At this point in my life, I love virtually any sport that I can wrap my head around. Competition at the highest level is something that enjoy. It has not always been that way. I'd like to incorporate Blake into my journey in becoming a Yankees fan.
When we were young I remember Blake loving the Tigers. I can attest to the fact that he would look over the box scores while we were camping at Holland State Park like he talks about in those overly sappy stories. However, I did not. Why? I didn't understand. Here is what I knew about the Tigers: Travis Fryman had a sweet name, and Alan Trammell seemed like the most boring name in all of history. I didn't understand baseball, let alone root for any one team. So, I didn't. I never rooted for the Tigers growing up, so why would I now?
Blake touched on this, but I will open it up. I have never understood nor has someone ever been able to explain to me, why I have to like the team that is in your state or that you are near. You grew up in the state your parents choose to live. It is along the same lines of logic as voting the same as your parents just because that is what was choose for you. I'd imagine that the gentleman that posted previously is a republican because his parents are. I digress... But to get back on track, there seems to be this fantasy that I MUST like the Tigers because I live in Michigan. As I stated at the beginning, there is no reasoning behind this.
But that is about why I don't root for the Tigers. There are three reasons I root for the Yankees:
1. I choose the to root for the Yankees because I love the expectations. There is NO other team in the 4 major sports that have the expectations the Yankees do. Sure, there are teams that go into season wanting to win it all, others are even favored to go all the way. Without fail, the Yankees are expected to win the World Series. When they don't, it is a disappointment. The Tigers had an outstanding season last year and if the Yankees would have done the same thing, it would have been a disappointment. I enjoy that.
2. I am truly a Yankee fan. Rewind to the 2001 World Series, where I stood in a room of people rooting against the DBacks and then had my heart wrenched out after Luis Gonzales slapped a single for the game winning run. I went from bandwagon fan to the real deal when that happened. I knew then, that it was pinstripes...win, lose or draw. So for anyone that thinks I started rooting for the Yankees because they win can swallow that argument because it was there demise that turned me into a Bronx Bomber backer.
3. I am more New York than Detroit. I remember during the playoff series last year there were comparison drawn between the Tigers and the Yankees and I can't put it better than that. The Yankees were the consummate professionals and the Tigers had the blue collar work ethic. This is not a slam on the Tigers, nor does this make one better than the other but the Yankees image is something that enjoying watching more than the Tigers.
So there it is. Bring on your comments because I have been a Yankees fan for 6 years now and I have heard it all.
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7 comments:
As a follow up post to myself, wouldn't I be the worst bandwagon fan ever if I started rooting for the Tigers now?
I never root for the Tigers, the havea rgeat season and go to the World Series, and the first thign I do is go buy by a Maggs-wig and Sheff Hat. Come on.
If you were never a Tigers fan I would hate for you to be one now. This is why people like myself and Blake that have endured the tough times, couldnt find tickets last year. The thing that I hate about going to Tigers games now is having some dude that knows nothing about baseball or the Tigers with some chick that is drunk talking in my ear the whole game. So please dont become a Tigers fan until they suck again.
And yes, you are a bandwagon fan. Starting to like a team because they lost the world series is not the demise of a team. Granted the Yankees havent won the world series since that beautiful single by Luis Gonzalez but it definately isnt the demise. And isnt becoming a Yankees fan after they lost a world series the same as people liking the Tigers at the end of last year and the beginning of this year?
-Kenny
I'm with Kenny on most of that, I really don't think losing a WS means you've fallen on hard times.
To me the worst part about the Yankees is that they need to win it every year. Whatever happened to earning a title instead of buying one. I'm posting from someone else computer, hopefully mine will be back up tomorrow so I can post further on this.
I think the funny thing abotu this conversation with you guys is that if I moved to NYC, everything would be fine. "Well, he lives in NY, he can be a Yankees fan now." And sorry Kenny, just because you say I am bandwagon fan still, doesn't mean that its true.
I was expecting a lot more tha this. Did I justify myself that well?
