Victory

A group of people I’d never met excelled at a sport that I ‘d never played, and my heart swelled with nationalistic pride.

Oh, to be sure, the group of people I’d also never met who happened to’ve been born across a border from me played well, but they couldn’t beat the team who, although not one of them so much as knew my name, represented me.

Outside the streets exploded in celebration, as across the nation people who’d contributed nothing to the victory each in turn took personal vindication from the outcome of the sporting match.

“Gold!” they howled.