Thou shalt not commit adultery. It's one of the Ten Commandments--or if the Bible offends you, it's at least good advice. Cheating on your spouse is pretty cut and dry. You vow to love and honor only him or her forever. If you don't, you're in big trouble (unless, of course, you're a character in a prime time series on ABC, or a slick former President whose wife needed you for future political aspirations). But, with this basic law in mind, is it right for a person to pledge allegiance to both the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers?There are some combinations that can never exist. You can't be both a Cubs fan and a Cardinals supporter. You definitely can't own team gear for both teams from the Windy City. In the Big Apple, you're either for the Mets or the Yanks. And can you even begin to imagine the blasphemy of a person devoted to both the the Bombers from the Bronx and the Boys of Beantown? Me neither.
But what about less intrusive duos? What about the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds? It could be kind of a Griffey thing, you know? Or maybe some of you root for the Cubbies and the Sox (Red, of course). Up until a few years ago, that was me. I find it fun to cheer for underdogs, and before 2004, neither had held a championship trophy for a combined 182 years. I also liked the Angels because of watching their AAA team in Salt Lake City, and having attended a game in Anaheim with some friends.
But my days of promiscuity are long gone. I can no longer publicly wear my Angels t-shirt in good conscience. I haven't worn a piece of Red Sox clothing for well over a year. When we moved to Kansas City, I already followed the Royals, but now I'm fully vested in the home team. And, when you are that devoted to one team, there's no room for any other.
There are exceptions to every rule, of course. The biggest loop hole for team fidelity is also the first law of real estate: location, location, location. Not living in a Major League city allows for all sorts of variation. Take Utah, for example. In basketball, there's the Jazz. For college sports, you're either Blue or Red (unless you cop-out and align yourself with Utah State). But for baseball, the door is wide open. Geographically, there are the Rockies and the Diamondbacks, but realistically, I never felt like those clubs really took root in Utah. Many people just follow teams back East or on the West coast. With the Cubs always on WGN growing up, many kids were big Andre Dawson and Ryne Sandberg fans. The Braves also gain a good following because of their exclusive cable deal with TBS. So, if you're in a place like North Dakota and the only professional baseball around is the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, feel free to pick and choose.
Great Article Todd. Each baseball fan has to choose a team and ride them out for the long haul. I follow 4 teams in my sports patronage and the Red Sox are the only team that I really chose myself. I was raised watching Jazz games and going to BYU games. These are my inherited teams from my father. He watched them so I watched them also. When Real Salt Lake was formed, I decided to give soccer a chance and now I like it. Whether or not that transfers into a season ticket holder remains to be seen but I try to make it to 2 or 3 games a year. Baseball is different though. My father was neutral (agnostic) and my brothers didn't have time for the sport. I grew up a braves fan if only for the dale murphy/TBS phenomenon but around the time I left for my mission, I decided that I needed a new team. The reasons for cheering for them were gone and I felt entitled to seek a team of my own. I committed the ultimate sin in that I owned a New York Yankee hat and a Red Sox hat at the same time. I figured that when the Yankees traded for clemens, no other team had hope so why not them? I took that hat on my mission and left it with a member who had a hat collection. When I got home, every team was fair game. I liked the twins because of the AAA affiliate in salt lake, diamondbacks because that is where my brother lived, and I was intrigued by the Yankee - Red Sox rivalry. I started to pay attention to the red sox more than the yankees and looked into membership in Red Sox nation. The red sox were not quite the spending machine yet that they are today and the culture of baseball was the yankees were the rival of virtually everyother team in the league. I knew that the yankees were out and I bought a red sox hat. I was a fan of the Sox but I didn't quite hate the Yankees yet. And If I didn't hate the yankees, was I really a fan of the sox? That hatred was provided by Aaron Boone. Contrary to popular opinion in new england, his middle name is not a curse word but he inducted me into Red Sox Nation. So I am in a holding pattern for the red sox and do not see getting a new team but I do have a caveat: If Salt Lake ever gets a Major League team or if I ever move to a Major League City, then my allegiances are up for grabs. And I would be a Mets fan over the Yankees. Somethings will never change. Sorry for the long post, but its been a topic at work lately so my reponse is a little rehearsed. Again Great article.
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ReplyDeleteHey Todd,
ReplyDeleteThe LC are toying with the idea of going to NY to see the Royals play the Yanks this summer in the final season at Yankee Stadium. Would you and the wifie be interested in comming? Think about it, and let me know.