Passion for the game - passion for competition. The game itself was fairly anticlimactic apart from a few huge plays - why was there such a concentration of big plays in the final quarter? Was it two teams learning about each other's tendencies? The law of big numbers leading towards a certain percentage of success? Fatigue? Or some form of chaos theory?
All I can think of is that when the game was in doubt, fans of both teams were taken on a tremendous roller coaster ride. It's hard to put into words that feeling of wanting a result but having absolutely no impact on the outcome...well actually, it's kind of like watching a rowing race as a coach and knowing that the result is totally in the hands, hearts, and minds of the athletes. Even as I write this it brings me back to that excitement of watching our athletes perform...I wish we could race tomorrow!
