I consider myself more of a fan of specific sports rather than individual teams. This is because all to often I feel that fans are clouded by their support for the team to the point where they are unable to simply enjoy the sport that they claim to ‘love’. Living in Toronto I often see and hear people talking about the Maple Leafs or the Blue Jays, but rarely about the NBA or MLB. I don’t have any ill feeling towards these fanatics as they are important to making the leagues that their teams play in profitable and exciting. However, I sometimes notice that when I do watch games involving the teams that I do like that it there is heightened sense of engagement in the game and I often find myself paying closer attention, criticizing every play and on the edge of my seat if not standing. There is definitely an appeal to cheering for ‘somebody’, over simply watching the game.
Over the past year I have discovered that there is another lens through which one can enjoy sports and that is through the filter of disdain. Like a number of people, I was caught up in the melodrama that was the Miami Heat. There is no need to rehash the discussion but the Heat’s actions and comments prior to and during the season but me squarely into the ‘haters’ faction.
The Heat were not the first team or athlete that I obviously rooted against but even I was surprised by extent to which I found myself involved in each moment of the game. It was a new experience for me and I was enjoying every struggle and embarrassing moment throughout the season and into the playoffs. In the end, I like so many others was rewarded with a Miami Heat defeat in a extremely exciting NBA Finals. At the moment the result was clear I felt a brief sense of jubilation as my hate for the Heat was vindicated. However the feeling wasn’t satisfying. It was then that I realized that hate for a team while useful can never replace the passion one feels when actually supporting a team or athlete. Maybe I’m just an overly optimistic individual but for me this love/hate thing is just too complicated so I think i;ll just go back to being an objective observer.
