Dan DaranciangTransforming into a whole new sports fan
I’m a Yankees fan-always have been and always will. Until I actually came to Wash. U. two years ago, which boasts an 88% out-of-state population, my knowledge of Yankee hatred was basically limited to Mets fans and from what I heard on SportsCenter. Then I was given a strong dose of reality when I learned that Yankee hate ran deeper than I could ever imagine, in part because of the immense amount of diversity and number of people coming into WU from all corners of the United States.
It hit me like an oncoming train the moment Aaron Boone hit the game-winning home run in game seven of the 2003 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. Following Boone’s blast, I remember literally jumping out of my seat and screaming at the top of my lungs with exhilaration, looking for someone to slap hands with and share my excitement. There were none. Not one person out of at least a dozen in the room was jumping and shouting with joy like me.
I was then smacked with the harsh reality that I was no longer in Yankee country anymore. I was among Brewers, Orioles, Angels, Dodgers and, of course, Cardinals fans. While finding a friendly hand to slap was never a problem for me growing up, here the best I could get was nothing more than a “lucky swing” comment and a mass exodus to the door.
Where I am going with this story? Though it may seem that I’m trying to rub it into everyone’s face that the Yankees beat the Sox, that’s not what I’m getting at. My point is simple: here you are, a group of over a thousand freshmen moving into this new school where the majority of the students you will meet and befriend will come from states as far away as possible from your own, and all will have their own sport team preferences and biases. It’s to be expected, regardless of whether you’re from New York or Milwaukee or Chicago, but one thing that you will come to find through meeting these people you once thought of as your arch-rivals is your ability to appreciate other people’s sports preferences, as much as you might disagree with them.
Though I may hate to admit it, I admire Red Sox fans for their dedication to their team the past 87 years. And while I still hate the Red Sox with the fire of a thousand suns come playoff time, I have become good friends with many-a-Red Sock fan even though it was something I could never see myself doing before coming to WU.
Keep an open mind. Feel free to argue as much as you want with a fan of your rival team, but in the end, just remember that being a student at Washington University gives you so much more, not only because you are given the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, but because here more than anywhere else you have the chance to meet sports fans from all over the world.
You will find in a short amount of time that you have been transformed into a completely different kind of sports fan. You will no longer be the biased and uncultured sports buffoon you once were, but will now be able to call yourself not only an elitist in the world of academia (hey, you got into WU, didn’t you?), but also an elitist in the sports world because you’ll be able to tolerate those awful Red Sox fans that you once despised more than anything.
The Spirit of St. Louis
Another dose of reality that you will come to embrace rather quickly will be that St. Louis will be the second home for many of you for the next four years. That means that you must automatically become a St. Louis fan, whether it’s for the Cardinals, Rams, or Blues (since hockey’s back now!). In my opinion, unless you’re a Chicago Cubs fan (rivals to the Cards in the NL Central, who then have a legit reason to hate the Cards), you should be a fan of the St. Louis teams, even if they’re only your second-favorite teams.
I’m not saying that you should overlook your loyalties to your home city’s team, which should always come first and foremost. As the residents of a new city that offers an excellent range of sporting venues that few other cities can compete with, though, you should open up a place in your fandom for a city that has three top-tier professional teams, as well as a great lineup of amateur and semi-pro teams.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve got one heck of a baseball team and a football squad that can hold its own. Hockey’s going to be back next season, so look for the Blues to make quite a showing.
For those who may not be aware, this is the last season that our beloved Cardinals will call Busch Stadium their home; following the season the team will move into a new ballpark right next to the current Busch Stadium. This may be your last chance to visit the great Busch Stadium, so I suggest trying to make a trip downtown to the stadium (I-64/40E to Stadium exit) before the end of the season. You won’t want to miss it.
Now that you should all be avid St. Louis sports fans, here are a couple pointers about everything you will need to know to be a great St. Louis sports fan, courtesy, in part, of Leslie Gibson McCarthy of The Sporting News. Heed these words of wisdom well:
What to wear and what to say when in a St. Louis stadium:
-Pack primary colors. Red for Busch Stadium, blue for Savvis Center and the Edward Jones Dome, and gold to accent all three.
-Applaud such things as a batter advancing a runner to third base with a ground ball to the right side. St. Louis sports fans think they’re among the most knowledgeable in the country, and you’ll fit right in.
-Wearing Cubs attire is strictly forbidden, and doing so will result in death or mauling by angry fans.
The gospel according to St. Louis sports fans:
These doctrines (right or wrong) are held dear by St. Louisans:
-Whitey Herzog is once, forever, and always a baseball genius.
-Brett Hull never should have been allowed to leave as a free agent.
-There’ll never be another shortstop like Ozzie Smith, and Albert Pujols is more god than man.
-The Blues’ season isn’t a success unless they make the playoffs.
-We need a basketball team more than Lindsay Lohan needs to eat a sandwich.
Things you should never say in St. Louis (and why):
-“These umpires are good, but whatever happened to Don Denkinger? He was my favorite.” St. Louis fans are still testy about Denkinger’s call in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series.
-“I think Judge Edward Houston has handed down some kick-ass verdicts in his day.” Blues fans still think they were robbed in the summer of 1991 when the judge awarded Scott Stevens to the New Jersey Devils as compensation for St. Louis’ signing of Brendan Shanahan.
-“Georgia Frontiere sure is a funky owner, but I miss Bill Bidwill.” Virtually no one in St. Louis misses Bidwill, who took the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals to Arizona after the 1987 season and left the city scrambling for a pro football franchise.
-“I hate soccer.” You might, but don’t say it out loud. While fans passionately follow the Cards, Blues, and Rams, their kids are playing soccer just as they played it when they were young.
-“It doesn’t matter if the Cards lose, just as long as Big Mac hits a home run.” That’s the perception among out-of-towners looking to knock St. Louis fans. The perception is wrong. (Comment outdated, but it still rings true.)
Pronunciation guide:
-Missouri (miz-ZUR-ee). Some folks say Miz-zur-rah- but those people don’t live in St. Louis and most likely voted for President Bush.