I vividly remember the first time I covered a baseball game this March. It was an early season non-league contest between the Emerald Ridge Jaguars and Sumner Spartans baseball squads in Sumner.
The temperatures outside were so cold, I could barely feel my fingers. Much to my chagrin, I didn’t come to the game prepared. Instead of sporting a heavy duty raincoat or sweatshirt, I was wearing khaki shorts and a button up flannel shirt. I was enjoying a finely played non-league baseball game between East Pierce County schools but at the same time my body was utterly miserable due to the inclement weather conditions. Not only was it frigid outside, scattered showers fell from the sky off and on throughout the game.
Luckily a generous fan in the stands offered me an umbrella and some nifty hand warmers I didn’t even know existed. I deeply appreciated their generosity and thanked them for offering me warmth and shelter for the better part of two hours while I covered the contest.
A little under two weeks ago, generosity from the fans once again helped me battle the weather conditions. Only this time, the temperature soared into the upper 80s and low 90s instead of cold, wind and rain like earlier in the season.
On May 16 and May 17, I spent two full days covering the Class 4A fastpitch district playoffs at Sprinker Recreation Center in Parkland. Following the first day of games I looked like a lobster. The sunburn on my face, arms and legs actually looked worse than it appeared. During the second day of the tournament, at least three people in the stands offered me spray on sunscreen and bottled water to help cool me down. Once again, I was extremely grateful for what complete strangers did for me. My skin peeled off of me for a week following the tournament and if it wasn’t for those fans I’m sure I would have peeled for even a longer amount of time.
The reason I decided to share this with the public is because far too often the media only highlights fans who do the wrong thing instead of the right thing. The truth is that there are just as many fans— if not more, who do something good as opposed to those small few who do something stupid. In my mind, 99 percent of fans are great, but it’s the measly one percent who ruin it for everybody.
The kindness these fans showed me is something I will remember for a long while. To those handful of fans who helped me out, thank you for being kind.
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