Lang Storey
The 4th of July looks a bit different these days in my family. For over two decades, my dad’s side of the family – 10 of us – would gather at the beach. Each year, we’d repeat the same traditions with a remarkable degree of accuracy. Eat the same foods, play the same beach games, set up camp for the same fireworks show and so on.
Eventually we grew up, taking on lives and busy schedules of our own. Those rock solid traditions gradually began to morph into one of those “show up if you can” type things.
Granted, a lot has happened among the family over the past few years aside from just growing up. New cities, new jobs, a couple marriages and the like have added to the difficulty of getting together.
In 2018, we lost my grandfather. He was our family’s patriarch and - it’s apparent now - the glue that held it all together. Despite the loss, our crew has grown. In a four-year span, I’ve picked up a nephew and two nieces. The middle one even stole my name – kind of. She goes by Langley.
This Independence Day, we pulled it off, somehow managing to get everyone under one roof.
Given that a few of us now bring along a “plus one”, the group was bigger than ever. While we did get to sprinkle in a little golf, watch Wimbledon and catch the Bravos on TV, the focus of this gathering was not sports – much to my dismay. Being with those I love the most, I was able to get over it pretty quick.
Almost everything is better with a crowd. That fact is in large part what got me into sports. Stadiums/arenas packed to the gills with all eyes fixed on the field/court? Yes please. I’m fascinated by the notion that on any given fall Saturday, dozens of venues across the nation are loaded up with 80,000-plus, all the action unfolding simultaneously.
During summertime – much to the chagrin of my girIfriend – I spend more late nights than I care to admit flipping through multiple MLB.TV broadcasts. The platform essentially lets you stream every Major League (and now every Minor League) game. I get carried away because I enjoy seeing the turnout in each locale and watching how fans interact with the opposition as well as their own players. I’m sure you’ve heard of teams branding themselves as “family.” Some embody that more than others.
Each team has its ebbs and flows, good years and bad years. Days where the stadium is at full capacity and days on which you could hear a pin drop.
Yet one thing seems to remain the same. Fanbases and “families” that stick together the most and defy circumstances that make doing seem impractical, are the ones who thrive – no matter the venue.
Lang Storey is the sports writer for The Northeast Georgian. Reach him at 706-778-4215 or lstorey@TheNortheastGeorgian.com.