Shark Soup Is The Best Cure For The Bay Area Sports Fan Blues

I never have and probably never will call myself a hockey fan. I stick to the big three, basketball, baseball and football. Every single team I root for as a bay area citizen has been stuck in the gutter for the last few years. The Giants, A's, 49ers, Raiders and Warriors have combined for only one playoff appearance in the last two years, while Cal and Stanford haven't done much outside of women's basketball. A few teams are in "rebuilding mode" and the rest just plain suck, all of it has become hard to bear. 

I yearn for the better days of my young sports spectating career. When Bonds led the Giants to the playoffs every other year, when Garcia and Owens made the 49ers relevant. Besides the 2002 MLB playoffs, I don't really know what it is like to be a fan of a dominant team. I envy sports fans in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, where every team is consistently good besides the Knicks.

I am currently suffering through a six game Warrior losing streak and another playoff-less 49er season. I needed to find something to feed my passionate sports fan appetite, so I turned on the Sharks game. Like I said, I don't care much for hockey. I do watch the Sharks in the playoffs, and know a few of the players names.

It recently occurred to me that the Sharks are the best team in the NHL, with the best record, least points allowed, and the most goals scored. Today they won their eighth in a row, a 5-2 victory over Toronto, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Though the NHL does not have the popularity or star power of other sports, it is definitely watchable. The feeling that comes from rooting for a dominant team is something that I get a taste of every time I watch the Sharks take the ice. While my favorite teams rebuild for the next 10 years, I can always fill the void with this.

If you are a suffering fan from the bay area, or any other area, check out your local WNBA, Soccer, or NHL team, you may find something you like.

Go Sharks