Fans of the Ancient Mariner

“The pleasure of rooting for Goliath is that you can expect to win. The pleasure of rooting for David is that, while you don’t know what to expect, you stand at least a chance of being inspired.”  Michael Lewis, Moneyball: The Art of Winning and Unfair Game

           

One of the central themes of the book quoted above is that of assigning value.  Value to teams and players specifically, but the ideas can definitely be applied in all areas of life.  As a fan of the Steelers and a fan of the Seattle Mariners, I have the opportunity to see these ideas from David’s view, as well as Goliath’s.

Being a Mariner’s fan is a bit like being in a bad relationship.  One where all your friends and family hate your girlfriend, and can’t understand what the hell you are doing with her.   A relationship where you seldom see any sign from your partner than anything other than heartbreak will come of it.  However, when you see the smallest glimmer of hope, you trudge on.

You believe that this will be the time it will work out.  That glimmer of hope is the same as every Mariner fan feels every year, despite the overwhelming evidence that this season will likely be very much the same as all the previous seasons.

The M’s are one of only two teams that have never played in a World Series.  I was given a DVD set of the 4 essential games in team history.  All four games had one thing in common:  they didn’t propel them on to ultimate victory.  When you are a Mariner fan, you have to learn to take what you can get!

And through it all, I remain a fan.  I go through the roster every spring and pick out what I feel will be strengths and weaknesses.   I try to honestly assess how I think they will do, and usually allow my heart to get out in front of my head.   I gain a little hope with every winning streak to start the season, and eventually am left with the ever popular refrain:

“Wait til’ next Season!”

            The truth is that all but one team will always be singing that song.  Mariner’s fans are no different than most others in that respect.  Along the way, true fans just hope to see something special. 

We want to see our team work hard and compete. 

We want to be in the crowd with all of our fellow fans.

Watching the game we once played as kids. 

Watching the game we once watched with our Dad.

We want to be inspired.

We just want to hope that, every once in a while, David will have his day in the sun.

            

A True Fan's Beginning...

"Every passion borders on the chaotic..."  Walter Benjamin

        Sports fans are a different breed.  When watching a game, we process information as if we ourselves are on the field.  Our passion for our favorite team, sport, or player will often exceed the limits of what are considered reasonable, but we don't care.  It’s all a part of what being a fan is about.  

        I am a fan of one team that has a history of excellence and championships and one team that, well, does not.  Both teams have brought me my share of heartache and pain.  My history as a part of “Steeler Nation” is one that many true fans can relate to.

        I became a Pittsburgh Steelers fan after the first Super Bowl I remember watching, Super Bowl XIV.  I was six years old and I don’t remember all the details of the game, but I remember that the Steelers seemed bigger than life to me.  My whole life to that time had been filled with Steeler championships.

My favorite Steeler was Joe Green.  Not only did he have a commercial, but his name brought about one of the greatest lines my mother has ever uttered:

        “Why did his Mom name him Mean?”

        I didn’t know, at that time, that they wouldn’t even get into the Super Bowl again until 1996.  There was no way I could have comprehended how that could be possible.  I was six.

They finally won the championship again in 2006, but it was 3 years later that reminded me how connected we make ourselves to our teams. 

        I had watched the first half against the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in near euphoria.  Not only were the Steelers playing great, but the Cardinals were not playing well at all.  Everything seemed to be going right for us. 

        The last seven-and-a half minutes of the fourth quarter of that game was probably the most excruciating and exhilarating I could imagine.  The range of emotions was incredible, but I was being physically affected by every play.

Warner to Fitzgerald…stomach cramp.

Holding in the End Zone, safety….intense migraine and a sense of bewilderment.

Another long TD to Fitzgerald…. I thought I was going to pass out.

 

        

I remember when the Steelers got the ball back for that last drive I was shaking my head, staring at the screen.  The announcers sounded like they were on another planet.  I literally had the cold sweats. 

        As the team started moving the ball down the field, I still felt like crap but I could start to hear things normally.  I wasn’t jumping up and down with each completion…just sitting there nervously wringing my hands together.  It wasn’t until Roethlisberger’s unbelievable pass to Santonio Holmes in the back of the end zone that I finally let a loud “YES”.

         And then the endless replays.

 I kept on saying (whether to myself or out loud I can’t be sure) “They are gonna take this from US”. 

Us.

I have never cried watching a game that I wasn’t playing in before.  But I cried when the official came back and said that the call stood.  I felt exhausted, emotionally and physically, and I thought I could have just witnessed one of the greatest football games in history.  I remember thinking about being that six year old kid who thought the Steelers won every year and listening to his mom ask “Why did his Mom name him Mean”? 

I felt like I was on the field with the team.  I felt like I could have been wearing one of those “Super Bowl Champ” T-shirts with confetti falling out of the sky like rain.

I felt like “Us”.

That’s the thing about being a fan.  You aren’t a fan because you like sports or you like that team. 

You are a fan because you feel like you are part of that team. 

You feel like you are part of something bigger than the normal everyday world we live in.  For a couple hours, you ARE a Steeler, or a Jet, or even a Raider. 

You are a part of us.