Passion Is Passion

We interrupt this Angels blog to discuss…football? Well, it was Super Bowl Sunday after all. I am not a big football fan. I have nothing against it at all. I understand the rules. I appreciate the strategies, it just doesn’t hold my attention for more than a game or two a year. I don’t even have a specific team I root for casually. And yet, every year, I enjoy the Super Bowl, especially if Seth and I are invited to a Super Bowl party. I’d say this is strange but, judging from the hype and the overflowing parking lot at our local Costco, a lot of folks who don’t normally follow football climb on board the band wagon for the big game.

This year my boss threw a Super Bowl party and invited the whole department along with our spouses and significant others. Pretty cool boss, yes? Anyway, I wound up rooting for the Packers because it’s more fun if you actually root for someone, the majority of party goers were Packers Fans, I do not like Ben Roethlisberger and it’s been longer since the Packers won – the usual kind of silly reasons a non-fan uses in such situations to avoid actually saying eni meni mini mo.

Here’s the thing though, and it happens every year, even when the game just isn’t all that fantastic – neither team is my team and the game isn’t even my sport, but I still get swept up in the passion and the cheering. It’s an any port in a storm response really. It’s February. I haven’t cheered for a baseball game in three months and now I find myself in a room full of passionate sports fans. I know it’s only a temporary substitute but it’s impossible not to get caught up in the joy of a shared fan experience even though, for me, it’s only a borrowed fan experience. Passion is passion after all and, while I do not share a passion for football, I think all sports fans can appreciate one another’s passion.

Thinking about this for the blog also made me realize both how much I enjoy the shared fan experience and how little I get of it, even during a typical baseball season. Seth and I usually watch Angels games at home, which is a lot of fun but certainly lacks a big cheering crowd. Going to 16 games in 2010 was unusual and something we may or may not be able to repeat in 2011 – I got some ticket steals last year and friends with season seats handed us the tickets a fair bit. Apparently, I need to find a good Angels bar to watch a couple of games at this year.

10 comments

  1. ronlang44

    Watching sporting events with friends and family is always great! During the playoffs in 2003, before the Cubs lost out to the Marlins, I had a house full of friends. Most of them were Cardinal fans, but they were rooting for the Cubs believe it or not. We had a blast. That’s when my wife, a Yankees fan, started liking the Cubs. Anyway, I liked your post and agree that watching sports can be more fun when you share it with others.

    Ron

    http://strictlycubsbaseball.mlblogs.com/

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  3. Catherine

    I felt this last night too, Kristen. My silly reason for rooting for the Packers was that I wanted them to prove to Brett Favre they could win without him 😉 Well, they won, so I was happy. But not as happy as I will be on Opening Day…
    Catherine
    http://chisoxblog.mlblogs.com/

    Reply
  4. raysrenegade

    Gotto admit, over the last 10 years the NFL has slowly crept out of my viewing habits until this season, I only watched last night;s contest.
    Still wish there was a wardrobe malfunction with Christina and Fergie so I can take the nail file back out of my poor ears.
    Got to admit if we botch up another half time show the whole sha-bang should be outsourced to Bollywood or China formass appeal.
    But there were a few great defensive plays, a key pop in the elbow that produced a epic fumble-roski….and in the end a 350 pound man was seen crying his eyes out.
    There is always next year……in Indianapolis….Maybe the Harlem Globetrotters will perform…..Indiana is B-ball Country.

    Rays Renegade
    http://raysrenegade.mlblogs.com

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  5. blithescribe

    Ron – I believe them rooting for the Cubs. Once your team is out of it, it’s easy to start rooting for a really deserving team, rivalries be damned. Heck, I was even rooting for the Red Sox in ’04, but only once the World Series started of course.
    Jane – Very soon, yay! And yeah, it’s harder than you’d think living in L.A. Lots of Dodgers bars, not very many Angels bars and the Lakers trump all of it during basketball season.
    Catherine – That’s a good reason too. Yeah, opening day can’t come soon enough!
    Rays Renegade – LOL, well, many of us ladies wouldn’t have exactly minded a will.i.am wardrobe malfunction, so I supposed fair’s fair. There were definitely some good plays – the first touchdown was really cool and I appreciate the good defensive plays, but the 2nd quarter was too one-sided for my taste. I liked the end of the 3rd quarter and the 4th when the Steelers were catching up much better.
    Kristen
    http://blithescribe.mlblogs.com/

    Reply
  8. blithescribe

    Mike – Yes, closer and closer every day. Spring Training is one giant Valentine to all of us from MLB!
    Jeff – Fortunately, when I’m not gallivanting about in Paso Robles, Fox Sports West and KCOP have us covered for all but about one game a month. It’s finding some place to watch with other Angels fans that’s tricky – though you’re right about the pleasures…er…dangers of watching games in bars.
    Kristen
    http://blithescribe.mlblogs.com/

    Reply
  9. westcoastgirl

    Football is overrated, the Super Bowl is overrated, but there’s still nothing better than cheering a team on with friends! The best part is knowing that baseball is just around the corner. 🙂

    Reply

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