We the North
The Raptors won the NBA championship Thursday night and it was a historical Canadian moment. The Raptors have been part of my family, in earnest, for roughly 5 years. I am a single parent and prior to moving in with N my life revolved around my two kids. My son, J, developed a love for sports over the years, highly influenced by his father who is a big Toronto Maple Leafs fan. J struck out on his own, zeroing in on the Raptors. My son is an introvert who love time at home to go at his own pace. He took on my love of movies and series, as did my daughter. As a family, we would binge watch anything from Breaking Bad to couple of movies on a Friday night.
As J got older his love for basketball intensified. He would constantly coax me to join him in watching a game. I've never been a loyal fan to any sport or team. However, one day, I did end up joining him. I lied on the couch and started watching a Raptors game. My boy became my personal Raptors commentator. He taught me everything about the game and even more about the players. So it began and he got me hooked. Night after night I would lie on the couch and watch Raptors games with him. I grew to love the team and started to feel a personal investment in their success. Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry became my favorites. That was the year the Raptors beat Miami and Dwyane Wade was on fire. I also grew to fear Cleveland and Lebron.
J started playing in a local house league as well. We would watch him play and ended up going to Cleveland for a tournament. It was amazing watching him develop such a love and passion for the game. He and his buddies would hit the local school ground and play basketball for hours. Basketball became a part of our life. My daughter resigned herself to the Raptors dominating the TV. I would go through my day at work excited to get home and chill with my boy to watch the game.
Gradually my love for the game evolved to the point where I would watch even when J was at his dad's. That is when I knew this was also becoming my passion. N is also a big sports fan and therefore a Raptors fan. When we started dating that is what we would do, hang out at either house and watch the game. With or without kids. If we happened to be apart during a game we would text throughout, noting good plays and cheering the guys on.
This year we blended families. The Raptors were the back drop to our lives. As everyone adapted to a new living arrangement, the one thing that brought us together was watching the game. It was fluid, it might be all of us, N , his two boys and two kids. It might be N, his youngest son A and J. It might be N, his son and I. No matter what, there was always a group in the TV room cheering the Raptors on. Some weekend nights friends would come over with their kids and we would all be cheering for the team. During the finals the house was full.
It didn't stop at home. I would come to work and talk about the game. People learn about you over time and when you follow a sport it provides commonality. Whether I was work or home, we would go through the ups and downs together. Sports unites people. I remember when J told me were getting Leonard how excited he was, he told me this would give us a really good chance, that this trade was big mum. I fell in love with Leonard, his grace under pressure, his humbleness and his incredible athletic ability. As the playoffs progressed I was bowled over. I knew the Raptors were good, I figured we'd beat Philadelphia. I questioned if we could beat the Bucks. I told N there was no way we would beat the Warriors. Steph Curry is a legend in my home, my boy is in awe of him. J stays up late into the night watching Warrior games. He loves the team, Durante, Thompson and Curry. My boy is first and foremost a Raptors fan but he just loves the game of basketball and Curry is epic. I didn't think we stood a chance.
So we watched and I had no expectations. Toronto teams are always runner ups. I was just happy we got as far as we did. Winning Thursday took my breath away. I was so proud of the team and so excited to be part of such a historical moment. And it was a Canadian moment, 37 million Canadians roared and cheered that team to the championship. It unified our little country and put us on the map. I can't wait to find out if Leonard will stay with us, I think he will. I can't wait for October, I get to chill with my boy and watch some games.
The Raptors won the NBA championship Thursday night and it was a historical Canadian moment. The Raptors have been part of my family, in earnest, for roughly 5 years. I am a single parent and prior to moving in with N my life revolved around my two kids. My son, J, developed a love for sports over the years, highly influenced by his father who is a big Toronto Maple Leafs fan. J struck out on his own, zeroing in on the Raptors. My son is an introvert who love time at home to go at his own pace. He took on my love of movies and series, as did my daughter. As a family, we would binge watch anything from Breaking Bad to couple of movies on a Friday night.
As J got older his love for basketball intensified. He would constantly coax me to join him in watching a game. I've never been a loyal fan to any sport or team. However, one day, I did end up joining him. I lied on the couch and started watching a Raptors game. My boy became my personal Raptors commentator. He taught me everything about the game and even more about the players. So it began and he got me hooked. Night after night I would lie on the couch and watch Raptors games with him. I grew to love the team and started to feel a personal investment in their success. Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry became my favorites. That was the year the Raptors beat Miami and Dwyane Wade was on fire. I also grew to fear Cleveland and Lebron.
J started playing in a local house league as well. We would watch him play and ended up going to Cleveland for a tournament. It was amazing watching him develop such a love and passion for the game. He and his buddies would hit the local school ground and play basketball for hours. Basketball became a part of our life. My daughter resigned herself to the Raptors dominating the TV. I would go through my day at work excited to get home and chill with my boy to watch the game.
Gradually my love for the game evolved to the point where I would watch even when J was at his dad's. That is when I knew this was also becoming my passion. N is also a big sports fan and therefore a Raptors fan. When we started dating that is what we would do, hang out at either house and watch the game. With or without kids. If we happened to be apart during a game we would text throughout, noting good plays and cheering the guys on.
This year we blended families. The Raptors were the back drop to our lives. As everyone adapted to a new living arrangement, the one thing that brought us together was watching the game. It was fluid, it might be all of us, N , his two boys and two kids. It might be N, his youngest son A and J. It might be N, his son and I. No matter what, there was always a group in the TV room cheering the Raptors on. Some weekend nights friends would come over with their kids and we would all be cheering for the team. During the finals the house was full.
It didn't stop at home. I would come to work and talk about the game. People learn about you over time and when you follow a sport it provides commonality. Whether I was work or home, we would go through the ups and downs together. Sports unites people. I remember when J told me were getting Leonard how excited he was, he told me this would give us a really good chance, that this trade was big mum. I fell in love with Leonard, his grace under pressure, his humbleness and his incredible athletic ability. As the playoffs progressed I was bowled over. I knew the Raptors were good, I figured we'd beat Philadelphia. I questioned if we could beat the Bucks. I told N there was no way we would beat the Warriors. Steph Curry is a legend in my home, my boy is in awe of him. J stays up late into the night watching Warrior games. He loves the team, Durante, Thompson and Curry. My boy is first and foremost a Raptors fan but he just loves the game of basketball and Curry is epic. I didn't think we stood a chance.
So we watched and I had no expectations. Toronto teams are always runner ups. I was just happy we got as far as we did. Winning Thursday took my breath away. I was so proud of the team and so excited to be part of such a historical moment. And it was a Canadian moment, 37 million Canadians roared and cheered that team to the championship. It unified our little country and put us on the map. I can't wait to find out if Leonard will stay with us, I think he will. I can't wait for October, I get to chill with my boy and watch some games.
No comments:
Post a Comment