On February 11, Hillside Café was teeming with Valentine’s Day spirit at Agape Latte. The night’s speaker, Professor Michael Serazio of the Communication Department, focused his talk on the concept of love. Inspired by the popular Buzzfeed listicle format, Prof. Serazio presented his talk, titled “The Five Things I Fell in Love With,” as a list. Each item represented something personally meaningful that had won his affection.
The first item on. Serazio’s list was The San Diego Chargers. Though he humorously lamented that the team caused him much misery year-in and year-out, his loyalty to the Chargers is unshakable. Serazio loved the Chargers because they was more to him than just a sports franchise—he described the team as a family heirloom. The Chargers gave his family a reason to get together, it gave him something to talk about with his grandfather, and was an easy way for him to declare his hometown pride.
While Serazio extensively explains sports fandom in his 2019 book The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture, his Agape Latte talk briefly summarized of why athletics are so impactful—they give people a sense of community and identity, which are the two things humans crave most. Just as religion provides feelings of belonging and greater purpose, sports allow people to feel more connected to their community. However, the Chargers relocated from Serazio’s hometown to Los Angeles in 2017, an unfortunate reminder that “anything that exists for profit will never love you back.”
The second item on Serazio’s list was laughter—more specifically, the laughter of old friends. Serazio recounted the funeral of a long-time comrade—though it was a period of tears and sadness, it reunited Serazio with some old friends. While mourning their loss, the companions also shared laughter as they reminisced days gone by. Serazio believed there was no better tribute to their deceased companion than sharing in the joy and nostalgia of golden memories. According to Serazio, there are few more beautiful noises than the mirth of an old friend, and he encouraged the audience to “cultivate people in your life who bring you great laughter.” Genuine laughter is so powerful because it removes any affectation and “strips away the pretense that you’re trying to be someone else.”
The third item on Serazio’s list was the Social Gospel. As a self-identified political junky, Serazio values the application of the Bible to real-world social justice issues. While personal conversion stories are admirable, he cares more about what one does after this conversion—how do people apply the Bible to improving the lives of others? According to Serazio, we should never assume that we deserve our blessings or that anyone deserves their misfortunes. The Bible encourages us to love our enemies and help the least of our brothers and sisters, whatever their circumstance.
The next love on Serazio’s list was his wife, and more specifically, “the way time passes” when he’s around his wife. Serazio stated: “I knew it was love because time passed in an effortless way.” For Serazio, time didn’t pass too fast or too slow—time was magical, and he felt there was a sparkle to the world when they were around each other.
The final item on Serazio’s list was the simple act of holding his young daughter’s hand. While Serazio jested that he used to believe parenthood was a cult, he can now relate to the strong emotions that come with being a father. Serazio reflected on the varied situations in which he holds her hand—whether it be playfully during their Friday-night dance parties, cautiously when crossing the street, or encouragingly when teaching her to ice skate. “By holding her hand I’m guiding her into this world.”
Despite his infinite love for holding hands with his daughter, Serazio acknowledged, “someday she won’t want to hold my hand,” a reminder that what we love won’t last forever. He ended his talk with words from philosopher Michele Foucault, “What is true for writing and for love relationships is true also for life. The game is worthwhile insofar as we don’t know where it will end.”
Quentin is studying biology at Boston College. He enjoys spending his time outdoors, whether it be hiking, camping, or canoeing. His other favorite pastimes include running, writing for The Torch, eating obscene amounts of chocolate, and crushing his opponents at Catan.
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