I just finished reading a very quirky and sweet, as well as somber, book called Stargirl. It’s about a homeschooler who attends public school for a while and the effects it has on her. She’s very different from the other children—much more different than the homeschoolers I know, in fact; I have yet to meet a ukulele player, myself—and one of the things she does is cheer for both teams when she becomes a cheerleader.

The school shuns her for it, unfortunately, though she has a point—and when reading about it, I was reminded of the Arizona Diamondbacks and when they won the World Series, which included a win during the playoffs against my own home team, the St. Louis Cardinals. I grew up surrounded by Cardinals fans and was one myself, and still am to this day. I’m not rabidly supportive like some people, but I enjoy going to the game when I can.

That year—I believe it was 2001, the year I graduated—they were still fairly new, only three years old, and an expansion team. They were quickly known for being the fastest expansion team to advance to the playoffs, let alone win the World Series. Even though they beat us to it, I remember everyone I know being wildly supportive, just because it was so amazing.

But could you imagine if life in general were like that? Where everyone cheered everyone else on, despite where you come from or what you believe in or who you are? A part of me has always felt like sports exist to polarize us and keep us hungry for violence and separation (why else would it be such a lucrative business and not shut down by the government?), but in times like that, it really feels like they’re a part of our lives and that we all come together to support one another rather than scream in each other’s faces.

Too bad it’s not an everyday occurrence.