Everybody touch somebody

The other day I was listening to one of my favorite radio shows and podcasts, This American Life. It was a "rerun" of an early show and featured stories about sports, something that isn't happening live right now.  One story dealt with a high school football team in Mississippi (Alabama?) after Hurricane Katrina.  Despite the devastation, lack of a full squad, and homelessness, the high school team rallied to play a game against their rivals. 



I'm not an athlete, I've never played competitively on any sport team.  On occasion I've been involved in co-ed or intramural sports, and I have served as a guest "faculty coach" for teams at colleges where I've worked and been part of the pre-game locker room rituals.  All teams seem to have the tradition of a "huddle" where the players gather tightly together and chant before heading to the field.  I've heard coaches and team captains call this maneuver by variously saying "huddle up" or "bring it in" or "all together now."  However, this high school coach said, "everybody touch somebody."  The phrase was repeated a few times throughout the radio episode and each time it struck me as particularly poignant.  Even though I couldn't see the team, I knew they were huddling.  But "everybody touch somebody" feels more intimate, more personal.  And such a good mantra for life outside of sports. 

Everybody touch somebody.