My friend, Killer(always opinionated, often thought-provoking, sometimes controversial), recently announced that he will no longer be rooting for specific sports teams. Apparently, a New Year's Day debacle involving both the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Eagles stinking up their respective joints led to this epiphany. He now vows to watch sports with a non-partisan detachment. While I figure Killer will be back on somebody's bandwagon eventually, he does raise an interesting question: Why do sports fans invest so much time, energy and passion in cheering for specific teams?
I have no good answer to this question because logically it doesn't make sense to care so much. If you take gamblers and alumni out of the equation, what reason would a fan have to take the outcomes of games so personally? When it comes down to it aren't sports clubs just a collection of overpaid strangers? I can marvel at the athletic feats, but why do I care who can do them better? My life is no better if the Cowboys make the playoffs and no worse if the Caps lose by five goals tonight. The outcome really does not affect me in any tangible way.
Maybe we care because of civic pride. Yet, in this era of sports as big business, you'd be hard pressed to find more than a handful of players in each city who give a damn about the city or the fans. Don't get me wrong; I have civic pride. If Maryland goes to war with Pennsylvania you can bet I'll root for Maryland to kick some ass, but that doesn't mean I should care if the Orioles beat the snot out of the Phillies.
Maybe it is escapism. I think fans live vicariously through players in this culture of celebrity that we have created. It's the same reason people watch Entertainment Tonight to see what/who Paris Hilton and Brad Pitt are doing.
Maybe it's rooting for or against certain people. I root against South Carolina because Steve Spurrier is a jerk. I root against the Yankees because A-Rod is arrogant and because most of their fans are obnoxious. This reason makes sense to me. (Although, it begs the question: How do I know Steve Spurrier is a jerk or that A-Rod is arrogant? Have I ever met them? Of course not. I'm just making assumptions based on brief sound bites and newspaper stories. It always cracks me up when I catch myself saying I hate somebody that I've never met.)
My wife always rolls her eyes when I fling the remote or punch the couch when something "bad" happens to my team. I can't explain to her why I pace around the living room when Drew Bledsoe throws an interception or why my friends and I were hugging and shrieking like a bunch of cheerleaders when Joe Juneau's OT goal sent the Caps to the Stanley Cup Finals back in '98. And don't even get me started about soccer riots, curses or cities that set themselves on fire when they win a championship.
None of it makes sense, yet I will continue to cheer for my team, wearing my lucky shirt, sitting on the edge of my seat hoping some dude, who I'll never meet, makes a free-throw so that a team that I neither own nor work for can win a game that has no bearing on my life. So, honey, hide the remote and put in your earplugs; the Caps game starts in few minutes.
11 comments:
You root for them because after 80 plus years they might actually win and you can finally gloat.
Did Killer share my opinion with you? We talked about this, and I determined that it's really all about joining a club. It's not about relating to the players -- they are definitely in it for their own reasons and could care less about you. I'd argue it's not about your city or state, cuz you're a Dallas fan, and I don't recall you being anything but a flatland hillbilly (which you have to blog about, btw) -- no ties to Dallas or Texas.
I argued with Killer that it's all about joining a club. You can join the perpetual winners (Yankees, annoying as they may be), or the perpetual losers (Red Sox until recently, maybe the Cubs now). It's about walking into a bar, seeing a Green or Blue or Red/Gold jersey, and having instant report with that person -- not that it's based on anything factual or tangible, but that you've lived through at least some of the same pain, agony, or ecstacy, depending on your team's success. That's why I try to be a Redskins fan, but I don't wear the Red/Gold -- it would be insincere. I'll wear Maple Leafs Blue anywhere, because I remember Sittler, Salming, Viave, Gilmour in '92... and I still get a little pissed about Lindros. That's what makes fans -- a shared history, shared memories, and shared hopes. Not a lot to do with the cuurent squad. And despite what Killer's going throught right now, I think Fans are better for it.
d00d, I'm going to be your biggest commentor EVER.
and we'll have Killer blogging before the end of the week...
Not only are you a brilliant writer you make some very valid points. I always wondered about this subject. My husband is not attached to any sports team and finds it ridiculous that anyone without an ownership stake would be. He is big on the whole care only if you own it thing. Hmmm...I hope that is not why he cares for me. (mental note: discuss that with him) He does enjoy a good play though...which is why it is enjoyable to watch sports with him. He is knowelegable and can appreciate great work. I love that you don't understand what you do but forge ahead with glee anyway. I wished you lived closer so your wife and I could have coffee at Barnes and Noble during those Caps Games.
Love,
Mary
Brian,
I LOVED your article regarding "sport fans". I wish "Killer" could watch a game without going crazy. It's good to be competitive and have a team to root for (as long as you remember it's just a game). I'm trying to work on him... but it's not easy! Hopefully you'll be rooting for Denver on Sunday!!!!!! Angela
I really have to agree with Wolske. Everyone has a deep seeded need to belong to something bigger than himself and it is cool to go somewhere and have common feelings about common events...to go into a bar and high five strangers because someone who doesn't know you exist and made more money today than most people will see in a year jumped over a bunch of other guys and made a touchdown. That is why some people treat it as their "religion."
I certainly see a lot of what you wrote about in the land of Gators and Seminoles. There are fist fights (no kidding) between people who don't know each other just because one tomahawks and the other bites. When Spurrier indicated that he was going to go back to college football, all of the Gator fans went nuts, because "the best college football coach ever" surely wouldn't go anywhere else. When he became a Gamecock, they called him a traitor.
Now where was I going with this...oh yeah, we seem to get annoyed at people who don't like "our team." Again, why do we get so attached? I am approached constantly by people who ask me whether I'm a Gator or a Seminole. Knowing that a confrontation (mostly friendly) will probably ensue if I chose the wrong team, I tell them neither, I like the Bulldogs (simply because my wife likes them because she was born in Athens, GA), or that I'm a hocky fan. The latter usually shuts them up (I also get the impression that they are staring at my mouth to see if I have all of my teeth).
But what happens when there is absolutely no association with the location or the team? People dress in Gator garb, yet they've never stepped foot in Gainesville, let alone a college campus.
Maybe its because we like a certain sport, we sometimes have to see the same team play. Or maybe its a player who inspired us in other ways.
I don't think Killer will be able to turn away from the teams he has adored for such a long time. His bitterness only shows his passion and how much he enjoys watching the team perform well.
me?? bitter??? what you talking bout willis
seriously...someone please tell me why i should get back into a particular team...
Killer just needs to start picking winning teams thats all...just jokes. Seriously, get off his back. Killer is an aggrivated man, just think of all the frustration he now spares himself and all of the overall appreciation for the game he can now have by being unbiased.
Rob to the T!
And just for your information: If Pennsylvania did go to war with Maryland, (which I am sure you the People's Republic of Maryland would have initiated..) WE would KICK YOUR ASS!!!!
Love ya!
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