The power of a crowd

Three of my awesome nephews are in the Basketball State tournament this weekend. Silverton High School rocked their quarterfinal today, winning by over 10 - it was fun. I love how this team plays as a team. There's no one superstar, they just all have fantastic attitudes and like each other and set each other up to succeed. I'm so proud to be a Foxes Aunt - not that I have anything, at all, to do with their success - but it's fun to ride the wave of excitement.

Speaking of the wave, have you ever noticed crowds? The momentum can turn so quickly - from cheering madly to quietly watching, to chanting, to booing. . . . A crowd is an amazing thing. I know because a couple games ago I found myself on my feet, booing loudly at the ref. I was in a crowd of 1400 people, and at least 900 of those were booing at the same time. I was in the moment. I booed with the best of them. When we sat down I turned to Jeff and said, "What happened? Was it really a bad call? I didn't see it."

I had to smile at myself when I realized how quickly and wholeheartedly I had joined in with the condemnation of the crowd, when I hadn't even seen the play myself. Hmmm. Makes me ponder, where else do I go with the crowd without really examining the facts for myself?