Shooting For The Record (or, When The Shot Is Not Enough)
It seems that every time I watch a game these days
Someone is breaking a record
We like to feel like we are part of history
They make up stats we never considered
It use to be most points in a game
Now it’s most points by a father son duo
Use to be most yards
Now it’s most yards thrown by a left handed quarterback
It just keeps getting more specific
And it makes us feel like we’re part of something
We keep watching
So we can say we were at the game when Curry shot the most distant three pointer of any player in history of the game when the clock was exactly at 3:47
Remember that game?
I was there
I saw it
I lived through history
Somewhere along the lines
They realized that makes people keep watching
When all the shots have been taken
When the shooting is no longer exciting
When it’s just another season
Let’s make sure to mark some moments
Moments that might not mean anything had we not defined them
Were you alive the day
You know when those kids shot up Columbine?
There were other schools after but I don’t remember the rest
How bout Sandy hooks?
That had to be the youngest school
How bout when the man shot up the night club?
I forgot the name.
Of the man
And the club
But it was the largest mass shooting in US History
At the time
I remember that one
How bout the time the man shot all those people in Vegas?
Wasn’t that some new record
Maybe this year we’ll have the most mass shootings ever
That will be something to remember
That would keep me watching
If we were going for the record
If it might be something spectacular
Otherwise it’s just another shot
Another run
Another day
Nothing breaks
Nothing changes
No one cares
They’re just shooting
Maybe we can learn something from Sportscenter
Sometimes you gotta make up events
To excite the spectators
“The largest mass shooting against Jewish people ever”
“Against black people ever”
“Against police”
“Perpetrated by a US citizen”
“By a non us citizen”
“By a black man”
(Nah black people don’t do that shit…
Except for…okay…fuck it)
“By a Muslim terrorist”
“Islamic radical”
“By a white man”
It’s gonna be hard to break that record
They always setting the record
They always making the record
Maybe we can start letting some of these black folks shot by the police break records too you know?
“Black man shot by the police had the most golds in his mouth ever”
“Had the most amount of money in his pocket ever”
Or maybe just, “graduated college.”
Something to distinguish between
This one and the last one
I’m losing track
The records are blending together
They’re getting messy
They mean nothing
Unless we make them
Because too many shots have been taken
For me to be amazed by any one in particular
So keep shooting y’all
And we’ll worry about the labels
Because the shot itself
Is not enough