This Sunday, Joventut lost to Real Madrid. This is the objective headline that was published everywhere, but the atmosphere at the Olímpic de Badalona went far beyond the sports headlines. The day was special, and for that reason, the arena was packed again – as it hadn't been for a long time – with more than 11,000 people. This season, even before it began, offered Joventut fans an extraordinary incentive: the return of Ricky Rubio home. On Sunday, against a strong rival that, traditionally – also for political reasons – enjoys winning, the crowd showed from the first second of the game that they were ready to give their all to the players on the court. The fact that Ricky Rubio started was already a welcome message, with smiles, shouts of encouragement, and thunderous applause. And Ricky did not disappoint. Not so much for his skill—unquestionable at this point—but for his attitude. And the stands understood the message. Every one of his plays was met with thunderous applause, and when the ball didn't go in the basket, the crowd's chanted lament must have clearly reached the player's ear.
That's what I wanted to talk about. The communion that can be created without a single word between an idol and his fans. Obviously, it's happened hundreds of times before with other athletes, or with singers, or with actresses. But in that case—I'm convinced—the dialogue that was established was deeper. People weren't just applauding a good assist or a defensive effort. The Olímpic crowd wanted to express their gratitude to Ricky Rubio for a gesture that goes beyond sporting achievements: it was about valuing the gesture of acknowledging his roots and returning home, and thanking him for the way he returned: committed, motivated, generous.
The climax came when Rubio missed a seemingly easy basket. The player made his anger and disappointment evident, and the crowd, as if everyone had agreed, stood up and erupted in cheers. It was as if the entire crowd wanted to embrace him and tell him it was okay, that they were happy to have him back home even if the ball missed so many times. And deep down, it was also clear that, given the sincerity with which Ricky had shared his mental health struggles, everyone wanted to show him extra empathy.
Joventut Badalona held their own in the first half, but then Real Madrid went ten points ahead, and everyone thought that would be a difficult comeback. But the players had decided they weren't going to give up. And the arena was filled with moments of pure ecstasy, which, however, didn't ultimately lead to victory. Down by five points at the end of the game, the entire Olímpic arena gave the team a long standing ovation. Joventut Badalona, La Penya, is a club with a long and very specific history, and that game highlighted a particular way of doing things. It's not that we don't like to win, but there are more important things.
