Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
October 14, 2003
On Being a Fan

Steve Bonner writes in response to my Edward Cossette post:


David, I think your post in response to the disenchantment of Red Sox fan was very insightful. The notion of fandom, is fascinating. People tie their self actualization to the accomplishments and (ultimately as we've seen this week, shortcomings) of events they can't influence and people they don't know.

I root for the Yankees because I grew up in New York and my dad lived the first 30 years of his life in the Bronx. To me the Yankees are a part of my identity, part of my family really.I am certainly affected by the outcome of Yankee games, I do tend to (for a short time) be either a little extra happy or a little extra sad depending upon the outcome of the Yankees season. But a big part of that is that if the Yankees fail to advance, it means that while the season goes on...my rooting interest in baseball is over and that's sad. I truly enjoy following the game. The combination of art and science, strategy and athleticism and day to day drama entertains me and I would daresay enriches my life.

I root for players that I find especially talented and root harder for those who combine talent and charisma. Bernie and Jeter and Soriano seem to me like decent thoughtful and competitive people. The kind of people I'd like to work with in any endeavor. But that is such a superficial evaluation and it leads to this type of depression upon finding out your heros have feet of clay.

People tend to forget that even though Pedro Martinez has shown them his sparkling control and his electric fastball, they don't know him. He has made them happy because he has brought success to their team, their heritage maybe, their self identitiy. But it amazes me that people constantly forget that these people who "represent" them are practically anonymous. I see the big grin on Soriano's face when he gets on base and I think, 'wow, he looks like a really nice kid.' For all I know he is, but there's also the chance that he's not. I don't know Alfonso Soriano. I think fans need to disassociate their love for a game and their love for a team with the sophmoric assumption that their self worth is somehow tied up in the virtue of the players on the team.

Root for a team because of what it means to you because of how it makes you feel. But remember this those 25 guys wearing your town's name on their blouses do not speak for you. Celebrate when the team wins and shake your head when they lose but don't ever tie your own self esteem up in the behavior of human beings you do not know.


Posted by David Pinto at 01:33 PM | Fan Rant | TrackBack (0)