THE BEST DAY

In which John's joy is unfettered, uncontained, and ongoing. A light-soaked day is here as AFC Wimbledon take on Milton Keynes. I got to be at the game, and magic happened.

It's not easy to wax poetic over the sound of my singing "Franchise are [redacted] everywhere they go," but I persevered.

Video sources:
Footage from the pub by Antony Brown on facebook

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[hankschannel]

Huge fan of how hoarse your voice is 😂

[QuirkyGeek]

"I don't need you to love football. I only need you to love something that brings you together with others whose love is pointing in the same direction." - John Green

[Julesdoesstuff]

Thanks for assuring us that the ball boy was okay, I was worried 😂

[franny]

I don't know exactly why but when the commentator lost his cool and started shouting I started bawling... I don't exactly care for football(or soccer I guess) but I have always liked the story of an underdog. Congratulations Afc Wimbledon fans, you deserve it

[Idefilms]

This feels like The Anthropocene Reviewed again. John's memoir continues to write itself every Tuesday ❤

[abdullahenani]

Singing “I can’t help falling in love” in the pub was the best choice.

[abdullahenani]

“I wasn’t even in my body, I was in some light soaked plain of existence where all hope is rewarded.” perfectly describes how I felt that moment.

[andrewduke]

I was almost expecting John to be like "I give Wimbelton beating Milton Keynes at home 5 stars" like this was the anthropocene reviewed.

[nathanjones]

IM THE GUY SINGING WITH JOHNNIE ! 🤣 pleasure to meet you John, thank you for your years of support in all forms ❤

[aceface]

Whenever John talks about AFC Wimbledon it's got big "Nerd discovers sports are fun actually" vibes and I love that for him.

[ChrisHallbeck]

I’m so happy you were there for this. 😊😊😊

[goredgord]

That ballboy disappearing took my breath away. Both with fear for his safety, and just the sense of joy. That's just an unbelievable core memory for a child, wild wild joy

[LibbyStephenson]

"Crochet, or Jane Austen, or distance running" - how did John know what all of my hobbies are?

[abdullahenani]

Of all the unimportant things, football is the most important.

[gmarie]

I'm 70 and I don't follow sports much. That said, when I was in high school, my school's team was playing the other HS team in our town. We'd NEVER beaten them. With under a minute left in the game, we were losing again and most of the people in the stands had filed out. It was in those last few seconds that our QB threw a long pass which resulted in a longer run and a touchdown that won the game! Those of us remaining lost our minds with joy, jumping up and down, laughing and screaming. To this day, that moment remains one of the most joyous moments of my life. I'll never forget it.

[josephcorridon]

It's incredible timing that this video comes out as soon as I get home from a concert that will almost surely go down as the best live concert I will ever experience. The lead singer got down into the crowd and I was one of the people he sang with.
I don't love football, but The National do give that same feeling of ecstacy and hope rewarded.

[Gracexplosion]

I feel like John lived a Ted Lasso episode.
This is so pure and so joyful! What a wonderful moment of community, unity, love, and passion. So happy for you and your team!

[bendubz]

Never has a yellow card for excessive celebration been worried about less.

John, AFC Wimbledon were the away team in the first game I ever attended. 5th January 2008, Maidstone United 1-2 AFC Wimbledon, Isthmian Premier. That game was played in Sittingbourne because we, like Wimbledon, had to start again from the bottom because of a crook killing our club. It wasn't until 2012 that we finally returned home.

What happened last week was simply beautiful. First, getting to see my hometown where I never imagined they'd ever be, ending a fairytale run in defeat, but also in glory, with nearly 5000 travelling fans in attendance. And then seeing Wimbledon beat the Franchise currently residing in Milton Keynes at the death in front of your own fans. It's success stories like this that make football so wonderful. Underdogs punching above their weight to create magic

[ColbyHerman]

Not me, weeping with joy for a team I don't know playing a sport I've never watched.

[toastcalm]

"To be in community is to be more fully alive." Amen John, great video.