I woke up at the usual time, knowing that the usual routine would be disrupted. And, after that first cup of coffee, it was time to see just what exactly NBCSN would be showing this fine, very quiet morning.
Commercials.
(It felt like so many commercials. I didn’t know NBCSN showed commercials, really.)
It definitely wasn’t the usual buffet of Premier League soccer. And for that — and the cancelation of pretty much every other sport — things were a little quiet, and a little sad.
But then, the substitute programming was revealed — and I heard the familiar sounds of Roger Bennett and Arlo White giving voice to the levels of madness on the field, when Leicester City won the Premier League in the 15/16 season.
It was a fitting way to start this unplanned break, really. Bravo to the programmers.
Because for me, nothing sums up my football fandom (and the reason I love sports) than the sheer drama of the big moments. And soccer does those best, on a match to match basis.
The best choice on a sad morning
This match was an amazing reminder of the reason I’m faithful to watching on the couch, mug in hand, clad in some comfortable kit shorts, watching one of 38 glorious game weeks. Those final days of joy. Reliving the critical goal from “Captain Morgan” (how wasn’t that a bigger endorsement deal?). The pandemonium at Jamie Vardy’s house. It was a 5000-1 longshot. And it was an amazing drama.
Even better was seeing the reactions of the Leicester City fans. The sheer joy on each and every face as they celebrated the absolutely improbable outcome. There’s nothing like that feeling when the team you support makes a run (unless it’s stopped by VAR).
The reason this blog even exists is the dedication to planning your place in that kind of moment. The ability to be in that number. To get to the grounds. Not necessarily the moments that win the title, but your very own title — your weekend of wonder. The lifetime dream. The improbable experience.
We’re obviously living in much different times at the moment Generally, the fans of world football shouldn’t be gathering in clusters, no matter how important the match. I’m not sure if there were odds on the board of the likelihood of a near-global shutdown — but for those who bet correctly, we salute you (I guess?)
And, broad international travel isn’t the best thing to be doing at the moment, for the sake of everyone’s safety. And if you were wandering around England — there’s nowhere to go.
But for the sake of your dream experience — your title shot — there’s no better time than now to keep thinking and dreaming.
Keep plotting and planning
There’s some thought that the act of travel planning provides more reward than the trip itself. The anticipation of getting away and having an experience is a thing that keeps us going.
And while we know that working out the logistics for a Premier League weekend is a complicated beast — it’s always worth thinking about.
So for that, keep dreaming. Plot and plan. Mark your calendars for some point in 2020 (maybe not the Euros this time) when we’ll get to get on with the game.
I’ll keep up the dreaming too. Especially now with a little more time to write about it.
Because while I applaud the initial efforts of the NBCSN gods to inject some joy into this morning, there’s only so much match history I can take.
Oh, and wash your hands.