Then I went off to college and stopped caring about baseball.
In college I loved college basketball. I felt a personal connection to our team and went to almost every home game in my 4 years at the University of Maryland. I knew every story about every player, could quote their stats, and followed our recruiting efforts. I ran a fan website at www.juandixon.com (which I gave to Juan after we graduated) and was friends with the Washington Post's Terps beat writer. I still consider the final four weekend in Atlanta in 2002 where "we" won the National Championship one of the greatest times of my life.
Then I graduated and I stopped caring of college basketball.
Starting around the time Michael Jordan came out of retirement, I loved the NBA. I watched all the Wizards games and TNT's Thursday night coverage. I got tickets when interesting teams came to town and read all the box scores on ESPN.com with my cursor poised to switch over to an excel spreadsheet if someone walked by my cubicle. I knew every player who got minutes for every team, and eagerly awaited the All-Star Game.
Then I quit my job and I stopped caring about the NBA.
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I've often looked back and tried to explain my abrupt abandonment of teams/sports I loved so much. Part of me didn't want to let go. I theorized that not getting the newspaper delivered to my dorm was the reason I lost touch with the Orioles. I theorized that the letdown after winning a national championship was the reason I stopped caring about my Terps (Today I still do care about the Terps, but in a different way). I theorized that moving my computer away from my television was the reason I stopped caring about the NBA.
Now I understand it a lot better, and I think it is all about entertainment.
At the heart of it, watching a ball game is entertainment, and entertainment is a way you choose to spend your time. The transitions [from high school --> college --> office job --> playing online poker at home] each drastically changed how my days were spent. Not surprisingly, major changes in the my life brought about changes in the way I spend my entertainment time.
I still like sports. I still can enjoy watching a basketball game or spending a summer evening at Camden Yards. I still think playing fantasy football or watching a game at a sports bar is a fun way to stay in touch with friends. I appreciate the skills of athletes and coaches, and I enjoy witnessing the strategy and competition.
But I don't have any interest in being an active sports fan any more. I'm not going to read all the box scores, enter 6 fantasy leagues, tune in for the TNT pregame show with Charles and Kenny, or watch every Orioles game. I'll turn down tickets to games now, or turn the game off at halftime. Instead, I'd rather read a book, or watch a movie, or kiss my girlfriend, or write in my blog, or enjoy a Samuel Adams White Ale (or 5), or go for a run, or listen to the O'Reilly Radio Factor, or anything else I do for entertainment.
I don't know exactly why my preferences are different now. I can list a bunch of theories:
- Maybe its because I play a game for a living, so I don't want to spend much of my free time reading about and watching other people play games.
- Maybe its because its kind of sad how rabid sports fans seem like they're trying to live vicariously through a bunch of kids in bright green shorts.
- Maybe its because I'm sick of every team being convinced the refs screw them over more than anyone else.
- Maybe its because I'm gay.
- Maybe its because I suddenly realized that professional athletes are modern day gladiators whose only value to society is filling some primal need for people to feel like part of a war without any actual risks.
- Maybe its because I'm sick of my entertainment dollars making rich superstars out of so many complete jackasses.
- Maybe its because I realized that the vast majority of sports commentary is meaningless bullshit.
- Maybe its because experience to variance in poker made me realize that luck, as opposed to skill, determines a lot more of the outcomes of plays/games/seasons than people want to believe.
5 comments:
Roar! I think items 4 and 6 are accurate. ROAR!
what's up donkeys, this is Socrates back from the Greek netherworld!
I ask you:
Aren't you just explaining that you are, in essense, just a fairweather fan?
Aren't you just attempting to intelligently cover up that fact?
Are you trying to quietly insinuate that you root for winners while you follow them, then, when you stop following the teams in question, they SUDDENLY stop winning?
Reading in between the lines, this particular professor doesn't like your self-analysis and self-examination.
Perhaps you have issues with the fact you give up on your sports teams after they turn into losers?
Just food for thought, I'm going to head back to my Greek mistresses, they love me over here for some reason...
Here I come, Helen of Troy!!!
(Socrates runs off to get mythical condom of love...)
Aren't you just explaining that you are, in essense, just a fairweather fan?
I cited 3 examples, one of which doesn't even involve a specific team. In the 2 team examples, the Orioles and the Terps have both been less successful since I moved away from them, but in both cases my loss of interest preceded the gradual decline.
The Orioles had an exciting start to this season, and I couldn't get into it. And the Terps have had some good successes since our National Championship - the ACC crown, exciting NCAA win the next year, sweeping Duke last year. I was a lot less into all those successes than our similar successes in 1998-2001.
However I do think that I'd be more likely to resume my interest in a winning Orioles team than a losing one. That's because I'm not a fan any more, I'm just a general appreciator, and it is easier for a non-fan to appreciate a winning team, especially in a sport he doesn't particularly care about.
I still watch most Terp games, in spite of our woes.
Aren't you just attempting to intelligently cover up that fact?
If I thought I was a fair-weather fan I'd have no problem saying that. I used to think that's what I was with the Orioles, but my pattern after that suggests otherwise. I don't see a fairweather fanhood as a bad thing. Losing franchises don't deserve unfailing support.
Are you trying to quietly insinuate that you root for winners while you follow them, then, when you stop following the teams in question, they SUDDENLY stop winning?
My interest obviously has zero effect on a team's success. It might be worth noting that the total records of NBA teams was .500 before and after I stopped caring about them.
Reading in between the lines, this particular professor doesn't like your self-analysis and self-examination.
So don't read it.
I'm going to head back to my Greek mistresses, they love me over here for some reason...
Here I come, Helen of Troy!!!
(Socrates runs off to get mythical condom of love...)
Perhaps if you learned how to do any productive self-analysis and self-examination, and improved your life, you'd have a chance with real women instead of imaginary ones.
Thanks for stopping by. Next time contribute something meanful or don't bother adding a comment.
The whole concept of the fair weather fan is stupid. Who wants to devote a bunch of time caring about and watching a team that doesn't perform well? I think I hate everyone that ISN'T a fair weather fan. I'm not sure what badge of pride they think they're earning by rooting for a team that sucks, but I'm pretty sure I don't want it.
Walt, I agree. He throws it like an insult. I think unfailing fanship is kinda sad for the most part.
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