A Fan's Perspective

I ran across a book a few years ago called “Not A Fan.”

The storyline is about getting up and being involved, not contently sitting in the bleachers.

But to apply the words a little differently, we are fans. All but the chosen few know sports from the screen, the numbered seats in the stadium or arena, maybe even a box seat. We are not arriving hours before the start of the game, stretching and putting on the pads. We are not the ones running lines on the court to get the muscles nice and warm before game time.

We are the ones with arena food in one hand and an overpriced flag in the other, waving our support for a collection of athletes we know only from a distance. We don’t know if these athlete performer/entertainers are where they are because that is where they’re skill level has them, or if the game is being managed like a puppet master above the stage.

What most fans can quietly admit is it is all about the game. It is about if the home team can score the most points. It is about if the rookie quarterback can come through when needed. It is about if the franchise second baseman can save the game, and if the star center can keep the game alive.

What’s not discussed is why people go the the games. What draws fans to drive for hours, pay exorbitant prices for trinkets and gate prices to witness something they have little control over? Maybe the answer is simple. What if we all have a corner of our minds where we want to relive the glory days. Maybe we haven’t got past that fumbled play, that missed shot or third strike. Maybe, it is also a day-trip escape.

Think about it. Even at a high school or college level competition, there is a sense of leaving the stresses at the gate, share a laugh or seventh inning song with someone you’ve never met. It is, for that moment, as it should be.

What if that is one of the reasons not everyone is onboard with the politicalization of sports? Everyone, regardless of race or social status, has the right to speak freely, short of yelling “fire!” in a theater. It is guaranteed in the US Constitution. Where am I going with this? How many people vacation at a week-long political rally? If you truly want a day-cation, that is probably not on the list. The very definition of vacation is to get away from the day-to-day, to see something different and let go of the responsibilities of daily life.

So, of the athletes who have blurred the line between sports and politics, how many are socially and politically active when the uniform is exchanged for jeans and a sweatshirt? How many have been busy helping build a boy’s legacy while completely disregarding cameras and the paparazzi? To be clear, yes, I have no doubt racism occurs. I do, however, question how rampant it occurs. Since before President Trump was elected, there have been conflicts with one side saying the young man injured in a confrontation with police saying “he is a good boy,” to the other side explaining his long rap sheet. Yet others will say robbing a store is no reason to be shot. Really? I guess they didn't ask the shop owner just trying to make a living.

There are varied accounts of losses pro sports are taking this year. Maybe they need to stand on the protest line, if they wish, on Monday, and wear the uniform of the team signing their check on Tuesday. The kneeling is in apparent protest of the country while disregarding the numerous exceptions to the perceived standard.

To borrow a movie title, most fans attend an event “for the love of the game.”