Sports Neutrality

Nate’s 9: Thoughts on Sports Neutrality

And here I am.  About six weeks into impartial sports observations, and I have enjoyed a few things about this learning experience, and I have also become dejected during these events.  I fully understand now why we are all sports fans – not only does it give us a sense of pride and companionship watching sports together, but I think we enjoy the ups and downs of following our favorite teams.  I will admit, there has been a bit of a struggle watching Penn State football games, Packer football games, United soccer games and Dortmund soccer* games.  Baseball hasn’t affected me in the slightest; on the contrary, I have enjoyed following Derek Jeter’s final weeks and the Dodgers new evil empire.  Baseball is an easy sport to follow without the passion; I think that with the statistics and the architecture and everything else that there is more to baseball than just the sport.  Football and football and on the other hand... it’s been tough to say the least.  Here are some of my early assessments on making this change.

#9 – Unaffected after a Win or a Loss.  I will take some credit for this; I have been able to turn it off rather quickly.  Packers got destroyed by the Seahawks in the first game of the NFL season, and Manchester United lost at home to Swansea City in the opener.  Neither result upset me, and I moved on quickly.  In the past, I would’ve sulked for hours.  I’m still sulking over the Seahawks game the last time the Packers went west.  (It was clearly an interception).  Granted I haven’t felt the highs that I used to get after a hard fought victory over a rival, but it’s nice not to have to put so much stimulation into a game’s outcome.

#8 – Enjoying all the Players.  I noticed this specifically during last night’s Monday night football game.  In years past, I didn’t particularly care for Russell Wilson or Pierre Garcon; not because of their character but because of the color of their skin.  (Totally a joke, I thought I’d have a little fun here and reference a great speech). I didn’t care for either one because there was no reason to.  Yet, yesterday I caught myself getting interested in the game just because of what Wilson or Garcon were going to do next, and I got excited when they made certain plays.  Wilson really is fascinating to watch, and I think I can appreciate this much more when I’m not rooting for the Seahawks to lose every week. (Except when they played against the 49ers and Vikings of course).  I also have this appreciation for Raheem Sterling of Liverpool, Pat Willis of the 49ers, Neymar Jr of Barcelona and many more. I know a lot of fans need their heroes and their villains and it’s part of what makes the game great.  Bill Buckner would be some unknown to us now if we didn’t know him as Boston’s great villain.  Big Shot Bob would just be another NBA player with a lot of rings if he wasn’t the hero in many playoff games down the stretch. I can’t stand Todd Bertuzzi and Brad Miller with any ounce of my blood, but I must say since being a neutral it’s been fun to cheer for what used to be the bad guys for me...

#7 – Lying to Others.  One of the hardest things for me has been telling other people that I’ve been doing this.  After the Packers beat the Vikings last week, I can’t tell you how many Vikings fans told me that they didn’t want to talk to me, and how many Packer fans were super excited and wanted to share in that excitement with me.  I engaged in high-fives, smiles and handshakes, but really, beyond the numbers that game didn’t mean anything to me.  It’s hard to tell a Packer fan that, especially after sharing the spoils for the last 24+ years (Magic Man’s last full season).  Same experiences with Penn State and Manchester United.  Although I wouldn’t be lying to myself if I thought that the lift on Penn State’s ban wasn’t special.  I was really happy for the kids and coaches that are a part of the program now, and a little part of me wants to see them in a bowl game, but only because I am familiar with the nightmare of the last 4 years (20, if you include the D-Bag’s victimizing).  But, yes I will say that it’s been extremely hard not to reveal my new perspectives on sport and still share in the excitement of others.  And if I’ve lied to you, reader, I’m terribly sorry.

#6 – A Better Grasp of the Difference Between Winning and Losing.  Now that I’ve been watching more games besides those of my favorite teams, I feel like I understand the game a bit better.  Earlier this year I watched Arsenal plays Besiktas twice in the European Champions League; Arsenal won aggregate 1-0 while being outplayed.  In fact, Arsenal got red cards in both matches and had to play a man down.  Yet they were organized, never strayed from the team discipline and only took risks when it was absolutely necessary.  Besiktas let the game wear down on them, by the end you could see the resignation in their body language...  I’ve learned that it takes more than just talent to win.  Coaching plays a large factor, but I also think some of the outside elements affect outcomes as well.  Playing on short weeks in relation to the NFL (For example, it’s hard for a team to win on Thursdays when playing on the road and going through a lot of travel). Momentum is massive as well.  I saw the Royals come back against the A’s twice in their playoff series and it took them right through Los Angeles, even though the Angels appeared to be the best team in baseball.  The Pirates on the other hand, couldn’t score early, pressed, and then when the Giants took the lead off of the grand slam, imploded on themselves after playing a successful September to get to that point.  The Giants also lead in a series currently that they may not be favored in.  Prior to this year, I may not have seen these perceptions as clearly as I do now.  The Royals could be playing the Giants in two weeks, and I won’t be at all surprised if it happens.

