Why do we root for some teams and not for others? Geographic proximity is the most common reason. I was born, raised and continue to live near Los Angeles, so I follow the Angels (of Anaheim -- don't get me started on that issue), the Dodgers (to a slightly lesser extent), the Lakers, and the Anaheim Ducks. Had the LA Clippers done the logical thing and relocated to the newly built Pond in Anaheim during the 1990s, I might have been sucked into the black pit of despair that is the lot of being a Clippers fan.
Note the lack of football teams on my list. In 1996, the NFL saw fit to allow both local pro football teams to depart, the Raiders back to Oakland where they belonged and the Rams to anywhere else where they, too, belonged. I'll start following real football (soccer) before I ever give a rat's ass about an NFL team again. From my high school days as a 155 lb., 3rd string linebacker, American football has proven itself to be a sport that I can live without. Even our local university, Cal State Fullerton, quit fielding a football team in 1993 and now sells "Titan Football: undefeated since 1993" T-shirts in the bookstore. Meanwhile the university's baseball teams are nationally-ranked every year and average a national championship every decade. Even the Titan basketball team made the NCAA tournament this past season.
Incidentally, I'm getting interested in NBA basketball (notably the Lakers) again after taking a few years off from the NBA culture. But I've followed the career of Kobe Bryant since he was drafted as a 17-year- old out of high school. At times, it has been obvious that his talent as a player far outstripped his ability be a good teammate or to make good decisions off the court. However, he does seem to be getting it this year, as he has elevated the level of his own game as well as the entire team's. In my opinion he is truly deserving of the league's MVP award and I've enjoyed watching his talent as he has matured and I'll continue to root for him, particularly on his journey through life.
Occasionally, other events have forced me to re-examine those loyalties as well. I was a die-hard Dodger fan growing up. When Rupert Murdock's Fox Corp. bought the Dodgers and replaced Orel Hershciser and Mike Piazza with Kevin Brown and Gary Sheffield I found it impossible to care about the team any longer. Since I had recently moved to Fullerton, just next door to Anaheim, it seemed like a good time to transfer my primary allegiance. Living just a 10-15 minute drive from Angel Stadium helps a lot, and as long as they don't sign Barry Bonds or Manny Ramirez as their DH (even though they seem to need one) I'll keep rooting for them, in spite of the fact that a sorting mistake with some of my red Angels gear could turn all of my laundry pink!
2 comments:
Really, what sport out there can compete with baseball? Football? NFL makes me gag. . .I'm living in the groin of Jerry Jones' Cowboy Empire, and each time I see that new publically-funded monument to his bad taste, I want to puke. I don't feel much better about Tom Hicks and his ownership of the Rangers, but sometimes even my principals get trumped by my need for baseball.
Absolutely! Baseball is the only sport that I really go out of my way to see live. I enjoy the local college games as much as I do the major league version. I usually manage to catch one of each per week, which is about as much baseball as time will allow.
This weekend starts interleague play with the Dodgers visiting Anaheim. Even though I pull for the Angels in these contests, I don't root as hard as I would otherwise. I'll watch 'em on TV this weekend and head over to Goodwin Field to see the Cal State Fullerton Titans host the San Diego State Aztecs who are coached by the great Tony Gwinn. College baseball seems to correspond to A or AA pro ball. Purists object to the use of aluminum bats, but I've managed to let go of that issue.
You're right about pro sports owners. All together they range from tolerable to insufferable. Had Arte Moreno not made the huge misstep of changing the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (the "of Anaheim" B.S. was inserted only to circumvent a contractual stipulation), he might have risen to the "beloved" level. I truly regret not buying myself a gray Anaheim jersey when they were still available in 2003.
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