So, I'm not a sports fan at all, nor is my husband or any of my family or close friends. I like to remain blissfully unaware of what is going on in that world and for the most part I've been able to do just that. However, living in Seattle in the last few weeks its been impossible not to know that the local team was going to be in the super bowl. During the game we knew things must be going well for Seattle when we heard/felt our quiet residential neighborhood erupt with parties and fireworks. No problem, I like it when others are having a good time.
Now comes the aftermath of having won this apparently very important event and today at my son's preschool I finally realized just how seriously everyone is taking this. At 'closing circle' when all the parents have gathered to pick up their offspring and we have our daily kumbaya moment singing the 'goodbye song' while rocking our kids on our laps, the teacher very enthusiastically said she had a question for the parents. She said (wearing her #12 Jersey) "Since our beloved Sehawks have won the superbowl and we're all going to want to attend the big parade for them on Wednesday morning - would any parents object to cancelling school on Wednesday?!" With a look of pure joy that clearly wasn't going to take no for an answer she added "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" (not very optimistic, if you ask me). Several of the parents voiced their approval and stated that they would be pulling their older kids out of school to attend the parade and of course we should cancel school. I sat rather flabbergasted while just one mother, much braver than I, and also wearing a football shirt (so clearly a supporter) said "Um, yes, I would be opposed to that". After an awkward silence I backed her up but said I wouldn't make an issue of it if the majority wanted to cancel. In the end nothing was decided and the board chairperson (it's a co-op) is taking an anonymous poll before they make a decision.
Is it just me, or is that just a bit ridiculous? I mean, we pay for each of these school days (there would be no make-up day). A lot of people work while their kids are in school. Some, like me, use that time for personal projects and appointments (I happen to have my dental cleaning that day, not that it can't be cancelled). I just found it strange and inconsiderate to assume that everyone would want to go to the parade, that everyone is a football fan and that everyone, fan or not, would drop everything to make it happen. And what about the message we're sending to the kids? That it's all about winning. Sports are fine, but why such a big deal about the winning part? Would we be skipping school to celebrate if the orange team had won? This is one of the reasons why I love MMM, besides all the great practical things I've learned, I love the idea that competition and winning isn't what it's all about. But I feel like a fever has taken over the city and everyone is walking around like a zombie over this - albeit a happy zombie. I guess that's a plus. Ok, rant over.