Introverts, Extroverts, and Something Else Entirely
1 June 2009
I used to believe there were two types of people in the world—introverts and extroverts. Last Friday night, Ben and I went to the Royals game, and I discovered a third type.
First, Royals’ games are unlike any other baseball games I’ve gone to. (I’ve been to four other stadiums in my years.) Between innings, there’s constant activity. Dance competitions, a kiss cam, several relays (one of which people are dressed in hot dog suits) and a variety of other things.
As if all this isn’t enough, someone is often trying to get the wave going, usually a group of semi-drunk guys. But on Friday night, it was one guy who was at least sober enough to jog up and down the stairs, trying to get the crowd enthused for some wave action. When he got our section going, he shifted down in hopes of expanding.
This was when I discovered Personality Type Three. A type so foreign to me that I can’t even attempt to name it. It’s obviously a strain of extrovert, but wow. I feel weird talking to small groups of people I know about things I feel passionately about, yet this guy—the sober wave-starter—didn’t mind standing up in front of a crowd of strangers in the name of the wave. (And for those familiar enough with Kauffman stadium to ask, he didn’t have on any K-Crew stuff. He really did seem to be acting alone.)
Later, during the YMCA (is that mandatory at every sporting event???) we had our second encounter with a Personality Type Three. Up on the stadium screen, they showed various groups of people dancing along to the music, all who clearly hoped to capture the attention of the camera men. Mostly they were groups of girls, though some were kids, and others were guys our age who had painted their chests. Then a girl came on the screen. A very normal looking girl around my age. Unlike the others, she was alone, and she was sitting. But when she noticed her image being broadcasted in front of 30ish thousand people, she leapt out of her chair and busted some moves. By herself. Alone. No group of girlfriends dancing alongside her and no beer in sight.
As I watched her for those ten-ish seconds, I realized my reaction, had I found a camera trained on me, would have basically been the exact opposite. I mean, I try to avoid standing up at baseball games, afraid of blocking someone’s view. And I feel silly just dancing in the privacy of my living room with McKenna. If they put me up on the screen, I might offer a bashful wave, but I also might just slink down in my chair and turn really, really red.
Hopefully, I’ll never have the opportunity to find out.
And hopefully everyone had a great Monday.
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