Thank You, Dad, for Helping Make Me the Sports Fan I Am Today

Happy Father's day to all of you fathers, or father figures in people's lives.

I thank my dad completely and solely for the development of the sports fan I am today.

Back around 2006 I wasn't really much of a sports fan. The only thing relatively close was WWE; I was 12, and geeky

My dad had just gotten done with rehab for his alcohol problems. When I was young, my dad had always been a Bills fan, a Yankees Fan, and a Syracuse Orange fan, and when my dad got out of rehab, I started to get into football.

The Football season had just ended and the Steelers were Super Bowl XL champions, whom I didn't particularly like at the time.

When I look at old photos, I see sports everywhere. I saw a picture of when I was about seven and there was a little Bills bandanna hanging on the wall, and when I was four, knowing Syracuse Weather, it was freezing cold and snowing for Halloween—my little Brother and I were dressed up in Bills Jackets and hats and we had football face paint.

As you can see, there was a lot of influence.

My dad told me that when we were watching the Music City Miracle, I was watching it with him and got mad when they lost, too.

I recall that once that there was another kid in school bragging about the Steelers; he asked me what my team was. That was one of the pivotal causes for pushing me into sports.

I knew my Dad liked the Bills, and I knew there was no reason to turn on the Bills and get another team, so I started listening to games on the radio and watching games with him. That's how I was really molded into a sports fan.

Another example is the Yankees. I was raised in a household with them, too. I've even seen a younger picture of me with a New York Yankees 1998 World Series Champions shirt on, and whenever there has been anyone to complain to about records, or a shoulder to cry on in a playoff elimination, it has been him.

I also got into liking the Spurs. Basically, I was watching the NBA Finals vs. the Cavaliers, and I really liked the city of San Antonio. My favorite WWE wrestler growing up, Shawn Michaels, is from San Antonio, and I thought I needed a team that was worth the passion; so, I picked the Spurs.

Also, my dad made me a Syracuse Orange Basketball fan, and it really captivated me when they won the NCAA tourney in 2003, even though I wasn't into sports at all. To this day, my dad and I watch them.

Now, when I started to watch football, I began to like college football, too, and I really liked Reggie Bush. They had a good team in USC. I liked Bush when he joined the NFL; I still do, and I have looked back at his days with USC and, eventually, I grew to like USC football, holding Syracuse as a close second (I really enjoyed watching Syracuse beat Notre Dame on national television).

I thank you, Dad, for making me the completely strange, super excited, emotional sports fan I am, and I can't wait to watch the Bills try to make a Super Bowl run with Terrell Owens in their 50th season with you.

I love you, Dad. Thanks and Happy Fathers Day!