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Hats Off
To Loyal Fans
I
was at the grocery store last summer when I noticed that the teenage
bagger was wearing a Boston Red Sox cap. My Boston Red Sox. I grew
up in Massachusetts, and I have rooted for the team my entire life.
"Looks like Pedro Martinez is pitching great again this season,"
I
said, trying to strike up a little sports talk.
The kid looked at me like I had asked, "Do you like grass seed
on
your pizza?"
I motioned to the cap. "Are you a Sox fan?" I asked.
"Oh, no," he said, shaking his head and smiling. "I
just like how
the red B looks on the front of the hat."
I give up. I am not asking anymore.
There ought to be a rule: If you wear the hat, you have to root
for
the team!
I know two brothers in my neighborhood who between them own more
than 200 sports caps. I don't get it. Where's the loyalty? They
probably
spent more than $2,000 on those hats. They could have seen their
favorite team play a lot of games for that money.
Wearing a team cap should be about sports and not fashion. If you
don't care about the team, then the cap is, well, just a fashion
statement. What's the point of that?
The fun of being a sports fan is picking a favorite team and caring
whether it wins or loses. And then sticking with your team through
the
good times and the bad.
Sticking with a team is not always easy. My Red Sox have messed
up
a lot. (Don't ask me how many times--it hurts too much.) But I still
love them.
It is important to have a favorite team. To know the players, check
their scores, follow the team in the standings. Get fired up when
they
win, really down when they lose. That's what sports is all about.
Having a favorite team is a lot more important than having a
favorite hat.
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