I have been a sports fan--and an avid one at that--for as long as I can remember. Many times my brother has said to me, "I've never met anyone who liked the idea of a game better," whether to play or watch.
Being a sports fan had both good and bad consequences, and I think it's important to try to be self-conscious about the role being a fan plays in one's life. At its best spectator sports can provide inspiration to those who watch; at its worst, fans can come to live vicariously through their teams and substitute the accomplishments of others for their own, or come to see players and coaches as mere commodities, with no worth beyond what they do on the court or field. At the individual level, he key is try to construct a healthy balance, to learn the art of maximizing identification and satisfaction from a team's triumphs and minimizing identification with and depression resulting from a team's losses. I know firsthand how difficult a task this is. At the macro level, there is a serious moral question about whether sports have become the new opiate of the masses, consuming countless hours and attention that might be devoted to more useful activities.
Yet while I am aware of those problematics rationally, there's reason and then there's true love. Love for the North Carolina Tar Heels runs deep in this soul, implanted at an early, almost pre-conscious age. I also have nearly equal passion for two other teams–the Boston Red Sox, which I began following as an eight-year old in the spring of 1978, and Manchester City Football Club, which, totally unexpectedly, I chose to become a supporter of as a thirty-year old in 2000. (More on that later.)
I should also note that as a kid I was quite a big Washington Redskins fan–during
the Joe Theismann and John Riggins years, I put the Redskins nearly on an equal plane with Carolina-- but my interest in pro football has cooled over the years and the Redskins have been a difficult franchise to pull for in recent years. Like many Carolina fans, I also cheered hard for the Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan played there, between 1985 and 1998. My NBA franchise of choice is currently the long-suffering Washington Wizards, which has been the home of several former Carolina players in recent years, including current starters Antawn Jamsion and Brendan Haywood and assistant coach Mike O'Koren.
For more on my primary rooting interests, follow the links below:
