Just a thought I had as the Yankees blow their opener (also, terrible umpiring re: the non-call on fan interference in the 8th inning. You have replay for a reason, assholes, and it’s a critical moment in a big time game on national TV, maybe you should use it.)
Anyway, ESPN keeps cutting in promos for their pre-NCAA championship coverage where the apparent theme this year is how MSU (who I have 50 bucks riding on tonight, so go Spartans!) has “inspired” all of Michigan. This really bugs me. I realize that a lot of this is just your typical ESPN-manufactured crap, but it’s crap we hear all the time. Why do we have this intrinsic desire to make sports more meaningful? Why can’t they just be a form of entertainment? If MSU wins tonight, it doesn’t mean that all of a sudden life in Michigan is going to become more bearable, it’s not going to give you your job back, and if you’re not an actual MSU fan you’re going to forget about the whole thing a week later. Well, except for me, because I’m going to just becoming off my 50 dollar spending binge.
The real height of this bullshit was after 9/11 during the World Series (yes I’m stealing this from Will Leitch’s book, go away) when the Yankees (and as anyone that knows me can attest, I’m a fairly hardcore Yankees fan) were supposedly “America’s Team” (which is btw my least favorite label of all time (Cowboys suck)). So what did this imply? That the Arizona Diamondbacks were on the terrorists’ side? And then the Yankees lost the series (damnit). So, I guess America lost.
The same thing is true with this MSU team. Is UNC somehow the bad guy because their state isn’t completely falling apart right now? (No, they’re the bad guy because 1.) I really want to win 50 bucks and 2.) if you like them and aren’t a.) an alum or b.) from NC you’re a freaking bandwagon jumper who gets away with it because everyone hates Duke more) If MSU loses does that mean that the morale of Michigan has been irrevocably crushed? No, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a goddamn basketball game. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love sports, I regularly smash things and swear loudly when the Eagles and/or Yankess lose, but let’s not act like an MSU victory would fundamentally alter anything in Michigan or anywhere else.
Ok, this was a lot longer than a twitter post. Self Deprecating bit: “ooh a rant! how edgy!” Angry reply to my self deprecating self: “Shut up, you”
April 7, 2009 at 7:30 am
I have always considered the Diamondbacks to be soft on terror.
Two thoughts:
1) not everyone has bought into the myth that UNC doesn’t suck
2) I assume you realize that the UNC fan argument you make applies pretty well to non NYC area Yankees fans?
April 7, 2009 at 9:06 pm
If someone rooted for UNC for the same reason I root for the Yankees, I’d think it was totally legit. However, a huge chunk of their fans just like the colors and the fact that they win all the time. I mean, hey, go for it, just acknowledge you’re a bandwagon jumper. In fact, I’d go ahead and say you’re worse than someone who roots for Duke (or the Yankees, ND football, etc) because you don’t even have to deal with all the hate. So basically, you’re a bandwagon jumper, but you’re a pussy about it.
April 12, 2009 at 4:25 pm
So why do you like the Yankees? New York relatives?
April 12, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Dad’s from north Jersey, hence huge Yankees fan, it’s the one sport I watched with him as a kid (really the only sport I liked at a kid) hence I = Yankees fan. So if someone rooted for UNC because they’re dad went there and they went to a Bowdoin-type div III school, then rooting for them is cool.