so yesterday, doug and i got a chance to go see the jays get, unfortunately, their ass kicked by the orioles. it seems that every time I'm at a game (of any home team game whether it be baseball, hockey or basketball), they lose. i'd like, for once, to be at a game where my home team wins.
anyway, as a thank-you from some one that i have been helping out with a personal project of his (i can not name names nor give much more information as it's to be kept confidential – but the person is of high status and financially VERY stable), he gave me two gold tickets. and while i knew that the seats would be good (as all seats of his to his various season-passes are), when doug and i finally sat down, we only THEN realized that we were nine rows from the field, positioned between the jay's dugout and the catcher.
it's the closest i've ever been to a ballgame. we were in awe. and extremely happy that we went. the roger's centre (once named the skydome) was opened up to a very blue sky and sunny day… yet the temperature was only in the mid-20's with no humidity, along with a very comfortable, cool breeze that swept into the dome. having cold beer in that kind of weather was quite amazing.
so… the area we were sitting in was obviously popular for other rich, high-status people. you could tell just by comparing the majority around us to the likes of the 500 level, where people painted their chest with letters of their favourite players and were screaming out all types of words to either cheer on their team or try to distract the opposing team while up at bat.
the level of spirit is extremely different. i found this was the case awhile back when i happened to be at the right place at the right time when i got offered free platinum tickets to be on the floor, centre-court, to a raptors' game. everyone around me was almost… dressy. and were sipping their wine and eating their gourmet sandwiches. so different from the higher-levels.
did i enjoy sitting in the high-priced seats? you bet. i loved it! because i'm a very quiet observer. i clap and cheer and sometimes yell out some positive encouragement but so did those around me. but… i'm not into boo-ing or creating too much 'hoop-la', so to speak. and to be so up and close is a different perspective. otherwise, i lose interest in the game. because to be honest, i'm not a sports fanatic. i love being there, live, for the experience. and i understand enough about the game to follow without any problems.
but i'm not your typical, fan 590 am, need to follow every game from any season of whichever sport, type of gal.
that just takes up too much time. time which i would rather spend reading, these days.
at the same time, i have to admit, that sitting up on those higher levels, brings me closer to the spirit of the fans. which in itself, is a remarkable experience as well. to be around that type of spirit is a unique experience. it feels good… like a big blanket of excitement, sweeping me along with them.
yet, even in those very expensive seats we were in, yesterday, there's still one or two hecklers that just makes me twinge. and it's this type of behaviour that i just don't get. for example, one man, just a few rows down from us, shouted out, "it's not like your trying to catch a bouquet! what? you're catching like a girl now?"
i don't think i'm above such people. i just don't understand why they have to take such bad plays of the team, so personally? maybe, i just don't understand what it means to be a true, sports fan. but really… heckling and boo-ing… that always seems to me to be an opposition of team spirit.
not to mention… catch like a girl? how does a girl catch? or throw? what the hell is he trying to imply? has he not seen women athletes in action? what century is he from? oye!
i asked doug, later on, if i was too sensitive to such sexist remarks. especially when it's against women. the other day, my uncle sent me one of those 'if women ruled the world' type emails which showed photos of various things that indicated what the world would look like if women really did rule the world. most of the photos were pretty insulting, i thought. yet my uncle thought it was not only funny, but insightful.
insightful? hell no! a picture of a keyboard with an 'any' key on it (in the literal sense to play on the figurative sense)? a computer mouse that opened up to be a compact? what is it saying about women? because i, for sure, along with many women that i know… am computer literate. and do not put make-up as a priority in my day-to-day life (in fact, i go to work with no make-up at all – or just minimal eye-liner when i feel like it). i took the email with a grain of salt, though. i was not mad at my uncle because he's a bit ignorant and he didn't think it was be offensive because the email had been sent by a woman.
but when he asked me what i thought about it, i was very honest with him, without directing the anger towards him, of course. and i did say that that woman who sent it, should be ashamed of herself for setting us women back a few decades.
maybe i'm a little bit of a feminist. i don't know. i just have little tolerance for things like that. some mild jokes here and there i don't mind… but for the most part, i suppose i am sensitive to such comments and jokes like that of the above.
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