I watched the Chargers/Cowboys game last weekend with one of my oldest friends. We started talking about sports fandom. Specifically, kids' allegiances and whether or not kids' should have a choice on which teams they should support. Like most things in life, it is complicated.
I grew up in a sports obsessed family. The most important holiday in my family is not Thanksgiving or Christmas, it is Super Bowl Sunday. However, being a San Diego Sports Fan is tough. I wouldn't wish it on anyone who didn't grow up in San Diego (mostly because the nice weather off-sets the last minute losses the Chargers subject onto their fans), related to someone from San Diego (because that person is probably nice and you want to support him/her), or are a San Diego transplant from a place that actually has weather (transplants are partial to the Chargers and Padres out of solidarity). I appreciate anyone who becomes a Chargers or Padres fan out of choice because that choice was not made logically. The Chargers have never won a Super Bowl. The Padres have never won a World Series. Becoming a San Diego fan does not make sense.
I wouldn't encourage anyone, especially a child, to become a San Diego sports fan. There is a tremendous amount of heartache in being a Chargers and Padres fan. These days, I can only watch Chargers game with other Chargers fans. Sometimes I don't even like doing that and prefer to watch the game at home with the tv on mute. The only sounds are the vitrolic words that leave my mouth. I actually only cuss during Chargers games, they make me so mad! However, I do feel like being a Chargers/Padres fan is a badge of honor. I was in a Chargers bar in NYC two weeks ago and shared stories of where I was/what I was doing during horrible Chargers losses. Even when we were up against the Titans that week, I never felt we were going to win the game. It is a good thing because we ended up losing! After the game, I visited Eataly and drank amazing coffee. Afterwards, there was shopping in Soho. You know, that is probably why I have such an amazing wardrobe. I go shopping after a Chargers or Padres loss! Maybe that is a selling point to potential San Diego Sports fan: think of all the shopping you will be doing to drown out all the devastating losses.
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