Music, Sports, Goosebumps

I am a sports fan, at least according to non-sports-fan standards.
This often makes me the odd man out among my musician friends, which I always find fascinating. Why must sport and music be mutually exclusive? Whether it's your favorite alt / country band or your hometown basketball team, you're still a) seeking entertainment and b) rooting for them to win. I follow Ryan Adams' chart position as closely as I follow the Blazers Western Conference standings, which is to say that on any given day I'm probably somewhat aware of them.
So a friend of mine posted U2's 2002 (post 9/11) Superbowl Halftime performance on Facebook today for some reason. And it took me back that time. I saw U2 at the Staples Center in November of 2001. It was pretty similar to the halftime show, except 2 hours long. At the beginning of "Streets" Bono asked "What can we give back to God, for the blessings he poured out on us?" a wash of blinding white light over took the crowd and as the song crashed in, someone near me thew Bono an American flag which he held up and ran around the heart-shaped runway. Later a screen arose behind the stage on which all the names of the people lost on 9/11 scrolled. As the band started in to "Walk On" Bono yelled out at the top of his lungs "U S A!" and for that moment 20,000 people simultaneously knew that everything was going to be okay. Just watching that clip 10 years later gives me goosebumbs.
I also get goosebumps watching highlights of Brandon Roy's amazing Game 4. Again, 20,000 people believing, if only for just a few moments, that anything was possible. Music is obviously more important to me than sports, but that's probably just because I actually am good at playing music. But I've realized that I approach them both in a very similar fashion. I read the liner notes of every album I buy because I want to know which musicians played on the record, who produced it, who mixed it, etc... I also check Blazersedge regularly because I like to know the general daily goings on. I follow a game like I follow a concert. But what I'm really looking for is that special moment that probably only happens a few times in ones life (unless you're a L*ker fan, in which case it happened a few times while you were in college). The moment when we dare to dream of the seemingly impossible, and it actually happens! I've had a few concert memories like that, and a few sporting events as well. It's pretty awesome.

The common shared experience.
It seems like our society is becoming increasingly fragmented. Facebook is life and conversation is limited to 160 characters or less. You can find out someone's religious and political beliefs, or anything else, and decide whether you want to be their friend before you've even met them. Everyone has their own club and the people in the other club suck.
Lately I feel like the clock is ticking anytime I meet someone new. I mean, to even get in the door you're stat sheet better check out. And if your stat sheet is perfect, well all you can do then is disappoint in person. But you better do it quick because everyone has way more Facebook friends than they do real life friends, and whether you're looking for a job or a date, you're just one of a constant stream of suitors. I wonder how many people I've written off because their stat sheet didn't seem up to snuff at the time. How many people have written me off for the same reason? Is it possible that I've applied for a job and they've looked at my Facebook and decided to pass without even interviewing me in person? I say it's highly likely. I know for a fact my old employer always looks at someone's Facebook before replying to an application.
I better jump off this tangent before it spirals to a dark place. The point is, music and sports are the only two things I can think of which are capable of producing that ultimate shared crowd experience. And just remembering them can make you feel euphoric all over again. We set aside all the chaos and collectively achieve the impossible. I wish that happened more often, because it's a great feeling.
At the end of the day, we're all rooting for the same team. That team is us, and we just might win.