When the World Series ends and your team loses

2017 was a great season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They dominated Major League Baseball and found themselves vying for the World Series Championship 29 years after they had last won in 1988.
 
My partner Richard and I cheered in our seats at Dodger Stadium for the final Game 7 of the World Series, hoping for a huge victory for Los Angeles.
 
Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost to the Houston Astros.
 
If you didn’t know this, Richard and I spent a large part of our time this year going to Dodger games.
 
And unbeknownst to many, being a fan can take a lot of time, energy and money!
 
Each baseball team plays 162 games per season.
 
The Dodgers won 104 of its games, making it the number one team of all of baseball in the regular season. The Astros won 101 of their games. This matchup was worthy of a World Series contention.
 
We shared season tickets with three other friends, which meant that we rotated attendance once every four games. We also bought tickets for every home game of the postseason, including the World Series.
 
Each game lasts about three hours, sometimes more. On top of that, we count in the time taking the metro and the Dodger Express shuttle to and from the game.
 
For most of the games, we brought our own salads, sandwiches and drinks. Occasionally, we would buy frozen yogurt, ice cream sandwiches or Dodger hot dogs to munch on at the stadium.
 
Imagine sustaining this high level of activity from April all the way through early November.
 
So when the Dodgers lost the final game of the World Series, it’s no surprise we experienced a huge loss.
 
On Facebook, fans posted their comforting words to console each other:
 
“The Dodgers played great this year. We should be proud!”
 
“This is a World Series to remember.”
 
“We’ll be back next year. 2018 here we come!”
 
On my Facebook feed, I posted this:
 
“Dodgers fans, yes, it was a great series, and also it’s okay to mourn…”
 
I feel like I’m in mourning.
 
But I’m mourning not only the loss of the championship, but also the loss that comes with ending an incredible year.
 
Throughout this baseball season, we felt like we lived life to the fullest.
 
We made new friends and met so many incredible and wonderful fans who shared with us their personal stories of how the Dodgers inspired them, including one Lyft driver who told us how this team helped him in his journey to recovery from drugs.
 
Richard and I saw our smiling faces on the Dodger Vision jumbotron multiple times, and we even made it one time on the Kiss Cam!
 
We enjoyed Los Angeles come together in a way that made our city feel special.
 
Yes, I may be mourning, but embedded in this World Series loss are countless moments of joy.
 
This is the truth that we sometimes overlook when we are mourning.
 
We mourn because we cared.
 
We mourn because we experienced life's fullness and now it’s come and gone.
 
As I bid adieu to this tremendous baseball season, I carry these treasured moments with me and say with gratitude:
 
Thank you to the Los Angeles Dodgers for an incredible season, and a hearty congratulations to the Houston Astros for a game well played.

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