WHO won the game???

A few months ago, some coworkers and I were talking about football. When we got to the subject of Super Bowl XXIX a 49ers fan chimed in with “Yeah man, we really kicked your asses that year.” The conversation shifted between the tenacity and hard-nosed style that got the Chargers through Pittsburgh and the sheer firepower of that 49ers team.

Throughout the night, he went over and over again about how “we” tore the Chargers a new one. In a conservative estimate, I must’ve heard about it a dozen times after the next few hours. This kid was 22 years old, trying to act 30 and coming across as a very immature 15 year old.

I’d finally had enough, so I asked him what his age was when the game was played. He replied “Uhhh, I don’t know, three or four…”

“So you didn’t suit up, right/”
“Huh?”
“You weren’t on the field, were you?”

“Ummm, no…”

“You didn’t make any tackles, throw or catch any passes or make any key blocks, right?”

"Uhhhhh…"
“No, you didn’t! So shut the F&*# UP, because YOU didn’t win a damn thing!”

This outburst wasn’t just in response to his groundless bragging but to a deeper emotion that had been brewing for quite some time. Rooting for the home team is a very American thing to do; and living vicariously through your athletic heroes can be very fulfilling at times. But when people start using it as an all-encompassing bragging right, it tends to paint a picture of the individual as someone who has very little to offer; therefore using the accomplishments of others in a ridiculous attempt to prove their own greatness. This emotion started simmering a few years back after overhearing a conversation between a Kobe Bryant fan and a Lebron James fan. Lebron fan was presenting himself as better than Kobe fan and even better than Kobe himself simply because he’s a Lebron fan.

If I had that way of thinking, then I’d be telling the world that I’m a better hitter than 90% of all players in baseball history, because I like Tony Gwynn. In addition, I’m one of the best blues guitarists in history because I’m a fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan. I’m a better actor than Keanu Reeves because I admire Tom Hanks. Wait, scratch that last one. The dead coyote I saw on the road during my drive home from work is a better actor than Keanu Reeves. But I think you get my point.

I don’t know if the advent of social networking has fueled it, or that social networking has helped uncover an ugly underside of sports fandom. I do know that harsh, sometimes even hurtful words come from otherwise decent people when it comes to sports. Either way, I find it laughable when one person could attempt to claim superiority over another due to accomplishments they had no hand in.

I do know that when I see a foul language-filled diatribe or even a vicious argument based on athletic teams, I ignore it. I’m all for conversation about great players and great teams. And yes, I worked in Major League Baseball for 13 years so I know what I’m talking about. Next to the game itself, my favorite part of the job was interacting with the fans. I may not root for the Rockies, but I enjoyed talking with their fans about the soon to be retired great Todd Helton. I often kid a very dear friend of mine about his Giants and their manager Darth Bochy, who is also someone I consider a friend. I’ve had great times ribbing on and taking ribbing from St. Louis fans. And as always, the conversations would always drift to the game itself. There’s nothing like talking to a Cards fan who grew up watching Stan Musial telling me that Tony Gwynn was the best since then. Good times spent with great people. Hell, I’ve  even had great conversations with Dodger fans about the times I met Tommy Lasorda and talking about their outstanding infield of the late 70’s-early 80’s. But I have no use for those who try and take credit for their vicarious lives. They say “It ain’t bragging if you can do it”. To that I say “You’ve done nothing, so why are you bragging?!”

Sadly, there’s an element in every crowd who attend just to talk trash to the opposing teams. In college a classmate of mine commented that he didn’t even like baseball; he went to games just for the opportunity to talk trash. I found it very ironic that just a few weeks later, I saw him at the Stadium being tended to by EMS personnel. Neck brace, busted nose and likely eating through a straw for the next several weeks. Seems he talked trash to the wrong person. Hope it was worth it…

I once heard that politics and religion are two things you should never talk with friends about, seems to me that sports are steadily working their way onto that list. It’s crazy, how angry and bitter some people can get about an outcome they had nothing to do with. People who go to games with the intention of creating a negative experience for others often find themselves with a free pair of steel bracelets and a date with a judge, and rightly so. The once wholesome environment of American Sport is not all that wholesome anymore. I find it interesting that you hear a lot about soccer hooligans in Europe but there’s little to no mention of the verbal and physical thuggery here at home. Give it time; I’m sure it’ll be part of a great national debate in the next decade or so.

Until then, enjoy your team. Enjoy their wins. Take note that they’re their wins, not yours. Stand behind them during losses and share it all with your children. Carry on the traditions while having some respect for fans of opposing teams. And always remember, any player on the opposing team is a helluva lot better than you, because he’s paid to be there and you have to pay to watch. But ultimately, when you carry yourself as if you’re better than another person simply because you root for different teams, what does that say about you?

I think you get the picture.

See you in the stands,

Rudy

PS: Raider fans, please thank your P.O., lawyer, baby grandma or whoever read this to you.