Reply To: The Random Post Thread (Game Potential)
But doesn’t that theory only work if you’re rooting for a winner? Yes, the biggest example of loudmouths in sports are those of us who are fans of teams that have had a lot of success, but every team has fans. Surely the Washington Generals fans aren’t feeling “male superiority” (that’s the team that used to tour with, and constantly lose to, the Harlem Globetrotters, for those unaware).
I mean, I can try to explain my “fandom”. I was a short kid who got picked last in football and basketball in gym. But when it came time to Little League, it truly felt like working hard and studying the game could result in success. Suddenly being short and fast isn’t just useless; it’s a leadoff hitter. I just love the game; I love to watch it, I love to play it, I love the statistics! (I’ve mentioned on this board before, but baseball statistics are the reason I’m a Data Analyst today .. it was pouring over those self created spreadsheets that got me there). I worked hard, and even though I wasn’t a huge success, it became part of my blood. And as it became part of my blood, the best exposure I got was the late ’70s New York Yankees teams; I wanted to be Mick “the Quick” Rivers, patrolling center field in Yankee Stadium and gliding like a gazelle. I marvelled at the skill of Craig Nettles and Willie Randolph, the power and swagger of Reggie Jackson and the hellfire of Billy Martin and Thurman Munson. I was a Yankee fan. And in the late 80s, early 90s, when everyone in this area (including my own family) watched the Mets and talked about Gooden and Strawberry, I was upstairs on the tiny #2 TV, watching the Yankees lose. A lot. :p
I have a theory about why people tell me I’m so passionate about my team, and why they feel that Yankee fans (or Mets fans, or Giants, Jets, etc etc) are jerks. NY is the only town that has (at least) two teams in the area for every major sport. When Bostonians grew up and talked to all their friends in the 6th grade about how much they love the Red Sox, New Yorkers were already forced, every day, to “defend their team” because half of those friends could root for the other team. I think it forces a feeling of “knowledgeable fan”.
Don’t get me wrong. A lot of Yankee fans are total jackasses. I’m embarrassed by them, too. But I understand the usual psyche.
And I don’t drink :p