My Team

During the NFL draft I was talking with some friends and said, “I can’t believe we got Greg Olsen!” While talking with a friend about the Bulls season, I said, “We finally made it to the second round of the playoffs. It’s a good building block for us, hopefully next year we can take it one more step.” When the Bears were in the Superbowl this year, and someone asked me if I was happy, I said, “I didn’t expect for us to make it this year, we were just able to overcome some injuries and inconsistent play at the QB position.”

Notice anything weird or different about my answers? If not, maybe you just view sports like I do. Maybe how I discuss them isn’t that weird after all. One of my kids asked me a while back how come I refer to the Bears as “My team?” How come I include myself in the answers when I answer a question about one of my favorite teams? Other people have asked me that as well, I guess I just never realized I was doing that. I have heard other people answer that way, so after some thought I realized why I talk that way.

Thinking back to 2005, the Sox were in the World Series for the first time in my lifetime. They were playing Houston, and watching the whole World Series was like a dream for me. I kept waiting for them to blow it, I didn’t want to get too excited just to have those thoughts crushed. They ended up sweeping Houston, and I was so excited, it was an awesome event. My first World Series victory. Then, the Bears went to the Superbowl this year. It started out so great, and then the bottom fell out. My heart was crushed, and it was at that point that I realized why I use words like “we”, and “us” when I talk about them.

It’s because I am part of the team….okay, I’m not crazy, let me explain. My heart is in it, I feel pain and joy when they do. When they lose, it makes me sad, when they win, it makes me happy. When they win championships, it makes me ecstatic! Without fans like me, these teams would not be in the situation they are. We as fans are the ones that make it possible for them to win championships, sign free agents, build new stadiums. Every time you buy a jersey, go to a game, or eat a hot dog at a game, you are investing yourself into that team.

So if people look at you like you are weird when you say “My team is only a few games away from winning it all!” Or, if you say, “I can’t believe we get the number 1 pick!” Don’t worry, you aren’t weird, you are just an invested fan. And don’t forget, that is the BIGGEST reason those teams are around.