It was a hockey night in Pittsburgh, and I was looking forward to my two favorite Penguins vs. Red Wings game traditions.
First, I enjoyed listening to my husband get lightly heckled for wearing a Red Wings jersey. Oh, come one. He deserves it. And if you’re going to be heckled at a Pittsburgh sporting event, it’s better to face the friendly, open minded crowds at Consol Energy Center than run into some serious, less accepting Steelers fans at Heinz Field.
“Hey! Sit down!” one guy behind us teased when Detroit scored a goal and my husband leaped to his feet, pumped his fist, then, remembering where he was, looked cautiously around to see if anyone was offended by his Detroit fandom.
“Don’t worry,” I announced to the surrounding fans. “Every time he wears a Red Wings jersey, the Penguins always win.”
Everyone laughed. That seemed to appease them.
The second thing I enjoy is watching kids on the Jumbotron because kids never react like adults. When a grown up realizes that the camera is on them, there’s a split second of surprise, then they instinctively try to do something “Jumbotronic.” Nobody ever waves to the camera, then stuffs nachos in their mouth. They point, dance, shake, laugh and put on a display of public histrionics because that’s what grownups are conditioned to do when they are on the Jumbotron.
Kids, on the other hand, have no clue. First off, they don’t understand the immediacy of the Jumbotron. When they see the big screen above the ice rink, it’s like watching a gigantic television. In their minds, something is happening somewhere far away to make those images appear on the big screen. Just like they would never expect to suddenly appear on television in the middle of Kim Possible, kids never expect to see themselves on the Jumbotron in the middle of a Penguins game.
In fact, kids rarely notice that they are up on the big screen until Mom or Dad points it out. Then there’s a moment of shock, confusion and hesitation because kids have no instinct for what they are supposed to do. They often stand there, looking puzzled because they don’t understand that when you are on the Jumbotron, it is your temporary responsibility to entertain.
Sometimes, at a parent’s urging, kids pick up on this quickly. They point, shake, dance, laugh and put on a public display of histrionics, just like the grownups.
Some kids still don’t get it. In the few seconds it takes to realize that everyone in the arena is watching them, they don’t have enough time to react and appear baffled and uncomfortable to be the unexpected center of attention.
Those are my favorite Jumbotron moments.
So when the People Cam at Consol Energy Center caught kids on screen at the Penguins game last week, I laughed, smiled and delighted in watching them.
Oh, and I delighted in the fact that the Red Wings lost.
Sorry, Dear. But keep wearing that jersey.
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