Recently, someone who has known me a very long time said to me, "I don't associate you with sports." This followed him telling me that I had become his most European sports fan friend, what with my love of tennis and soccer and the like. I thought about this for quite a bit, and it's true - I don't think most of my friends or family would think of me as an athletic person, or someone who cares much about sports. Yet here I am, in my new Seattle life, a season ticket holder for the Seattle Sounders (MLS), something of a regular at Safeco Field (Mariners), and a from-afar Yankees fan who knows the names and basic stats of most of the players on the team (as well as the intimate curves of their...baseball gloves). So it would seem that I'm somehow a sports fan now.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I've really always liked sports. While it's true that I've never been good at team sports (I played baseball one summer as a kid and was simply wretched at it), I have always enjoyed supporting my friends and family members and cheering on a good team. In junior high and high school, I went to most of the home varsity AND JV hockey games to support my friends (and boyfriends) who played on the teams. I also took in the occasional football or basketball game for the same reason. Growing up in a college town, my dad and I went to just about every home football game together. One of my best friends in high school had a dad who coached that college football team. When he moved to another school nearby, I kept up with his team on the radio. I used to go to my college boyfriend's intramural games just to cheer. My brother and sister were both good athletes, and I went to many of their swim meets, tennis matches and soccer games. I once got in trouble at my sister's tennis match because I kept cheering. I also famously burst into tears the first time I saw my brother win at a swim meet. When I met my husband, an avid Yankees fan, he took me to a few games and before you knew it, I was into it too.
So I guess it's unfair and inaccurate to say that I'm not into sports, because apparently I have always enjoyed them. I just suck, suck, SUCK at playing them. Except badminton. I freaking RULE at badminton. Also, I think it's important to make a distinction here: just because I'm bad at team sports doesn't mean I'm not an athlete. Several years ago, I began working out (cardio and weightlifting) diligently and for the past 6 years, exercise has been a constant and daily part of my life. I also danced for years. As it turns out, I'm QUITE athletic. Who knew?!?!
Growing up, I didn't mind the whole "not into sports" label because it sort of went along with being a "theater and music kid" - and when it came to the arts, I did excel. So I had my thing, and I did it. And I'll always be active in the arts. But as it turns out, a girl can like theater AND soccer. And I do.
The same friend who mentioned that he didn't think of me as a sports person also said...hold on while I grab the quote, which Facebook so kindly saved in my messages (creepy! creepy! Facebook, you're creepy!)...
"I kinda feel like you're more interested in compelling drama than, say, your team just flat out squashing all who oppose them."
I had to think about this for a while, too. I think my friend was partially right. Part of the reason I find myself enjoying sports IS the drama. I mean, come on - my favorite sports movie is Rudy, people. But seriously - sports ARE dramatic. You have a team of players, or an individual player, whatever, and you get to know all these characters - their strengths and weaknesses, their personalities, etcetera - and you follow them through a season, or over the years, much like you might follow a character on your favorite TV show. And you root for them to succeed. And along the way there are all kinds of obstacles, like crappy refs, bad weather, injuries, performance-enhancing drugs, you name it, that get in the way of our heroes winning the day. It's EXCITING. So yes, it may be true that I'm still pretty novice when it comes to knowing all the ins and outs of the game or the way various stats effect the outcome, or whatever all technical stuff lots of people know about sports. I suck at that still. But in the end, I guess I am in it for the drama to some extent. But isn't everyone? I went to a college with one of the winningest football teams in college history. And you know what? It was boring. Why? There was absolutely no drama. They won all the time, period, by huge margins, and it was a snoozer. So yes, I like the drama of sports.
And much like any drama on tv or the stage, over time I become passionate about certain characters and I want them to succeed and win. So while my friend was right that the drama is a huge part of it for me, he was wrong about the whole not caring about the squashing of the opponents. I CARE ABOUT THE SQUASHING. The more I love Osvaldo Alonso, Steve Zakuani, Mauro Rosales, Fredy Montero and the other Sounders, the more I want to see them squash the ever-loving piss out of any and all enemies. So, in a sense, the drama is unfolding on the "stage" - be it a soccer pitch or a tennis court - and I am cheering my heroes onward and hoping they crush the bad guys and win the day. I am totally caught up in the drama of the sports teams I follow, and I love every second of it! I was listening on the radio when Steve Zakuani was so grievously injured, and I shed a tear at the April game when 36,000 people held up signs bearing his number in support for his recovery, and I will shed more tears when he finally returns to the pitch. It's high drama, and I'm hooked.
I think, in the end, being an expert in something doesn't really matter too much. Who cares if you know anything about art? If you stand in a room with a painting and it makes you feel something, that's good enough. And the same is true with my sports fandom. It may be years before I really understand the offsides rule - if ever - but it doesn't matter. Because I'm having a good time, man. Plus, those soccer players are HOT.
