The wife was recently grading her current events/summer project from her students, and one wrote about gay marriage legalization and her personal story of coming out. The student then wrote, "please don't tell my parents, they are not supportive and may get mad if they knew I wrote about this." The wife wrote back a comforting message to her to let her know she would be safe and supported at school (more proof that, despite media perception, teachers will never be overpaid). Don't ask me why, but this story triggered the need to change the LB Sports Loyalty perspective.
 |
| Acceptance |
Awhile back,
I wrote about how fans ought to choose their favorite teams. And to be honest, I still think this is a good guideline. My kids will be Philly sports fans and Michigan fans, with the Detroit teams as their seconds (ARG says she "likes the Phillies, but I also like the Tigers."). They are growing up in Philly and should support their hometown and be a part of the sports culture here.
I firmly believe we all have the right to live the lives we want without any interference. Why should sports be any different? Do I consider certain fans of front running teams to be somewhat shaky? Sure. Do I think some fan bases have an extraordinary numbers of these fans? Yeah, like Notre Dame football, Duke hoops, New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and L.A. Lakers on a national level, and "Wal-Mart" Michigan fans back home. I would imagine there are a lot of local examples, especially in the college ranks, e.g., Oklahoma/Oklahoma St., Texas/Texas A&M.
 |
| Scout's Honor |
I'm guilty of this myself when it comes to the NFL... Scout's honor, I don't have a full rooting interest in any particular NFL team. I have a "rooting interest" in the following teams: Browns (I'm in the fan club, run their fantasy league, and my Dad is a die hard), Lions (duh), Eagles (duh... plus, I value a happy marriage), and Bears (still loyal from my grandparents making me Bears fans when I was a kid). If I had to pick one to win a Super Bowl, I'd probably take the Browns, but it would be more for my dad than me. Same with the Lions and Eagles, and quite frankly, I'd be happy, but not over the top elated if the Bears won. And in any case, I'd gladly trade any of those Super Bowls for a Tigers World Series or Michigan football national title.
 |
| Our Team |
I spend my work days hearing stories of hurt, pain, loss, etc. And sometimes witness a lot of hate. Hell, I've taken two crisis calls and had a "crisis" session just in the day I'm writing this. It's why I can't stand when I hear senseless bickering and cattiness in my personal life, hate watching politicians bitch at each other, and seeing sports fans get violent just because someone is wearing a different jersey. There's no need to kill or threaten each other over sport. Mojo and I were threatened leaving a meaningless late season Eagles/Lions game just cause he had on a Lions jersey, to the point we both thought we were getting jumped for literally not saying a word back. Can't we go back to telling rivals you
banged their mom to this song? It's better to start
group texts making fun of
Jim Harbaugh. We're all human, all on the same team. Let's start acting that way.
So I would like to take back any hate I have sent to you "fake fans" in the past. I hearby respect and honor your choice to enjoy sports in any way that makes you happy. I live my life this way, why should sports be any different? I "retired" from this blog 18 months ago in the name of fun. Who are we to criticize or even attack the things that make people happy? Trust me, there is plenty of sadness and hurt in the world without us needing to add to it.
Football Picks (4-2 so far between the blog and
Twitter) - Lots of really strange lines this week... Michigan -5.5 over BYU (how is BYU not favored?); Eagles +2.5 over Jets (just can't see the Jets 3-0, Birds are desparate); Giants -4 over Redskins (underrated Giants team); and Houston -6.5 over Tampa (line seems high). Other temptations, but not official picks: Browns -3.5 over Raiders (explain that one???), Seattle -14.5 over Chicago (blood bath potential), and Rams +1 over Steelers.
Hoping to pry a guest post while I work on my North Korea post, so hit me up if you're interested. Be well and talk soon. Hasta.
2 comments:
Before social media if you wanted to make fun of a fan you had to do it to your face; now you can be anonymous and you it shows just how ugly of a face humans can wield when not responsible for their consequences. I almost wonder sometimes if twitter should require some portion of your profile to be public so you don't have too much anonymity, just like when you used to right a column in the local newspaper.
Well said, buddy. Everyone with a stupid or hate filled rant can now share it without consequence. I also think it shines a light on how much more work we need to do as a society to wipe out some of that hate and "isms."
Post a Comment