"After the World Series is over, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do," Stanton said, sitting on a park bench in downtown Toronto as a spatter of October rain drizzled on his blue cap embroidered with a vintage Jays logo. The 70-year-old retired supply chain manager has been a baseball fan since he was five and he's been entranced by the Cinderella story of the Jays' most recent evolution, on their way to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers."
"Watching more than 100 baseball games a season is usually a solitary activity for Robbins. But lately, his brother-in-law and sister have joined him and the online baseball discussion boards he contributes to have been lively. That feeling of others appreciating the sport he loves has felt glorious, he said. It's cut through the monotonous nature of life at this time of year, as the chill in the air deepens and the sky darkens earlier. "I feel a part of something," Robbins said."
"That collective identity creates a sense of belonging, which can mitigate isolation and loneliness at a time when those feelings are all too common."
Robert Stanton, 70, a lifelong baseball fan, finds daily anticipation in the Toronto Blue Jays' World Series run. Matthew Robbins in St. John's usually watches more than 100 games a season alone, but recent playoff success has brought family involvement and livelier online discussions. The Blue Jays, as Canada's only Major League Baseball team, generate a coast-to-coast unifying pull that fosters collective identity. That sense of belonging helps mitigate feelings of isolation and loneliness, particularly as colder, darker months deepen. Increased shared fandom produces social connection and emotional uplift for disparate fans across the country.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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