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I spent my entire day yesterday trying to write something about the insanity of everything surrounding the gun control debate. DON’T WORRY. This has nothing to do with gun control. At all. And you won’t see it. I ended up scrapping nine hours worth of writing (about 3600 words and jesus christ that is an insane number to read back) because I finally realized at the end of it all that I shouldn’t be gassing an entire day like that to write about very serious topics that I haven’t done the real legwork on. I ramble about sports and fuck around and shoot from the hip on here. I’m stupid – thankfully I’m also somewhat self aware.
Anyway… over the course of all that, one of the angles I tried and failed to take yesterday before I even remembered this game was happening was how almost everything prominent in “American Culture”, or whatever you want to call it, is just a goddamn drag to write/read/discuss/argue about now. Basically… everything sucks.
That’s not a new or revolutionary take. It’s been said many times over these last two years or so. I was just trying to come to grips with the idea that there are fewer and fewer things that we all enjoy anymore. Politics has always sucked, but it’s gotten even worse for the people who used to enjoy the debate and discourse. Anything related to Hollywood and the entertainment industry feels either completely ruined, tangentially gross, or risky at best. I think the NFL is past it’s darkest point, but it’s still tearing the country apart. The NBA and College Football are nationally prominent and thriving, but each still kind of exists comfortably on different sides of the political spectrum. The rest of the sports are either built on regional foundations (MLB, College Basketball, NASCAR) or too niche (NHL, Soccer, Golf) to be considered something we all love. Social Media is a dumpster fire and News Reporting is no different. Feel good stories get torn apart by the next business day. Shit, we can’t even have a viral video without wondering if a Nazi or a Pedophile is involved.
Maybe I’m being overly dramatic. Maybe I’m trying to see the worst of it all while taking this angle. Maybe I’ve spent entirely too much time trying to write what I’ve been trying to say for a day and a half. I don’t even know.
But watching those girls win that game last night felt like the first thing that was genuinely enjoyable for everyone in a really, really long time. It was an awesome fucking moment. Free from baggage. Free as it could be from politics. Free from controversy. Just a fucking awesome game where these girls played their fucking hearts out and fucking fuck yes I am still so goddamn happy.
No, it wasn’t The Miracle On Ice, thought it was cool to see it fall on the 38th anniversary. And with an 11:10pm East Coast puck drop, it’s hard to imagine there were that many people who watched it all the way through. Maddie Rooney, that motherfucking American Hero, closed the shootout at 2:12am, so it wasn’t like everyone skipping out of work early four years ago to get drunk at 4pm for the Landon Donovan game winner. And there wasn’t some dramatic national buildup to this game like with so many other international sporting moments.
But it’s also hard to think of any American who wasn’t excited to watch it or hear that this morning. “Team USA Women’s Hockey Wins Gold Medal Over Canada In Shootout” might be the most unifying headline this country has seen since we killed Bin Laden. I’m not even remotely joking. I don’t think you could write a more unifying American headline in 2018. If America is a melting pot that headline is as hearty a bite as you can fit on the spoon.
I don’t care that nobody cares about these Olympics. I don’t care that this game will be forgotten by most by dinner tonight. Having that one thrilling, unifying, baggage-free moment was incredible. Now for the love of god Jocelyne Lamoureux, please don’t be a Nazi.
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