A native Chicagoan, Michael never hated a team until he lived in another city. Raised to be a good sport and to support the concept of fair play, he always wanted to learn the strengths and weaknesses of a player and of a team. It was a matter of constant self-improvement.

"Growing up in The Second City, you always want to improve," he explained. "As a kid I always heard that Chicago was second rate. Second to New York. Second to Los Angeles. Second to Washington DC. Second to San Francisco."

But this NFL Bleacher Report writer never had a reason to hate a team or a player . . . until he left Chicago.

After graduating from college in Wisconsin and from a university in Kentucky, then working in California, he learned to appreciate team rivalries and the enmity between teams' fans. You would think that the NFL rivalry between the Bears and the Packers rivalry would be enough, but no. In his time, Michael experienced the NCAA basketball rivalry between The University of Kentucky and Duke University and the rivalry between the fans of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders.

It was a new experience living and listening to another city's fans. They had strong opinions about his hometown teams and players. Angry because of the unwarranted attacks, Michael did what any fan would do. He retaliated and gave as good as he got.

After a while, Michael realized why fans enjoyed their chosen teams and bought their favorite players' jerseys. The fan considered the team or player as an extension of himself or herself. "I chose my team and player because I saw a little bit of myself in them," explained Michael. "They were like me, doing everything possible to succeed, to accomplish something."

When his teams won, Michael won. It gave him something to look forward to enjoying at the end of the week. And when his player earned an award, it gave him a glimpse of his own possibilities.

When that idea came to mind, he understood why fans said what they said. They needed a reason to dislike another teams' players and anything that could be competition.

Ultimately, Michael returned to his roots. "I always appreciated the lessons sports taught," he said. "You learn to overcome adversity, that hard work can overpower natural talent, and you learn to adapt to unexpected problems."

For Michael, joining The Bleacher Report is an opportunity to get back to the game and enjoy everything it represents.