Today will be a two part MMR. Part one will talk briefly about the World Cup and my thoughts on it. Part two will be what I actually wanted to write about today: What role player loyalty takes in my fandom with my sports teams.
Part 1: The World Cup and Me
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of soccer. I find the game mostly boring. And the diving is even worse than watching the Celtics play "basketball." Obscene. But there's something about the World Cup that just draws me in and makes me a fan.
The extreme nationalism of the event is contageous. This is the biggest sport in the entire world. It really is on the the US who doesn't give a shit about it. Everywhere else, soccer (futbol) is a religion! People live and die with their teams. This is something I can relate to, being a Sharks fan who lives and dies with his team. But this is on a global scale...and when the world comes together once every four years to compete in the world's game...I tune in!
I love it. I watch, I get excited, and I cheer unabashedly for the U.S.! Maybe this will be the year where we break through and turn some heads! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Anyways, over the years I have earned somewhat of an appreciation of the sport. It's a grueling test of endurance. But with the lack of scoring chances, and the rampant flopping, it just doesn't appeal to me the same way hockey does (the most comparable sport I watch). But come World Cup time...you are very likely to see me watching soccer. It happens!
Part 2: Player Loyalty and Fandom
On a completely unrelated note, I've been thinking a lot recently on how little player loyalty I have when it comes to my favorite sports teams. And by that, what I mean is, I don't tend to get too attached to any specific player on the teams I watch and love. The logo on the front, to me, is far more important than the name on the back.
I do believe this comes from being an A's fan. Over the last decade, the A's have brought up some amazing players: Miguel Tejada, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Nick Swisher, Jason Giambi etc. And every time they get really good, and need a new contract, they are traded away or not resigned. This is the way of the world for A's fans. We can't afford to keep our star players, so it makes more sense to flip them for more useful assets (players), and keep trying to compete. But it makes becoming a fan of one specific player over all the rest very hard.
Growing up I was a huge Mark McGwire fan. And he was an A for ages! When he was traded to the Cardinals, I was devistated, and continued to cheer for him...even going so far as to cheer for the Cardinals as a team when he was with them. When the new breed of A's cropped up in 2000, I became a Tim Hudson fan. Love the guy. But he was traded away...and I became disillusioned. He was the first player I'd ever gotten a jersey of with their name on the back. And I got it 2 weeks before he was traded. Ouch!
Since then, I've become much more passive in my love of specific players, and really do just cheer for the team. All my jerseys since (A's, Sharks) have no name on the back. They will be good forever. I find it makes being a fan of teams much easier.
I bring this up now because the Sharks are in a position this offseason where they may (and probably will) lose some of their long time players and fan favorites: Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov. And while I've loved both players in their time on the Sharks (Marleau even being considered my favorite Sharks player most of the time), I have been really passive about the thought of the two of them leaving San Jose for new teams this offseason.
It's not that I haven't enjoyed watching them play in Teal, or think they are bad players or anything like that. I just know that our GM is in the business of winning, and will make the moves he thinks need to be made to try and get us a Stanley Cup. And as much as I may like Marleau and Nabby, I'd like a Cup in San Jose even more...and creating a roster that will win us a Cup might require letting these long time Sharks favorites to walk! I'm ok with that.
To me, the Sharks are more than just a few players...they are a team, a fanbase, and part of the community. As a whole. Marleau has been awesome in San Jose, but if we need to go in different directions, all the best to him. I'll still be there cheering for the Sharks, old and new, in their quest to bring me and our fanbase a Stanley Cup. Same with the A's...I'll cheer for whoever is wearing the green and gold as long as they are working to try and bring us a World Series Championship.
So, yeah, maybe its because of my A's fandom...but I don't tend to get too attached to players anymore. It's all about the team to me...and the pursuit of a Championship...no matter who is along for the ride!
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