The Twelfth Man

You are sitting alone in an empty stadium, clapping and shouting for your team on the pitch. It’s going to feel futile.

But when the stadium is full it’s a different story.

They sometimes still refer to the support of the crowd for the team as The Twelfth Man. Of course, if it’s the women’s team being supported, we would, or should, be talking about The Twelfth Woman.

But the idea is that the support of the crowd is like having an extra person on the team.

Sometimes in life, when we are feebly trying to support a cause, it can feel as though we are in the stadium alone, and that our support is pointless.

But often there are other people adding support that we aren’t even aware of. Or perhaps, by clapping our support, we can inspire other onlookers to clap too.

Anyway, I’m sure the analogy is clear enough.

Let’s not underestimate ourselves or our potential influence. The players are the main event, but they value and are strengthened by our support.