What Would it Take to Sell Your Allegiance?
As a sports fan, have you ever found yourself in a position where you were so infuriated with your team that you decided it was time to sell your allegiance to another franchise? Well that is the position that Lee Kirby, an ex-fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, found himself in. After years and years of disappointment, Lee finally decided he’d had enough. He sold his allegiance to the highest bidder on eBay allowing the winning bidder to decide which team he would support. When it was all said and done, Lee went out shopping for Dallas Stars gear to support his new team.
Now think about that. Has your team ever caused you so much angst that you would be willing to do what Lee did? I’m not talking about your random infatuations with teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers due to Labron James and Shaq or cheering on the latest BCS Buster as they play Alabama and Oklahoma. Nobody has really been fans of Cleveland or Boise St. all their life. The teams I’m talking about are the ones your dad introduced to you, or the teams that you first saw play on TV or in person and they instantly captured your heart. I’m talking about the teams you follow year in and year out, whether the sport they play is in season or not. You know who I’m talking about; the team that when they play, everything else including your family takes a backseat. Could you sell that team down the river?
We’ve all been upset with our teams. For crying out loud, two of my favorite teams are the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Cubs. I know the pain that Lee felt. I had to endure four Super Bowl losses in a row, and Steve Bartman is still haunting my dreams. Each and every year, I start off thinking, “Is this the year we bring the title back to Buffalo?” Oh wait, wouldn’t they have had to of won a title in the first place. As a Cubs fan, can you even count winning The World Series in 1908 anymore. Heck no! Anyone that argues it does needs to be at least 101 year old for me to even listen to them. Despite all of this and the likely hood that nothing will probably change in the near future, am I willing to give it all up and support the Dallas Cowgirls or the Buy Yourself a Championship Yankees?
No, and here is the reason why: There is always next year! You have to have faith. I am not saying you have to be a bumbling fool with blind ambition. I’m willing to admit that the Bills don’t have a shot in the world at winning the Super Bowl this year. However, they do next year. Why do I think this? It is because they are my favorite team. When a team earns the right to be called your favorite, then believing in their future is the respect they deserve. Without that eternal hope, sports would lose a huge part of its appeal. As a Texas Longhorns fan, I ask myself everyday how somebody could possibly cheer for the Aggies. I’m asking myself that question right now as a matter of fact. Then I remember that there was a time a little over ten years ago when The Longhorns were a laughing stock. We actually used to lose to Baylor. All it took though, other than years of painful devotion, was the signing of Mack Brown to turn our fortunes around. No matter how bleak the present looks, that is all it takes for any team to turn the corner. Every struggling team out there is only one or two personnel changes from getting things on track.
I know it is tough, I’ve been there. We all have. No matter how tough it gets though, your favorite teams deserve the respect of knowing that no matter how many Jamarcus Russells they throw out there, or despite the fact that Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia were your starting pitchers just a couple of years ago, you will still be there for them until it gets better. Selling your allegiance on eBay because you are sick of losing year in and year out is a copout. Now where did I put that Brady jersey?
Agree? Disagree? We’d love to hear your comments.
