WHERE ARE YOUR SPORTS ROOTS?

What's your first remembrance of being a sports fan?  Think back a minute.  Was it some event you saw on TV.....was it some big sports event everyone was talking about, or was it a game you attended?   Can you even remember when this "follower" thing happened?  I hope you can, because that's when most of our roots take shape.  That's when you became a Green Bay Packer fan and not a Minnesota Vikings fan when the Purple People Eaters lost their fourth Super Bowl.....when the Chicago Cubs held a fascination for you instead of the Florida Marlins even though Steve Bartman ripped your heart out with his foul ball incident in 2003  (really, was it all his doing?).....you liked Phil Mickelson more than Tiger Woods because his image was more like one you could relate to...or when Brandi Chastain tweaked your interest in a sport you never thought you'd follow by scoring a goal in a World Cup soccer game then disrobing to a sports bra to punctuate the moment.               

The Thrill of Victory In A Life Changing Moment

That's the great thing about being a fan.  You never know for sure when you're going to be catapulted onto a bandwagon.  When something will move you to root for this team or person rather than another.  Take for example the NCAA Basketball Tournament going on right now.  Do you find yourself cheering for teams you'd never thought you could?  Are your brackets more important than loyalty to the hat or sweatshirt you're wearing identifying "your" school?   And because of these happenings, you're beginning to feel a little peer pressure?  Hmmmmmm.....those are some questions that might be cause for reflection.

This also might be a time when you pray the NCAA tournament moves along quickly so you can get back in "fandom" with your school's spring football practices.  Maybe then, you can keep your integrity.  Or is fantasy baseball right around the corner?  Nevertheless, we've gotten off course here a little bit, but I wanted you to see how difficult this fan thing has become.....and why it's so important to hang onto your beginnings.

 My roots are established in Chicago sports.  My favorite uncle and his family moved to Chicago in the early 1960's.  He was tops in my book.  And my way of connecting with him was cheering for the Chicago teams.  I became a fan of the Bears, Blackhawks and White Sox.  What about the Bulls and Cubs, you say?  The Bulls didn't come along until 1966 and for some reason, I was an American League fan and not a National League one.  I'm sure a fella with the #7 on his back had alot to do with that.  Mickey Mantle, to me, was the best player ever, I just couldn't get my arms around the New York Yankee love fest.  Or perhaps I loved the underdogs better.

When did this fan thing really take hold with me?  In 1966, my family traveled to Chicago to share Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle.  That weekend,  the Bears were playing the Atlanta Falcons.  THAT'S WHEN IT HAPPENED!!  November 27th, 1966.  Take a look at the game program below.  Notice the game was played at Wrigley Field and not Soldier Field.  And if memory serves me right, they played with both end zones!!!



My First Game Program...Got Yours?


The day couldn't have gone any better than if I had ordered it myself.  The Bears beat Atlanta 23-6.  I couldn't even remember the score, but I recall Chicago winning.  My memories were of sharing time with my uncle, hearing fans say things I'd never heard before, embracing the Wrigley Field moment and seeing two rookies who would be household names in pro football forever, Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers.  Months prior to this, the Bears had drafted Butkus, Sayers and lineman Steve DeLong in the 1st round.  I'm not sure if any team can claim a draft remotely close to that in quality.  DeLong would go on to play for the San Diego Chargers for a good share of his NFL career, but did have a cup of coffee with Chicago in the latter part of his years.  Still to this day, how the Bears got that lucky I'll never know.





That's where it all began for me.  When I saw Gale Sayers run with his galloping/slashing style and Dick Butkus gore ballcarriers with his hellacious hits, I was hooked.  Sayers and Butkus, Butkus and Sayers....wow.  Sadly, neither experienced much success with the Bears as a winning franchise during their careers.  Still, as a fan, my roots were firmly planted.  I didn't jump ship and look for another team/city to support.  It was Chicago.  The Bears, White Sox and Blackhawks.  Fortunately, I've seen each of those teams win World Championships in my lifetime.  Not everyone can say that about their teams.  As for my other pro and college favorites, they will become apparent to you as time goes on.  At least you know where I'm coming from for now.

So, where are your roots?  What are your memories?  What joys and frustrations have you felt in your sports ride?  This is just some of the roads we'll travel in the coming days as SportsRealms takes shape.  What does "realm" mean?  By definition it says, "an untroubled kingdom of reason"  or "a land of make believe".   And if that doesn't describe "us" and the turf we live on , then what does?

Thanks for reading,

John

                                           -30-