Pride

Today on the train...there was an energy that I haven't felt before. Two big sporting events were going on that affected Los Angelenos. Mexico was playing in the World Cup and the Los Angeles Lakers were playing their final game in the NBA Finals. 

The train goes right by the Staples Center where the Lakers play, so there were a lot of fans that were on their way to root for their team. A young man got on the train wearing Green, the color of the Celtics playing against the Lakers, and a few guys started to tease him.


"You're wearing the wrong color today man."
"You're in the wrong neighborhood with that shirt on."
"You better watch your back."


Luckily these words were said with laughter, so there was no reason to take the threats seriously. There are definitely some serious fans out there.


Since Los Angeles is almost 50% Latino (according to the Census Bureau), there were also more than a handful of Mexico soccer fans. They had their flags and vuvuzelas in hand (glad they were smart enough not to play them on the train). A couple of old men got on the train and yelled out "Viva Mexico". It was very sweet.


It was great to see everyone so excited. Whether they were proud to be from Los Angeles or proud to be Mexican, the excitement was the same!