Cousin Rob seems to catch the most flack about liking the Yankees instead of the Tigers because he grew up in Michigan and, a person is expected to like the team that plays closest to where they grew up. We all know there is no rule that says a person must like the team that is geographically closest to their childhood home. Why, then, do people tend to like the teams that are geographically closest to them? Two reasons:
1. Simplicity. It is easy to like your hometown team because that is the team that the local papers follow and whose games are shown on local TV, and whose stadium is the easiest to drive to for a day to go see a game. This is especially apparent in baseball because there are so many games, it is impossible to show every game every day on television in every broadcast market in North America. Baseball fans can see games on the internet and on premium cable channels, but I imagine that few do. In football for example there are far fewer games (about one per team per week if i am not mistaken), so it is far easier to show games involving teams from different parts of the country on national TV. This of course, begs the question, are football fans more likely to like a team from a different geographical area than are baseball fans?
Why do news media spend the most time covering the teams in their cities? Because they need something to talk about, and there is so much to talk about regarding professional sports franchises that they are a prime target for reporters looking for a story. They choose to cover teams in their cities because it is easier (and cheaper) for them to send a reporter down to cover the local game rather than sending someone from Small Town, USA out to Yankee Stadium every day to cover the Yankees. Of course, demand for sports reporting also drives what local news reports, and to fulfill the demand for sports reporting, news agencies cover the teams closest to them.
2. The concept of "home." People are sentimental, and they really like the concept of "home." If a person was a sports fan when they were younger, they probably liked their hometown team (unless of course they moved around a lot) then, and probably for the reasons stated above. When they get older, regardless of where they may have moved to, they are likely to still be fans of that same team because that team reminds them of going to ballgames when they were a kid, and since going to ballgames are usually good memories, people like to remember and romanticize the "home team." Conversely, if a person did not follow sports when they were younger, or moved around a lot, their idea of the "home team" is a bit diluted. They feel no affinity to the teams of a certain city, but half the reason people like sports is liking one team over another, so they have to choose a team. For example, becoming a baseball fan later in life, and having no geographical connection to New York that I know of, Cousin Rob laid out why he picked the Yankees. Many other people probably do the same thing. They have to like a team, and because they don't have an affinity toward any team from growing up, and they are no longer simple children, they put more thought into picking which teams they like.
So, that's my take on the subject. Cities with more than one team competing in the same sport add another dimension to this analysis, but I will leave that for another discussion. (Living in New York myself, I happen to like the Mets in part because I think that the National League plays a purer form of baseball than does the American League...thoughts on that, Spot Starters?) No, you don't have to like the team from the city where you live, but a lot of people do, and this was an attempt to explain why. Thank you, Spot Starters, for giving me something to do in the afternoon when I have nothing to do at work.
Thanks Adam for that.
First, I want to state that Yankee fans, whether they live in NY or not, are annoying and arrogant.
Second, I think pulling for the Yankees is like pulling for Duke basketball, Notre Dame football, Laker basketball, etc. These are simply teams that are easy to pull for because for the most part they are winners amongst their competition.
I remember when I was in middle school or 9th grade the Florida Gators won it all in NCAA football, the next day this kid comes to school with a Gator shirt saying how much he loved the Gators and he defended them as if he knew the entire team personally. That's how I feel when people pull for these teams.
I guess it's not so much that Rob is from Michigan, it's just that he's pulling for the team that has more fans, money, and exposure than any other baseball team in the world. It's lazy is what it is.
That being said, Rob can go ahead and pull for the Yankees, no one can stop him. I actually think it makes for great blog content and conversations with Rob. One more plug for Rob is this, he knows the team. There all kind of people (Fred Durst I'm looking at you) who sport the Yankee hat and have no clue about that team. Rob can tell you the top guys in the minors and why he likes Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera, there is something to be said for that.
The only time Rob has exhibited that "jerk" attitude that most Yankee fans have is when he told me he couldn't wait until the Yankees "bought" Zumaya and Verlander away from the Tigers. That's what gets me about Yankee fans is this sense of entitlement that's ridiculous and offensive.
Anyway, that's all I've got for now, maybe I'll have more tomorrow.
Before the work day gets started, wanted to add on to this...
Great logic from Adam. Many times logic is lost in sports and it is good to see.
Blake, I don't know that is lazy. Fair weather fans are lazy. I don't really think my love of any of the teams I pull for could be described as lazy.
To finish things off on Blake's last comment about what I said about Zumaya, two things:
1. We, Yankees fans, have a right to talk like that. Why? Becuase then entire MLB is our farm system. ANY player is fair game; no one is beyond the reach of Steinbreiner and Cashmen. Ok, I mainly just said that to get Blake fired up, but also do believe it to be true to some extent.
2. We don't need Zumaya anymore because we have Chamberlain. He is money.
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