My year of sports fandom!

[Ultralight]

Orioles it is! Opening day is 3/29 and I will be listening to the game at work.

[Ultralight]

Opening day! I will be listening to the Orioles play at work. haha

[Tybee]

Thanks for posting this! I did not know today was the opener, but my dad is a huge fan and in assisted living now so I was just able to research possible opening lineup and just called him to discuss.

He was SO HAPPY! And this is a man who saw Satchel Paige play!

So your year of fandom has already helped me in an unexpected way, thank you!

[LDAHL]

One year isn't enough to call yourself a real fan (which I always thought derived from "fancier"). You can't just put on a jersey and call yourself a fan. It takes a lifetime, perhaps more, to internalize the proper level of commitment. The Chicago Cubs won a World Series before my grandfather went to fight the Kaiser with the AEF. He came back and had a son who had a son who didn't get to wear a "2016: the Year We Didn't Suck" t-shirt until he was nearly sixty. That's more than entertainment, that's faith at the most mystical level.

One year? Bah! That's a whim. A mild infatuation at best. Succeeding as a fan is like succeeding at marriage. You need to endure the misery along with the joy for years and years.

Chicken lady is right. It's like falling in love when you do it right. What you're proposing in more like hiring an escort.

[Ultralight]

One year isn't enough to call yourself a real fan (which I always thought derived from "fancier"). You can't just put on a jersey and call yourself a fan. It takes a lifetime, perhaps more, to internalize the proper level of commitment. The Chicago Cubs won a World Series before my grandfather went to fight the Kaiser with the AEF. He came back and had a son who had a son who didn't get to wear a "2016: the Year We Didn't Suck" t-shirt until he was nearly sixty. That's more than entertainment, that's faith at the most mystical level.

One year? Bah! That's a whim. A mild infatuation at best. Succeeding as a fan is like succeeding at marriage. You need to endure the misery along with the joy for years and years.

Chicken lady is right. It's like falling in love when you do it right. What you're proposing in more like hiring an escort.

1. I have an Orioles hat, a fridge magnet, a magnet for the shelf in my cubicle at work, and a magnet for my car.
2. I have attended an Orioles game already (my work sent me to a game in 2012).
3. I intend to attend another home game (at least one) and an away game (at least one).
4. Come football season I will attend an OSU game (at least one). I will also wear the regalia and watch games on TV at my sister and BIL's (they are super fans).
5. Once hockey season starts I will attend several games as Columbus has a local NHL team. Again: I will don the regalia.
6. I am learning about the teams and following them daily.
7. I have two sports "spiritual guides" working with me through this upcoming year. Both are super fans for their teams.
8. Saying I am not a true fan is like saying a recent convert to Christianity is not a real Christian because he was just baptized.

[LDAHL]

1. I have an Orioles hat, a fridge magnet, a magnet for the shelf in my cubicle at work, and a magnet for my car.
2. I have attended an Orioles game already (my work sent me to a game in 2012).
3. I intend to attend another home game (at least one) and an away game (at least one).
4. Come football season I will attend an OSU game (at least one). I will also wear the regalia and watch games on TV at my sister and BIL's (they are super fans).
5. Once hockey season starts I will attend several games as Columbus has a local NHL team. Again: I will don the regalia.
6. I am learning about the teams and following them daily.
7. I have two sports "spiritual guides" working with me through this upcoming year. Both are super fans for their teams.
8. Saying I am not a true fan is like saying a recent convert to Christianity is not a real Christian because he was just baptized.

Perhaps in time you will understand. It's not the regalia. I have a Stetson, but that doesn't make me a cowboy. It's what's in your heart and your soul.

There are genuine converts, such as Saint Paul. What you are proposing is more like saying "I think I'll try Christianity for a year". The saints and angels won't be fooled.

[Ultralight]

Perhaps in time you will understand. It's not the regalia. I have a Stetson, but that doesn't make me a cowboy. It's what's in your heart and your soul.

There are genuine converts, such as Saint Paul. What you are proposing is more like saying "I think I'll try Christianity for a year". The saints and angels won't be fooled.

If it is not attending the games, rooting for the team, watching the games with friends & family, wearing the regalia, and learning about the teams...then what does a fan make?

Would the saints and angels say: "Glad you are giving it a chance."?

But perhaps, if I build it they will come...

[Teacher Terry]

My Dad was a true "Cubbies" fan his entire life. He did not live to see them win. Like LDAHL said a true fan adores their team through thick and thin. When he was sick for 14 years watching a game with his small grandsons was one of the few pleasures he had left.I hate sports.

[Ultralight]

My Dad was a true "Cubbies" fan his entire life. He did not live to see them win. Like LDAHL said a true fan adores their team through thick and thin.

That is part of the reason I picked the Orioles. They have not won a World Series since 1983. Sometimes they do alright, sometimes not so great. They are probably on the verge of a "rebuild." I think that between the Orioles, The Buckeyes, and the Blue Jackets I will get a taste of thick and thin.

When he was sick for 14 years watching a game with his small grandsons was one of the few pleasures he had left.

I am glad he got that. Those moments were likely precious to all involved.

I hate sports.

I can understand this. Previous to this experiment I only enjoyed sports in a pick-up way. Like: "Wanna play kickball?" or "Down for some unruly tennis?" or "Are you ready for some backyard football" or "Beach volleyball anyone?"

I liked playing sports, though my drive to win is very weak compared to my drive to have fun and make silly unorthodox plays.

[SteveinMN]

What you are proposing is more like saying "I think I'll try Christianity for a year". The saints and angels won't be fooled.

But if you carry the right version of the book, sing the right words, and use the right language, two-thirds of the other Christians sitting next to you won't have a clue.

You're right that deep fandom continues for more than a year. But every team I know of has its share of fair-weather fans/bandwagon fans, and they're not looking to turn them away. When the Vikings (of whom I'm not a fan of any sort) got oh-so-close to the Superb Owl, jerseys and hats started flying off the shelves and there was so much purple around town you'd think Prince had died again. The Vikings loved it, the city fathers (and what few mothers there are) loved it, and there seemed to be very little counting of how few nowhere-near-close-to-the-Superb-Owl years others had lived through.