It's a rare occurrence for gay pop anthems and baseball to intersect. When they do, it’s worth writing about.
The Red Sox advanced to the ALCS Monday with an epic walk-off win against the Rays at Fenway Park. Kiké Hernandez lifted a fly ball to let field and pimped his shot like he had hit a home run. When pinch-runner Danny Santana came around to score, the party was on.
Siri, play “Dancing on My Own.”
Following an emotional and euphoric on-field celebration, the Red Sox headed to the clubhouse, where they started popping bottles. They were largely picked to finish around .500 this season (or worse) and miss out on the playoffs by a sizable margin. Their dismal performance in Baltimore to begin the season seemed to confirm all of the worst suppositions about this year’s squad.
The Red Sox battled back from devastating losses, bullpen meltdowns and a Covid breakout that nearly derailed their season. They lost series to the woebegone Orioles and Nationals to close out their rollercoaster campaign.
Just three weeks ago, few people on the outside believed the Red Sox could get past the Yankees or Rays.
I keep dancing on my own.
Rallying around the concept of “proving people wrong” is nothing new in sports. Players always talk about their “haters” and declare that “nobody believed in us.” The Patriots even pulled that card in 2019. Talk about ridiculous.
And no dance hits accompanied their cries.
While Robyn originally released the song, the Red Sox were jamming out to a remix by Calum Scott, who is gay, and the DJ, Tiesto. So they weren’t just playing the top-40 version, either.
The clubhouse scene was more circuit festival than bachelorette party.
It’s obvious the Red Sox are playing loose and having fun. You need that kind of confidence to dance on your own.