Sunday, May 29

I'm a Sports Guy

I think that's fairly evident, given that I namecheck the Dallas Cowboys as my favorite team in my bio, but it goes beyond that. I like sports. I like competitiveness. I think the best qualities of humanity come out in the midst of competition. The desire, the drive to compete, to do our best. It doesn't matter if the competition is on a field, or in an arena, or in a classroom. Participating in competition is something we all have done as part of our life process. But getting back to sports, I think our collective psyche as Americans live and breathe in our sports heroes, and in our desire for competition.

The Dallas Cowboys are my team. I was a fan during their 1-15 season, and even after I found myself in Buffalo living with my mom, I rooted for them. Their first two Super Bowls of the 90s didn't win me over any new friends. It was in Buffalo, however, that an appreciation for Basketball and Hockey came into being. Buffalo is a hockey town, first and foremost, which is why I think that if the Bills ever do move, it won't be a catastrophe. Take the Sabres away, however, and there will be blood. Now, Buffalo doesn't have a basketball team (fun fact: The L. A. Clippers were originally a franchise in Buffalo), but the 90s had a certain superstar by the name of Michael Jordan. It was impossible not to see him everywhere you turned. So it was during that time that I learned the rules of both games and found an interest in the competition therein.

It wasn't until recently that I gained an appreciation for Baseball. I have my good friend Bill to thank for that. He's a die-hard Rangers fan (and one could say long-suffering), and it was through him that I gained insight into the intricacies of how a game plays out. It helped that last year the Rangers made it to the World Series. One of the first things I did when they knocked the Yankees out of the ALCS was call up Bill and congratulate him on the accomplishment. He's not on the team, and is just a fan, but as a Sports Guy, when a friend's team succeeds, they are part of the experience.

I am lucky to live in a 4-sport town. Granted, I don't follow the hockey team (may they rot in hell), but in the age of the internet, I don't need to live in Buffalo to follow the Sabres. Though, being able to see them on TV would be nice. So I get sports all year long. It's nice, being a Sports Guy, to always have something to look forward to. And right, now it's a good time to be a Dallas Sports Guy. And here's why:

4 comments:

  1. What about poor FC Dallas? Don't they make it a 5 sport town?

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  2. Given that I have to be reminded that Dallas has a Football Club (see? I know it's called Football everywhere but America), then no. Also, they should probably be called FC Frisco, since that's where they actually reside. I actually think our Double-A baseball team in Frisco gets more press.

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  3. Do you have the situation over there where the press coverages doesn't necessarily match the actual public's interest? Not necessarily for soccer, but any sport?

    I know here in Melbourne, we're the home of AFL, aussie rules football, so that totally dominates the press, with just lip service paid to soccer or rugby. Fair enough, since it is the most popular sport in town, but international football games have filled our 80k stadium regularly, and rugby matches filled out the 50k one as well, so there's definitely more then enough interest, but still very little press.

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  4. In Dallas it runs like this:

    Cowboys > Mavericks/Rangers > Stars > FC Dallas

    The coverage usually reflects this. I give ESPN Dallas credit though. They do have a link for anyone that wants FC Dallas news.

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