Umm...
Becoming a fan: I grew up in the New York City. My brother was the New York Mets fan and my entire family despised the Yankees. To be contrary, I guess, I chose another team. I liked the National League more than the American League (Yankee dislike may have fueled that). The Reds were winners -- and going with a winner was as easy as going with a loser (hello, Mets and Astros!). And I really liked Johnny Bench, a great athlete who's been a class act for 40+ years now.
How: The paper printed box scores every day and sometimes even a blurb about each game around the leagues. I was a subscriber to Sports Illustrated at the time (and, if my memory isn't too hazy, my brother was reading The Sporting News on a regular basis)(oh, the irony, for both of us). At night it was possible to tune in clear-channel WLW for many games. I even sent money and bought the yearbook (do teams even make those anymore?). And, of course, sometimes the Reds played the Mets so it was possible to see them live. Good times.
Fan of another team: It wasn't so much becoming a fan of a different team as it was becoming a fan of a different sport. My dad always was a hockey fan and I was one, too. In college I played some hockey and, after that, baseball seemed like a very s l o w game and I lost interest. I now pay attention pretty much only to hockey; primarily local (not just Minnesota's NHL team but the local college and high-school teams; men and women). Good hockey is good hockey and I've enjoyed watching the women Gophers as much as watching the Wild.
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington
How could you not be a Reds fan during the early 70's? The Big Red Machine had Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Davey Concepcion, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Ken Griffey, George Foster and Cesar Geronimo, each of them budding legends. They also had the benefit of being broadcast on one of the few (at the time) 50,000 watt clear channel radio stations in the country during an era of no internet, no cable TV or other national sports media, which provided them a potential market of nearly the entire country.
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
Well, I am certainly learning what it is like to support a losing team. The Orioles are 8-27. The Reds are only slightly better at 9-27. haha
Was smiling from ear to ear last night as Seattle's James Paxton (Big Maple) threw his first no-hitter complete game, the first Canadian ever to do that on Canadian soil. So cool for him---even the Toronto fans were supporting him in the last innings---true fans.
My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already!
I think that people trust sports fans more readily than non-sports fans.
I am still having fun with this Year of Sportsball lifestyle experiment!
I will be watching the Orioles on MLB TV tonight. And tomorrow I am going to Clippers game (the Triple A team of Columbus, OH).
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