Can't I Just Root for My Favorite Teams?

Whenever there's a conversation about sports around the water cooler at work, I always find a way to join. I think anyone who passes by and hears an opinion he disagrees with or a topic he's interested in, I can't resist jumping in and exhibiting their perceived sports knowledge.

But the one part I dread of barging my way into a sports conversation is the eventual question: "So who's your favorite sports team?"

When people ask me that question, I feel like I automatically have to spend 10 minutes justifying why I'm a fan of each team from the three major sports in this country. It's one of the most frustrating things about not being a sports fan of the teams in your home state.

The first conclusions people come to when I name all of my teams are: 

—For your information, I didn't become a Spurs fan when Sean Elliott threw the ball in the air at MSG as we celebrated our first title in '99.

—We all know there's no reason to celebrate being a Lions fan; and I didn't become one when we picked Stafford, either. But you are right when you think of Barry Sanders. But that provided excitement, not winning.

—As for the Padres, no, I did not jump on the bandwagon when Sterling Hitchcock, Joey Hamilton, and Kevin Brown decided to pitch lights out in the 98 playoffs. None of those were reasons that I became a fan of any of those teams.

But there's more to it than that. I think not being born to an American citizen with established roots in this country is a reason as well.

I wasn't born to generations of Red Sox fans. My parents barely had any TV in the Dominican Republic. The only games they saw were local ones. I was born to parents who followed teams in their home country, not here. My dad (Dominican) cheers for Las Aguilas, which is one of the two major teams in the Dominican Republic.

As much as he follows American sports and is knowledgeable, he didn't make me a Knicks fan when I was young; nor a Yankee, Met, Giant, or Jet fan, either. He never had that attachment because he was so fresh to this country. 

The only thing he was able to teach me was to make sure the people I looked up to in sports were good. It is no coincidence, then, that the reason I'm a fan of these three teams is because of David Robinson, Tony Gwynn, and Barry Sanders. 

Not only were they all tremendous athletes, but they all exemplified something my dad wanted me to emulate; not only from him, but them, and that was class.

So when people accuse me of being a bandwagon jumper, it befuddles me because I could've easily switched teams plenty of times.

But I chose not to because I'm loyal. I don't root for the Spurs and suddenly select a second team if the Spurs get eliminated. No! Whoever does that, frankly, needs their fanhood revoked.

I'm a firm believer in having one team. You can have numerous favorite players, but only one team. Whether they lose eight seasons in a row, you have to stick with them. 

Ask a Clippers fan how sweet that 2006 run was when they forced Phoenix to a Game Seven. Ask a Rays fan how fulfilling that World Series appearance was last year. Ask a Cards fan who struggled through Bidwell's thrift how much he appreciated the NFC Playoffs and this year's Super Bowl run.

More times than not, all my teams have provided me with periods of disappointment,just like the ones I previously mentioned. Let's go down my list:

Detroit Lions

—The Scott Mitchell Era.

—The early Barry Sanders retirement.

—0-16.

—The 58-37 loss to Rodney Peete's Philadelphia Eagles about 14 years ago.

—Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, and Roy Williams.

—The Matt Millen era.

—Joey Harrington.

—Three straight seasons without a road win.

San Diego Padres

—The blown call in Game One of the '98 World Series when Randy Myers threw a third strike and it wasn't called. Next pitch, Tino hits a grand slam that changes the whole tone of that series.

—Hoffman's regular season dominance, but postseason choking.

—The Cards' 7-1 playoff record against us this decade.

—The Matt Holliday one-game playoff robbery when he never touched home.

—The drafting of Khalil Greene.

San Antonio Spurs

—.4 seconds

—Sean Elliott's kidney issues.

—Ginobilli foul on Nowitzki.

—Going 1-for-9 against the Lakers in 2001 and 2002 in the playoffs.

—Hakeem dream-shaking us out of the playoffs in Robinson's MVP year.

—The Fisher non-call foul on Brent Barry.

—Manu's 2008-2009 injury-plagued season.

You think it was easy to go through all those moments?

Let's do some math: I became a sports fan in 1992. Out of 51 seasons (all three teams combined), I've tasted champagne four times. Now if you're a Cleveland sports fan, you'll probably ask me if we can trade places, but that won't happen.

It'd just be nice for someone to accept someone being a fan of a team that could be a three to five hour plane ride away.

There's no reason in today's world, with all these League Pass programs and the internet, that I can't follow the Knicks, Giants, or Yankees the same way I do my teams. I could understand you being skeptical about someone in a pre-internet era, but even then, if they know their team, they know their team.

The sad part is that everyone wants to label themselves a sports expert and question how true of a fan you are. But when you run off more information about their favorite team than they know themselves, it's embarrassing.

All in all, it doesn't matter where you're from or where you are. All that matters is how dedicated you are to the team you follow.

So, if I were ever to decide to open a Spurs and Lions blog at the beginning of training camp, TV networks and popular sports Web sites may give me more credence if I'm in the home state.

But, if I'm thousands of miles away and my coverage beats the coverage of their local beat writers minus the player quotes, they can't deny me. They just can't.

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