I was raised in an unapologetic "All New York sports" household. What that meant is that we actively rooted for every team that was associated with the Tri-State area, which meant New York (city and state), New Jersey, and Connecticut. We were New Yorkers and that was the way I was taught. Fiercely loyal, eye popping insanity when we win and days of mourning if we lost. That was our way! I remember a few times that I made critical statements to make about a few of these teams and my mother was incredulous. I can't recall her exact words but the responses were in the "Well, it doesn't matter because that's our team so we support them no matter what!" category. That's where this saga probably begins.
before I gravitated towards the Mets. I was a fan of the NFL before I clung to the Giants. I was enthralled by the Orange Crush, the Purple People Eaters and the Steel Curtain before 1983 when I said "I Do" to Big Blue.
The honest reason why I ever decided to choose a team from the New York sports team family was because of peer pressure and some intimidation as a young kid. The rivalries in the eighties that picked up steam (even down to the high school and college ranks in the city) played a part. There is a lot of tension when you're standing between two friends, one roots for the Knicks and the other roots for the Nets and they're asking you who you like. In your head, your response is "both" but you know that answer puts you in a different category. Probably the same category the rabidly faithful sports fan would put you in today if you answered that way. Saying "I like them all" in some areas I grew up in could result in a different, more negative reaction and it did a time or two. Fear played a small part but my independence and need to carve out my own path forced me to make most of the calls that I did. In hindsight, it was important in my youth that I made a decision than if the decision I made was a good one. Think about it. Some of these teams were awful back when I was younger.
NHL: Hockey was on in my household but I never developed a love for it. Probably because I couldn't see myself in that sport. They didn't play it in my neighborhood and nobody that looked like me played it on TV. I watched a Stanley Cup final games in 1994 and 2014. The Rangers and the Islanders were barely a blip on my sports radar. I am a casual fan of the NHL to say the least.
NCAAF: NBC gets all the credit (or blame) for this one. Living in Brooklyn means that you are not likely to have a high quality college team in any sport within your reach. I am a casual watcher of the Scarlet Knights but the Saturday coverage of college football in the eighties was normally a toss-up between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Michigan Wolverines. Blue was my favorite color. I hated leprechauns! End of story! I have been following and rooting for them since the early nineties and have never left. I would consider myself a diehard Michigan Wolverines fan. Michigan or bust for me!
NCAAB: When I lived in the NY Metro area, I watched St. John's, UCONN and 'Cuse regularly during the season. Leaving the area left me watching more box scores than actual games. This caused my focus on them to wane and now I am relegated to excitement for their appearance in the March Madness tourney. Of course, I am going to root for them every time. I can't call myself a diehard but I do actively root for these teams with 'Cuse at the top of the list. I'm a fan of the Storm and the Orange but wearing all red and all orange doesn't go with my eyes. See you in March!
I'm off the diehard bandwagon. I'm still a fan but I watch too casually to be considered a candidate for their #1 fan award! Thank you, Mr. Dolan. After our 33 year staring contest, you finally made me look away!
NFL: This is the most clear cut of all. I am a diehard New York Giants fan. My family has launched out into other areas particularly my mother and middle daughter who are strong supporters of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Part of my ManCave is dedicated to this team in respect to that but that's as far as I can go. I watch some of their games and the Steel Curtain has a special place in my heart from my youth but I am not a diehard Steelers fan. For me, there is not other football team that can replace Big Blue in my heart. (As a New Yorker, it was taught that I should root for the New York Jets too. I reject that teaching and in my mind, the franchise doesn't even exist except to borrow our arena from time to time. LOL.) I eat, sleep, and breathe BLUE. Whether they changed owners, moved out of town, changed divisions, and replaced the entire roster top to bottom, I am a New York Football Giant fan for life! GO BIG BLUE!
MLB: This one is the most difficult because even though living in the ghetto and baseball was not the sport encouraged by parents and sought after by young inner city kids, it was the one I first fell in love with. I was enamored by Rod Carew, Willie Stargell, Dwight Gooden, Lou Whitaker, Rickey Henderson, and Ozzie Smith. I couldn't do anything when a baseball game was on TV. I loved baseball first and that meant the Yankees and the Mets. I loved them both and am very well versed in their history. I had to physically fight because I loved both teams. I immersed myself in their history, greatest moments, player names and stats, etc. I knew all about them and I wore it proudly. Pinstripes AND orange and blue. When the national perception going into the nineties that the Steinbrenners were willing to buy championships hit the fan, I took that hard for some reason. They would do so at the expense of their farm system and luxury taxes and were successful and that bothered me. The fact that famous celebrities from around the world would wear Yankees blue as fashion statement and not even care about the team said something about the franchise in my opinion. It seemed to me at that time that it was more important to be known as the best than to work hard to become the best. That was something that morally caused me to drift away from the team. I began to lean towards the underdogs in Queens who always grinded and fought hard but often not winning. That was two years before their stunning 1986 World Series Championship victory and for me, it legitimized the fact that this team matched my character. In my life, I had to fight for everything and nothing was handed to me. The Mets just seemed to be more like me than the Yankees at that phase of my life. Both franchises have changed a lot from 80's versions of themselves and my feeling about them have changed some too. I never hated the Bombers no matter how often Met fans wanted me to. They were more like the wayward sibling who drifted away from the family who you longed would come back home. I love baseball and the Bombers and the Amazins are a HUGE reason why. Frankly, they still are. Am I a Mets diehard when I still like the Yankees? You can be the judge. If I have an opportunity to root for a New York team and my team is not the opponent, then it's academic. I used to be ashamed to say that but no longer and not ever again. That may not be modern but that's where I am and it feels great to be unburdened.
Update: Last year, my mother has called me and inexplicably asked me if I was watching the Patriots game and then called another time to ask me if I was watching the Eagles. Neither team was playing the New York Giants. I got no words! *shrugs* This is my life! LOL.
That's my story.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What is your definition of a diehard sports fan?
How does family influences, school affiliations, and geography play out in your personal scenarios?
Who is the team (in any sport) that you secretly root for?
Are you able to equally love two teams in the same sport?
Were you a fan of the sport first or the team first?
Are you able to like two teams who co-exist in the same city and the same sport?
Have you ever went away from affiliations that were a staple in your family growing up? What was the reaction to that decision?
What scenario would have to happen to make you permanently disconnect from your favorite team?
Is there anything that could make you lose interest in the entire sport?
No comments:
Post a Comment