As I sit on my couch and watch an absurd amount of college football on the ninth anniversary of one of the most tragic events in our nation’s history, I can’t help but notice the flag flying high in the stadiums and think about the National Anthem before the game. All the fans in the stands are so diverse as individuals, but are in the stadium for the same purpose. They are there for a common purpose, to root on the team that they all love.

This is how the U.S. should be as a country. When your team makes a big play, or puts some points on the board, no one cares who is sitting next to them. You still extend a hand for a high-five from that person. You don’t care whether that person is black or white or purple or what have you, you do not care what religion that person is. All you know is that that person is there for the same thing as you. You have something in common.

If we the people of this country could act more like this in our everyday lives, the impact we would have on the rest of the world would stretch farther than any of us could possibly imagine.

Some football stadium crowds refer to themselves as “The 12th Man” because they are so loud that they help their team out on defense, almost acting as an extra player. As citizens we should act as the 12th man for our country. The greatest fans stand behind their team even when things aren’t going perfectly. America is beginning to lose sight of the important things; we are becoming selfish and worrying too much about little things instead of focusing on the greater purpose.

As one of the greatest pioneers of this mentality our country has ever seen said, “A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives.” (Jackie Robinson).

After 9/11 of 2001, America came unbelievably close to achieving the goal of being unified as one. The patriotism was as high as possible; we were beginning to truly become what our founding fathers had in mind when they started this great nation.

Be the 12th man.