Hard to follow

One thing I didn’t mentally prepare for when moving to Nebraska was the fact that I would become a dislocated fan.

I lived in Indiana for all 22 years of my life, until September when I jumped ship. But, because I had stayed in the same region, it never really occurred to me that my Midwest teams wouldn’t be broadcasted out here.

It’s been really strange not seeing the Colts play every week. And finally, when they played on a Monday, they had a horrible game—right before the huge matchup with the Broncos.

I really have enjoyed being able to watch Denver play so far this season. I grew up following Peyton Manning all those years he led the Colts and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He’s one of the greats, and playing at the peak of his career at 37 years old. How could you not be a fan?

I hope Manning crushes Tom Brady’s record because that would make me ecstatic. I loathe Brady—probably because I grew up a Colts fan.

I think Indianapolis made the right decision in trading Manning, though. Because of his injury it would have been a gamble to keep him on the roster, and they had to make decisions keeping in mind the future of the program. Taking Andrew Luck was the right choice. I love watching him play and I believe he will do great things.

Come Sunday, I’ll be sincerely torn with whom to root for, because I’ll be happy with either outcome. It will just be nice to be able to watch both my teams.

On the subject of football, I’ve had to go to some pretty dire lengths to watch IU play. I spent nearly two hours on the phone with Charter a few weeks back trying to figure out how to stream the game against Navy on my laptop. We got it figured out, but being an Indiana football fan is kind of like being a cutter—it hurts every time, but you remain hopeful that one of these days it’ll make you happy. We have Michigan this week… wish us luck.

However, I’m the biggest fan of IU basketball. That decision was made for me the second I was born, because my dad was at Indiana when the last undefeated squad won the 1976 championship. I’m not complaining. I would’ve grown up to love the team on my own. I love the emphasis on tradition and the fact that we’re one of the only schools in the NCAA without names on the backs of jerseys.

I’ve been known to draw some strange looks during Indiana basketball games. One reason is because I scream at the TV the entire game—like father, like daughter—and the other reason is that I’ve bullied bartenders into putting IU on, if it wasn’t already. Over spring break last year, the bartender at the sports bar was playing soccer during the Big Ten Championship. I simply told him that that wasn’t going to fly, and eventually he saw things my way. Sorry in advance for basketball season, Sidney. I’m usually a very nice person, but I don’t like any interruptions while Indiana’s playing.

You’ve been warned.

I hate pro basketball. It’s full of showboaters and it doesn’t have the heart that college ball does. But, my favorite player (Victor Oladipo) was drafted, so I’m now a Magic fan. His jersey and tickets when they play the Nuggets are atop my Christmas list already. Oladipo has more heart, raw talent and a stronger work ethic than any other rookie in the NBA. He is incredibly fun to watch, so I’m going to have to swallow my pride and start watching pro ball. Who knows how often Orlando will get air time out here, so I’ll probably have to stream the games pretty often. Thank goodness for technology, right?

Over the last year, I started to gain an interest in hockey. There’s something the fast-paced nature of the sport and the fact that they beat the hell out of each other that makes it so fun to watch. A large portion of my friend group hails from the Chicago area, so they converted me into a Blackhawks fan. It was a good time to hop on the bandwagon since they won the Stanley Cup. I like to think that I’m just a good luck charm.

It’s a little strange being in a place where perhaps not a single person follows the same sports teams as I did before moving. I definitely did not prepare for that.