sports

[2eclipse]

there's a lot of news this week about sports teams up here in minnesota and it leaves me in the dark.
i don't mind sports. i like the philly flyers and the redskins and playoff basketball...but it is hard for me to get really invested in following a team.
a lot of this is because sports teams don't really seem to represent their area at all.
people get traded to balance teams out - and there is really no connection to let alone representation of the area they "play for." this boggles me. why not call the kansas city royals just "the royals?" who cares if they are based there when they don't really COME from the area? i grew up loving the redskins because they won the superbowl when i was 8 and i am attached to the memory of all the hype that went with that...my loyalty is attached to a memory...and it isn't all that strong because these teams have nothing to do with me. but some sports fans take it personally every time their team wins or loses.

can some of you sports fans out there explain this to me?

Comments

[sooper.livejournal.com]

I don't get it either, but then I'm about the only guy I know who has zero interest in sports.

you actually explained it yourself

[dhampir.livejournal.com]

you said you were attached to the redskins becuase of their superbowl win when you were growing up.

the same thing applies here or in mn. when many of the local fans were growing the vikings were a more powerful team. playoff appearrances, and a few superbowl trips. teams also didnt trade nearly as often, thats a more recent phenomena... the connection isnt always the players who play, but the team itself. many teams spend a lot of time and money to make themselves a part of the community, thru charities, fund raisers and local involvement.

like when a team moves, the fans in that city get upset because theyve become a part of the city and community. so if the kansas city royals moved, people would be upset because the players left, but because the team (made up of players, coaches, admin and the fans) left.

some sports fans wrap up their self worth and identity in 'their team'. some would call them obsessed, others might equate them to overactive larpers.

Re: you actually explained it yourself

[2eclipse.livejournal.com]

i guess i'm looking for something more....because when i was little, i thought all sports team players were from the area. i didn't know any better - but that was part of why i connected to them. and when i found out they weren't, i didn't care as much.
as it is i watch the superbowl and that's about it. i'm a VERY luke-warm sports fan, although i do like going to hockey games.
and i just don't understand making time in your schedule to watch them on tv. i'm looking for a reason to care at any level more than i care...because it just doesn't make sense to me. why would people do this? why would they care more.
my memories don't make me an active fan...so where to active fans come from?

Re: you actually explained it yourself

[dhampir.livejournal.com]

most locals that play for a team arent the pro level, its more prominent at the lower college levels and then high schools.

they make time in their schedule to watch them as thats their hobby. similar to fiber work (knitting, spinning and such) you make time for it as its something you want to do. watching the sport is theirs. you talk about the projects, they talk about the last game, the players, the 'big' play that someone made or the statistics.

im probably not explaining it well at all.

im my case, im an active college hockey fan, because i played a little hockey growing up, when i lived in gfk when i was small going to a UND game was a big deal. that was something that stuck with me. i know friends who are active basketball fans because they played basketball thru high school. it became part of them.

maybe thats where active fans come from.