I've been watching a lot of sports. Often what I'll do is mute the TV but leave it on so I can occasionally glance at the score while I'm reading or grading. Unlike a TV show with a plot, for instance, I can pay little attention to the action and still know exactly what's going on just by checking the score. Lately I've been thinking about the teams I hate, and why I hate them, so I thought I'd write about the one team I hate in each of the Big Four sports.
Baseball
I hate the New York Yankees. Why? They win too much. As a Cincinnati Reds fan, I can't relate--not during my lifetime, anyway. I've liked certain players who've played for the Yankees--Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly--and I have respect for the legendary players who used to, but I'll never like the team. There's also the fact that some people use the team as a means to assert New York City's purported superiority to all other American cities. I'd rather live in Chicago, bro.
Dishonorable Mentions: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox
Who I Want to See Win the World Series: Cincinnati Reds
Basketball
I hate the Los Angeles Lakers. Why? Like the Yanks, they're a dynasty, and I never like to see one team win a lot of championships, except for the Bulls (which I'll rationalize soon), because it's more entertaining for a different team to win each year--especially if that team hasn't won a championship before. In fact, I can't even watch their home games because I want them to lose so badly. Further, I can't think of a Lakers player I've ever genuinely liked. Kobe Bryant? No. People comparing him to Michael Jordan never sat well with me, which brings me to my point about the Bulls. I don't root for a specific NBA team--I never have in the truest sense of the word--but I do like certain players. Needless to say, as a child of the '80s and '90s, I grew up watching Jordan. He was my favorite player, and it certainly didn't hurt that we share a last name. So, as a result, I cheered for the Bulls.
Dishonorable Mentions: Boston Celtics, Miami Heat
Who I Want to See Win the Championship: Oklahoma City Thunder
Football
Prettyboy Tom Brady is a great quarterback, but I just don't like the guy, nor do I like head coach Bill Belichick. I think most of my hatred stems from the fact that a heavy metal forum I frequent had a guy on there who praised the New England Patriots nonstop. Sometimes he'd create threads and title them with something relevant to metal, but the thread would contain a picture of Brady modeling underwear, or something similarly annoying. And again, the Patriots are too good too often. Of the Big Four, football is the sport in which I'm least invested, so I don't really pull for any team.
Dishonorable Mentions: none
Who I Want to See Win the Lombardi Trophy: Pittsburgh Steelers
Hockey
I was a longtime Detroit Red Wings fan, mainly due to two players--Steve Yzerman and Sergei Federov. Though my hatred for the New Jersey Devils (an aside: if your team's name starts with "New" there's a good chance I don't like it) has waned over the years, back in the '90s and early '00s, whenever the Red Wings played the Devils, I knew the contest would be close and violent. I lost interest in hockey after high school, but when I moved to Pittsburgh to get my MFA, I adopted the Penguins as my team, though I'd always had affinities for Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.
Dishonorable Mentions: none
Who I Want to See Win the Stanley Cup: Pittsburgh Penguins
I borrowed the logos from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.net.
3 comments:
Nice post.
Being raised in L.A. There was this peer pressure to root for the Lakers.haha
So anyways, the only sport I watch now is tennis, and volleyball, but I'll just watch it for a little while.
Hockey isn't really aired down here, and if it is it's rareee. I used to love Hockey!
I grew up in western NY where everyone harbors some level of hatred for NYC, and back then, by extension, the Yankees. People at AAA games would boo when the MLB scores were announced and they'd won. I live in a NYC exurb, and I still hate them. But now when I go back to WNY, people LIKE the Yankees. It's profoundly disturbing.
@ Maggie: Thanks! I hope you're well. I'm sure there is pressure in LA to cheer for the Lakers, but the fact that the Clippers are better now will perhaps make for an interesting shift. Paul and Griffin are fun to watch.
@ Erin: Ha!
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