STEELE SPORTS
It’s not often as a fan that you get to see a moment or game that changes the landscape of an entire sport or league.
Even less likely is bearing witness to two historic moments on the same weekend.
Much to the delight of Vikings fans, Saturday brought the largest comeback in NFL history to the Twin Cities when the Vikings came all the way back from down 33 points to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 39-36 and clinch the NFC North divisional title.
Less than 24 hours later, soccer fans worldwide were blessed with the opportunity to watch one of the best players to ever lace up their boots, Lionel Messi, win the last defining accomplishment of his career: a World Cup.
It’s not often that sports move me to tears, but I can say wholeheartedly that I became emotional over both games as I watched them on my TV.
On Saturday, I was one more Colts score away from changing the channel when I received a text from my cousin saying, “As crazy as it sounds, there’s a lot of game left.”
This text alone was my last holdout to keep the game on and hold onto my faith in the Vikings.
Fast forward nearly 40 minutes of football later, and I was hugging my best friends and jumping around my apartment causing a ruckus with no words to even describe what I had just watched.
The beauty of sports had struck again.
What had seemed like the beginning of a bleak Saturday turned out to become an unforgettable day in my career as a sports fan, and little did I know it would just be the tip of the iceberg.
Waking up the next day at 8 a.m. sharp, I knew that my weekend would not be complete until I watched Messi claim his rightful spot atop the throne of international soccer.
After more than 120 minutes of play and two goals from Messi, including a penalty to put Argentina on the board in penalties, his storybook career for his country had finally reached its crescendo.
In the words of British soccer commentator Peter Drury, “The little boy from Rosario, Argentina, on behalf of every little boy wearing his shirt” had finally done it.
As I sat on my couch dumbstruck by what I had just watched, I just lost it.
No movie, song or story had ever moved me in the way that I was watching Messi accomplish the curtain call feat of his career.
There was truly no better ending to his service to Argentina.
This weekend was a reminder as to why I love sports, and why everyone in this world should be able to cherish something that makes them feel a spectrum of emotions as strong as the ones I felt in a mere 48 hours.
For those of you who watched this weekend’s games, I hope your experience was a similar one.
If you see me around town, feel free to share with me some moments that made you feel a similar way.