were here. To support and bear witness.
As I trolled around the stadium with my passion the delay as the skies brightened, and then sat down by the pitch, I was so impressed by the England fandom that had gathered in the heat to watch their club be sent off to who knows what in the coming World Cup. It reminded me again of the power of the live event, of how sport unifies.
I also asked a young couple with their son how they were enjoying their time in Orlando. They laughed and said they would give up their uber expensive Disney tickets to make sure they were somewhere special IF England won The World Cup this summer. Then they laughed, shook their heads and went back to cheering for their home nation as the reserves entered the match in the second half.
The dad said, hey maybe it’s pointless, but we are together and we will remember the good…or the bad…forever.
All about fandom.
And then there was the NBA Finals game five.
Too many words to describe it you can read everywhere else, but I want to point to two pieces about the why.
First is this column on substack from The Gathering Economy on what this run means for the city, and how sports unites.
The second, and most important, is the video of Jalen Brunson postgame on how his first thoughts were about a Make a Wish request he granted last week. With all going on, that’s how he started his remarks, addressing the collective impact a little act can have.
Priceless and Poignant.
Lastly, much can be said about the connected world and it’s issues. But as I sat alone watching things unfold in an Orlando hotel room last night, I was never alone. My texts kept coming from Atlanta, Milwaukee, Connecticut, New Jersey, Detroit, Boston, even from courtside at MSG, and on and on as we witnessed history collectively together, thousands of miles apart.
We weren’t there, but we were all there. Bearing witness, just like the England supporters were earlier in the day.
Now it’s not over, but wow, what we witnessed and really enjoyed, at least as a group and will keep enjoying for however this blessed run ends for the Knicks.
England, maybe just maybe in a few weeks. And if it does I will be thinking about the airport family.
Great reminders of the power of fandom and our why not far from the House of Mouse.
Your Job Doesn’t Define You…
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