Isn’t it great that after 52 years, the Cleveland Cavaliers have won the 2016 National Basketball Championship? And they did it for us, the fans! It’s great when your team wins, whether it’s a game, a series, a playoff, a championship. We’ll take what we can get.
We are all competitive beings. Some of us participate in sports directly, but most of us participate by being sports fans. By the way, the word “fanatic” means an enthusiastic devotee of something. A sports fan is, of course, enthusiastic about a sport or a team. In the beginning, a sports fan usually concentrates on a sport or team with which they have a direct connection. This could be the Little League baseball team you played on as a kid or your junior high soccer team. After all, you were playing to win so being devoted to your team was important. College teams are huge for the students and alumni. It must be a pride thing or how good everyone looks in those school colors.
After a while, the sport or team that’s the object of your devotion may no longer be one that’s directly connected to you; there’s another reason you have chosen to become their fan. Some people choose consistent winners. For instance, there are many New York Yankees fans that do not live in New York. More often, the choice becomes geographic. Fans cheer for the sports teams closest to where they live so that it is possible to attend a game or the whole season. Northeast Ohio gives us the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Browns. Which team(s) are you devoted to?
Regardless of the team you choose to support, it is great fun to discuss their wins, dissect their losses and blame it on someone or something else, and wear your team gear on game day at the office.
The Indians have us hopeful for a second team’s 2016 winning season. We just have to wait and see while we cheer them on. Can we say the same about the Cleveland Browns? Maybe this is the year for them, too. If not, there’s always next year . . . .
Congrats to all the teams with winning seasons in 2016, from all the fans here at HMMM.