#5 – Missing the Highs and Lows of Cheering.  I do miss the fandom aspect of the game.  Even though I’m not sulking after a loss, or delighted after a win, the ups and downs of every particular game-play-moment were fun to revel in with other fans of that certain organization.  I still have yet to go to a live event; I think I will really struggle if I do get to see Green Bay or Penn State this year (Although I don’t believe I will, at least until 2015).  I relish the memories of pacing in my living room at the town house when the Packers and Eagles were going tit-for-tat in that 2011 playoff game.  Huddling in the corner of Harland’s apartment watching Lawrence Tynes line up for that kick to take the Giants to the Super Bowl in 2008.  Leaving the Irish pub downtown when Nicolas Anelka missed the PK against Manchester United in the Champions League final because I couldn't deal with all the emotion in that game.  All that is gone.  I do miss it.

#4 – The Arsenal Affect.  I will admit, I am a little bit of a FIFA fiend.  I haven’t purchased Madden since 2010 or NCAA Football since 2012, but I have bought FIFA every single year since 1998 except for 2014 (’13 was amazing, still my favorite to this day). Now I am playing a career mode with Arsenal, one of Manchester United’s great rivals, and I must admit that I am enjoying it immensely.  (Interesting note, dating back to my Real Madrid dynasty on 2013, I have had Denny Welbeck one way or another for about 7-8 consecutive seasons).  It’s been fun to play with Arsenal, and I catch myself watching them more in real life.  I’d be curious to know that if I did buy Madden, could I ever do a dynasty mode with the Bears or Vikings?  I never did in any edition of the football game that I ever owned...  Just like owning a new car, it’s fun to take something else out for awhile, after driving your own for so long.

#3 – Can Basketball be my new Baseball?  This has been great for baseball as far as I’m concerned.  I’ve watched more baseball in the last 2 weeks, than I probably have during the rest of 2014 and all of 2013 combined.  I watched the Royals-Athletics from start to finish, the Giants-Pirates from start to finish, and a large number of innings from the four divisional playoff series since... Now I’ve loved the Timberwolves since their inauguration into the NBA back in 1989.  We used to go to many, many games when I was a child.  But basketball has fallen by the wayside, especially when compared to football and football.  It used to be my favorite sport and the one I always looked forward to playing while in school growing up.  However, since my return from Germany, I think it’s fallen to third and at times I prefer to watch a hockey game versus an NBA game.  Maybe a new perspective will bring the love back.  Watching Cleveland, Chicago, Miami and Dallas has me intrigued this year.  All four teams could be playing deep into the playoffs, or potentially get knocked out early (maybe not Cleveland).  While I think the Timberwolves will be competitive and at the least very fun to watch, falling in love with the sport again will be a greater reward for me than staying stagnant with Wolves basketball and falling deeper into the ‘other’ sport abyss.

#2 – A new Career Choice?  While missing the emotion of being a fan, I have been able to watch every single game objectively and I think the one thing that I have found out about myself during all this is that I’m good at recognizing talent, game tactics, policies, etc.  During my teen years, I had dreams about maybe going into scouting, as I thought I would enjoy the travel, games, experiences and everything else.  I know that it’s a competitive field, and especially if you get it wrong once or twice (fired, immediately).  Yet, besides Joey Harrington (American football) and Micah Richards (European football) I've been pretty good about proclaiming brilliance from an athlete.  I know that my current life choices have probably eliminated a real college try at immersing myself into that employment field, but part of me still believes that I could do it, and I hope that curiosity never subsides.  Maybe when the boys are older, I’ll get my chance.

#1 – Missing the Things I Loved.  And there are a ton of them.  Instead of engaging you, the reader, with a paragraph of my thoughts on the subject I thought I would just give you a list.  Enjoy.
• Green Bay – Minnesota
• Manchester United – Liverpool
• Penn State – Michigan
• Rooney Scoring
• Julius Peppers (My Favorite defensive player) on Green Bay (My Team)
• Annual Trip to Lambeau
• Penn State visits to Minneapolis
• John Kuhn touchdowns
• Being David De Gea’s biggest supporter
• Sharing in Fan Enthusiasm
• Green Bay - Chicago
• Trash Talk
• Manchester United Tours (I saw City instead)
• Packer Pick 6’s
• Manchester United - Arsenal
• Borussia Dortmund Champions League Matches (Still my favorite experience in Germany).
• Bears’ collapses
• Wolves beating teams they aren't supposed to




* - Can it please just be football from now on?  Ok, thanks.