Hope

“It’s the hope that kills you”, a famous saying that can be attributed to almost any situation in life. But it is in the world of sport where it rings truest. Nothing in the world can equate to the emotional rollercoaster one experiences while enduring a game that matters. The brimming hope, the reluctant belief, the dizzying high, the crushing collapse. The ever present anxiety. It all builds and falls as the game reaches its inevitable crescendo of either heartbreak or elation at the final whistle. More often than not it comes down to fine margins and finer lines. Not dissimilar to the razor sharp edge between hope and despair, between love and hate. Nothing compares to sport.

It is usually said of sport that ‘you couldn’t write it’ – never a truer phrase was spoken. If Hollywood could write it, they would have but it is impossible to create a script that can match the unpredictability of live action. Even in other unscripted entertainment – read reality tv, life is equally as dull. The only truly exciting thing ever Made in Chelsea was a 4-4 draw with Liverpool back in 2009. Probably. Those that don’t understand sport can’t truly understand hope. How could they understand, it only exists for sport.

The thing about hope in sport, is that it always disregards the probability, the actual chances of your team winning big and creates at the very least a completely 50:50 scenario. It doesn’t matter if your team is from the depths of the lower leagues, a once mighty side that has fallen on tough times, or a current contestant for ‘best in the world’, in a one off game – anything is possible. Right? Hope!

“If you want to win big, you must be prepared to lose big as well”. An even more amazing thing about hope is the higher you climb, the more you fall. The deeper you swim, the greater the pressure, crushing your every being. But in the depths of the ocean, hope is the tiniest bubble of air that keeps you afloat.

Hope. In times of despair it can be the thing that kills you, but it will forever be the thing with feathers that perches in your soul. It often sings the tune with all the words – But one thing is for sure, understand it or not, it never stops – at all.

Where is next year’s final? Book the hotel!