Sports are a big part of my life. I enjoy watching it, I get excited rooting for teams, and I usually have a coarse voice a day after a good game because I've been shouting my lungs out. But unlike those "die hard" Ginebra Fans, "purple-blooded" Laker Fans or "true green" Celtics fans, I don't root for a particular team. I have favorites from time to time, and I switch allegiances whenever I feel like it. Let me explain why:
Learning the Game of Basketball
I started watching the PBA when I was a kid, because our house help had a huge crush on Alvin Patrimonio and Ronnie Magsanoc. Chot Reyes' Coney Island team won a championship against a team I forget now, but I was introduced to the great Alvin Patrimonio, his "Minister of Defense" Jerry Codinera, "The Bullet" Dindo Pumaren, and I think there was an Olsen Racela somewhere there. They later became the Purefoods team that I'd root for when I watched, but it was the 90's. You were either a Ginebra fan, or an Alaska fan. With my limited knowledge of the game, I enjoyed watching how systematic Alaska played as opposed to what looked like "tsamba" basketball by Ginebra/Gordon's, most exemplified by that Bal David game-winner from halfcourt, with the frenzied crowd cheering like they actually expected it would go in as a three point shot would. I'd trash talk in favor of Alaska, but I cheered for Purefoods.
During these years, I was beginning to enjoy the game of basketball. In the NBA, there was that one team everyone was talking about; the Chicago Bulls. I saw how they won that third championship before Jordan retired to play baseball, and watched the second of their two three-peats. It was easy to ride on the Bulls bandwagon then because of Micheal Jordan. And hey, I watched Space Jam like it actually happened in real life.
The Dark Ages, Fil-Shams and Retirements
Then the PBA had Fil-Shams. It was a time I stopped watching the PBA. Purefoods had Noy Castillo and some fat point guard named Rob Johnson leading the team. Rey Evangelista remained a workhorse, but he was close to retiring as well. In the NBA, Jordan has already decided to walk away from the game of basketball. It was a time (at least for me) where there wasn't much basketball to be watched.
Before entering college, I was conditioning myself to be a "Tiger". However, I was watching how well the team of James Yap and Paul Artadi was playing, and I was rooting for them to break the DLSU 4-peat (as I learned that only UST is the only other team to have achieved such honor in the Final Four era) after finishing second in the eliminations for a twice to beat advantage against what looked like a fiesty Ateneo team. Ateneo would later overcome the twice to beat, and later beat DLSU in the Finals, for their first championship in over a decade.
Rekindling Interests
I was already hooked on James Yap. And as fate would have it, Purefoods were able to draft BOTH James Yap and Paul Artadi! They would later trade for, or pick players I enjoyed watching in other leagues, like Marc Pingris, Peter June Simon, and Chico Lanete. I had my team back.
In the NBA, while browsing through channels, I came across a Japanese channel showing a game of the Sacramento Kings. I couldn't understand the Japanese commentators, but I was mesmerized by the passing ability of all five guys on the team. Thanks to dial-up networking, I was able to read up on the Kings, and learned more about the team. I liked them so much that I patterned my playing style to Doug Christie, and wished to have the passing ability of Jason Williams.
Switching Allegiances
As years went by though, Purefoods dispatched of the players I liked one by one, except for James. I hated Coach Ryan Gregorio for his rotation, and I eventually felt that James was over hyped. He'd have a good game shooting lights out, and then have three "off nights" after that. I still cheered for that team, but I wanted a fresh start. The Welcoat Dragons then entered the PBA. I liked to watch a team build their name from the ground up, and led by Jojo Tangkay, Junjun Cabatu, and Jay-R Reyes, you can't go any lower in the PBA. They struggled and evolved, and they drafted nicely. As the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, I loved that they drafted Jervy Cruz and TY Tang, but hated the fact that Sol Mercado is shooting like he's Reggie Miller. I finally found myself cheering for Rain or Shine after they hired Coach Yeng Guiao (who I credit for making the rest of the league look at Cyrus Baguio, Wesley Gonzales, Larry Fonacier and Gabby Espinas, among others) and dispatched Sol Mercado. I have been cheering for them ever since.
In the NBA, after years of not getting over the hump, and having our hearts broken by Robert fuckin' Horry, the Sacramento Kings slowly disbanded their team. During these times, Caron Butler made me notice a Miami Heat team struggling for recognition. The next season, I stopped watching the Kings after they traded Doug Christie to the Dallas Mavericks, of all teams, and I watched a young Miami Heat team eke out a 14-game win streak to end their regular season to enter the playoffs. Then some kid named Dwayne Wade dunked over Baron Davis and later Jermaine O'Neal in two rounds of the playoffs. I was sold on the Heat.
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To this day, I claim to be a passionate fan of the game. "True" fans who cheer for their one team could label me as a bandwagon fan or a casual fan. As in food, I eat a lot, but I have favorites. But not being able to eat my favorite food does not stop me to enjoy other food immensely.
I enjoy sports passionately. In the eyes of a mere spectator, ten men playing with one basketball looks stupid, grown men banging bodies with each other for an irregularly-shaped football is absurd, and twenty men kicking a single football in the grass looks boring. In my eyes, I see competitors trying to win a game. I shout when I cheer; alone or in a crowd, I will curse and shout when there's a bad play and clap rabidly at every great play. I don't care who's playing, I just enjoy the competition.
Some of my friends don't understand why I defend a team they're dissing or why I diss a team they're cheering for. As a passionate fan, I watch games, I read stories, and I check out stats. I have favorites, but I check out as many teams I can fit into my head to be confident enough to know that I am knowledgeable in what I'm about to say or write. I don't hate on teams, I just want to bring "super" fans' heads back down to earth. I don't blindly say my favorite teams are invincible, but I will back up my words if someone challenges my claims. As someone who enjoys competition, this is where I get my fix; lengthy, (and hopefully logical) back and forth discussions with fellow fans. I have learned to recognize and channel out absurd and idiotic comments that attempt to be taken seriously, and engage instead in more intelligent discussions with fans who actually understand the game.
To get my fix, I study the games that I don't understand, so that I may be able to keep up a conversation with just about any sports nut. To date, I can claim to have above average knowledge of the NBA from about 2002, PBA from probably the start of the James Yap era, and the UAAP from Mike Cortez's missed dunk in the Finals. I also have a basic understanding of football to be able to enjoy Steven Gerrard and Lionel Messi's games and thus casually follow Liverpool and Barcelona, respectively. I enjoyed and learned a lot of American Football from movies, but I understood the game by playing Madden and watching the games with my Uncle Owe. I tried to have a basic understanding of baseball to at least have a topic of conversation with my boss during our free time. For individual games, I enjoy watching tennis, MMA, F1 Racing, and boxing. I actually am trying to understand cockfighting to have something to talk about with my dad. Yes, it is somewhat of a sport.
I don't get to watch a lot of games. Math proficiency is not my best asset to be some "Moneyball"-type of analyst. I don't get to talk to players. To compensate, I check out analysts' opinions, I try to analyze as best I can from the box scores and play-by-plays, and develop my own analysis and opinions. Eventually, I come up with stuff to say based on what I think, and what my gut feeling tells me. I'm not always right, but I enjoy the times that I am.
I am not a "true" fan of a particular team where I'll go through its ups and downs. I don't wear jerseys of players or collect their shoes. I want to claim, though, that I am a fan of sports. I have my favorites, but I will cheer for any team at any time because I like how they play, and I do understand the rivalries and why I can't cheer for some teams.
I will not "die" for a team, but I will cheer wildly when I watch games. I am, after all, just a fan.
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