| Most of us are born to our allegiances. | | | | shoulder with players from the other team as |
| Especially for the home team. Our fathers | | | | we walked the length of the field picking and |
| taking us to our first baseball game, the | | | | chucking rocks that clanged off the empty |
| perfectly manicured green grass and white on | | | | aluminum bleachers. Then stood toe to toe and |
| white of the baselines so precisely laid out | | | | knocked the crap outta each other for hours |
| before us as giants warmed up under the | | | | or until it got too dark to play or we ran |
| brilliant summer sun. From then to eternity | | | | out of players. I have played baseball on |
| that team was mine. It binds us to a town a | | | | fields glistening with broken glass and |
| city, an era, it becomes who we are, it | | | | basketball on courts littered with hypodermic |
| defines us in ways beyond rational | | | | needles in the slums of Philadelphia and New |
| explanation. We wear our loyalty in game | | | | York and San Juan. Ive kicked around soccer |
| jerseys with our heros name emblazoned on the | | | | balls in the hot sands of the Middle East |
| back, we paint our faces our teams colors, we | | | | with guys that played in the World Cup from |
| name our children after our favorite players. | | | | Holland. I sat, in a freezing car, with four |
| Were crazy, crazy for our team. | | | | friends in Minneapolis listening to the |
| | | | U.S.A. beat Russia in the 80 Olympics, on the |
| Win or lose, celebrate or mourn we love our | | | | radio because we forgot to pay the electric |
| team. Monday aint blue if your team won on | | | | bill. Ive stood in race control at the 2000 |
| Sunday. But we soon get over it if they dont, | | | | Daytona 500 flashing hand signals to the |
| because there is always next week, next year | | | | broadcast crews who couldnt understand why |
| or if you are a Cub fan, the next millennia. | | | | the race director had yellow flagged the race |
| The best part of sport is that there always | | | | toward the end of the race as 200,000 fans |
| is next year, a do over of sorts. One that | | | | screamed in anger or joy as their favorite |
| life doesnt provide us with, but does for our | | | | got robbed or caught a break. Ive watched |
| team. Thats what keeps us coming back for | | | | Superbowls, World Series games and World Cup |
| more. One more chance at redemption . One | | | | matches in bars from Bangkok to Bangor. I |
| more chance to be the best. To be champions. | | | | have partied with the great and not so great, |
| Everyone loves a winner, but the true fan, | | | | the famous and the infamous. I have been |
| one born of the loyalty of personal | | | | fortunate to have traveled the world and it |
| connection, loves his team no matter what. | | | | is the passion of sport that has broken down |
| There is no band wagon to jump on or off of. | | | | language and cultural barriers along the way. |
| They are your team through thick and thin, | | | | |
| win or lose. | | | | If there is one thing men are more passionate |
| | | | about than religion or politics or women for |
| I come from a time and place were loyalty was | | | | that matter, it is sport, especially the home |
| everything. At work and at play. The team was | | | | team. Life long friendships born of the love |
| everything. Whether it was your sandlot | | | | of sport are formed out of those passions. |
| buddies or the guys on the line at the | | | | The internet and forums like The Sports |
| assembly plant or steel mill, it was your | | | | Outlaw have given us a place to show our |
| world, it was who you were, it was your | | | | loyalty and passion to the whole world and to |
| identity. I have lived, worked and played all | | | | form more life long friendships. |
| over the world and there is one constant that | | | | |
| bonds males and it is sport. I have played | | | | Give me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, |
| sandlot football in the shadow of hulking | | | | because Im going toroot root root for the |
| rusted steel mills belching smoke and ash | | | | home team. |
| that coated the snow black. Stood shoulder to | | | | |