Team sports...I don't get it.
I lived in Chicago, and now I live in Wisconsin. The Packers played the Bears for a spot in the Superbowl, and I see the Packers won.
I suspect my ex is currently crushed. I almost sent him a teasing email about the Packers winning, but really, I know he takes it far too personally for me to be able to even remotely tease.
When we were in couples counseling, this whole sports-fan thing was one of the issues where I simply couldn't get it. I do not understand this whole routing-for-teams-based-on-geography thing. It does not compute. The whole sport thing says that I'm from Buffalo, so I should care about the Bills. I don't. Why? Well, not only because I don't care about football (which I don't...maybe I inversely care) but because the team has little to do with the city. Probably less than I do, since I lived there for 18 years and my parents are still there. Most of the players probably aren't even from there. I think by virtue of living in the city that houses a team, the fan doesn't do much in connection with the team. The fan doesn't train the players, doesn't know them personally. They don't send them money. They don't chat with them on LJ.
Also, it seems counterintuitive to me to route for a team based on the city they purportedly "represent." If you love the game itself (which is what every fan will tell you, but it's a lie) they should love either the most skilled, or the most innovative players. They should love the athletes who play well, or play artistically in some way. But, no. It's usually just that their home town or home state or their college or their country is emblazoned on the uniforms.
I guess I just think the geographical team-thing is a stupid construct. There, I said it. Now if they restructured the teams to have something to do with idiosyncrasies and values, sort of like the house-system in Harry Potter, maybe then it would be cool. People align with Gryffindor or Slytherin not based on geographics, but based on values or self-image. I could maybe understand if NFL teams were like that, and people got so wrapped up in whether they won or lost.
The geographic-team construct is, in fact, creepy to me. Slap a label on it, say it has something to do with "my" city, and I'll rabidly defend it. No thanks.
Reading is like my fantasy team ideal more or less, right? You don't usually pick an author based on the city they're from. You pick them because their work resonates with you and you admire their skill or craftsmanship.
The whole sports-fan thing disgusts me, too. What do "fans" think they actually do for teams? Not the fans who travel to opposing teams' cities and route them on in person, the fans who sit on their barstools and watch them on network TV. How is that helping or supporting the team in any way? It's disturbing to watch people take pride in something they didn't do, didn't achieve, didn't have any part in at all.
But watch a fan spaz out when their team wins and ask them what they actually did to merit the sense of satisfaction and be prepared to be treated like an alien.
Readers, on the other hand, support their authors by leaving reviews on Amazon, by turning other people onto their books, and by sending personal emails or messages or tweets or whatever to the authors they enjoy.
I suspect my ex is currently crushed. I almost sent him a teasing email about the Packers winning, but really, I know he takes it far too personally for me to be able to even remotely tease.
When we were in couples counseling, this whole sports-fan thing was one of the issues where I simply couldn't get it. I do not understand this whole routing-for-teams-based-on-geography thing. It does not compute. The whole sport thing says that I'm from Buffalo, so I should care about the Bills. I don't. Why? Well, not only because I don't care about football (which I don't...maybe I inversely care) but because the team has little to do with the city. Probably less than I do, since I lived there for 18 years and my parents are still there. Most of the players probably aren't even from there. I think by virtue of living in the city that houses a team, the fan doesn't do much in connection with the team. The fan doesn't train the players, doesn't know them personally. They don't send them money. They don't chat with them on LJ.
Also, it seems counterintuitive to me to route for a team based on the city they purportedly "represent." If you love the game itself (which is what every fan will tell you, but it's a lie) they should love either the most skilled, or the most innovative players. They should love the athletes who play well, or play artistically in some way. But, no. It's usually just that their home town or home state or their college or their country is emblazoned on the uniforms.
I guess I just think the geographical team-thing is a stupid construct. There, I said it. Now if they restructured the teams to have something to do with idiosyncrasies and values, sort of like the house-system in Harry Potter, maybe then it would be cool. People align with Gryffindor or Slytherin not based on geographics, but based on values or self-image. I could maybe understand if NFL teams were like that, and people got so wrapped up in whether they won or lost.
The geographic-team construct is, in fact, creepy to me. Slap a label on it, say it has something to do with "my" city, and I'll rabidly defend it. No thanks.
Reading is like my fantasy team ideal more or less, right? You don't usually pick an author based on the city they're from. You pick them because their work resonates with you and you admire their skill or craftsmanship.
The whole sports-fan thing disgusts me, too. What do "fans" think they actually do for teams? Not the fans who travel to opposing teams' cities and route them on in person, the fans who sit on their barstools and watch them on network TV. How is that helping or supporting the team in any way? It's disturbing to watch people take pride in something they didn't do, didn't achieve, didn't have any part in at all.
But watch a fan spaz out when their team wins and ask them what they actually did to merit the sense of satisfaction and be prepared to be treated like an alien.
Readers, on the other hand, support their authors by leaving reviews on Amazon, by turning other people onto their books, and by sending personal emails or messages or tweets or whatever to the authors they enjoy.
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I couldn't help but remember when Jerry Seinfeld talked about this...with other words of course. But I completely agree, it's something I don't get.Here's the video for you.
But I get what your saying about the geography versus the better players. It makes sense, in theory, but I suppose those that actually care about football (or a specific team) might disagree.