RIVALRIES

 

 

 

 

 

There have been rivalries since the beginning of time.  Two groups that want the same thing.  Only one can win.  I typically think of rivalries in terms of sports.  Yankees vs Red Sox, Packers vs Bears, Celtics vs Lakers, Michigan vs Ohio State, Texas vs Oklahoma, Brigham Young vs Utah.  What is it about rivalries that get people so fired up?  Why do we seem to care about beating a particular opponent more that another?

How do you enjoy a rivalry game?  Some like to go to the stadium and mix it up with other fans (did you know that the term fan came from the word fanatic?).  Others make it a festive occasion and have a bunch of people over to their house and eats tons of food while gathering around the TV.  Some get so into it that they don't dare be around other people for fear that they will make total fools of themselves, so they sit in solitude in their den all the while yelling and screaming (and occasionally throwing things) at the TV.

What kind of fanatic are you?  Me, I want my team to win, but I don't wish any ill on the opponent.  I sat in the stands and endured every imaginable insult directed and yelled at my son while he played college baseball.  Not very pretty.  Trust me, there were times I wanted to break someones neck.  Some fans seem to forget that every player is someones son or daughter.  So here is a TIP FROM A MAN... root passionately and wildly for your team but keep your comments in the cheer/positive category.  Don't yell insults at the opponent, let their performance speak for itself.  If every fan would do this it would be so much more fun.  My family and I have been verbally abused and even have had things thrown at us at games by opposing fans.  This even happened when I was with my children when they were very young.  I had a hard time trying to explain to the little ones why complete strangers were yelling mean things at us when all we did was show up and sit in our seats.  The world has indeed become very nasty.  But that doesn't mean that you have to get sucked into that behavior.  

A few years ago I decided that I needed to send a message about sportsmanship to my kids, so after home college football games right after the contest was over we would hurry over to the opposing teams tunnel and we would specifically seek out fans dressed in the opponents colors.  We would walk up to people, thank them for making the effort to come on the road and be supportive of their team, then we would compliment them on how hard their team played and how they had played with class.  At first my kids wanted no part of this.  But once the people we approached got over the initial shock of being thanked and appreciated, their smiles, warm handshakes and kind words melted my kids hearts and they caught the spirit of what we were trying to do.  It costs no money to demonstrate good sportsmanship.

Stand out in the crowd by being friendly, positive and supportive of your team.  Maybe some youngster will observe your character and decide that he/she wants to be just like you.  I believe that someone is always watching.  May the best team win and hopefully that is your team.

Enjoy life!