Dear Sir,

My wife and I arrived in Bermuda — my fifth time visiting, her third — July 28, just in time for Cup Match. I’m ignorant of cricket. I hope to someday learn and master its rules. After all, I’m a sports guy and appreciate all sports. But, what I want to say isn’t about cricket.

It’s no secret that things are culturally tense in the US right now. We’re a low trust culture and are dealing with significant levels of alienation and loneliness.

The Cup Match offered a profound example of social solidarity. The entire island came together in a spirit of competition. People grilled and tailgated. They had parties. People I spoke to were eager to share stories of previous Somerset-St George’s matches.

Someone might say: You have this, too — the Super Bowl. But I don’t think it’s the same. I could tell that this was and is an example of a culture saying that this event is theirs and should be cherished. It’s tradition, not just sports. (And that’s especially true of what Cup Match is commemorating — emancipation.)

I know Bermuda has its problems, just like anywhere else. But for this American, the Cup Match — and Bermuda itself — offered a vision of humanity at its best. May we all learn from it.

JON BISHOP

Rochester, New Hampshire