Posts Tagged ‘yankees’
Mike Francesa Says Parents Should Relax About Fandom
Remember when I wrote about raising kids to be fans of perpetually bad sports teams? (If not, I helpfully linked to the article for you. I’ll expect a thank you note in the mail.) Today on WFAN, Mike Francesa took a caller to task about the same issue. Basically, he told the caller, a father and fan of the Jets (I think it was the Jets) that parents should relax about fandom.
(Note: the image above has nothing to do with the story except that it is a sports image, and neither person appears to be relaxed.)
The WFAN host’s point, which I basically agree with, is that people take this whole “I’m raising my kid to be a fan of a perpetually bad sports team” thing much too seriously. Or, as Aaron Rodgers put it — RELAX.
Francesa went on to describe some of the favorite Yankee teams of his childhood, which he described as not being very good but he loved them anyway.
I am also a Yankee fan, and here’s where I have to respectfully… not exactly disagree with Mr. Francesa, but add to his point. When the Yankees lose, it doesn’t hurt the way it does when the Mets lose. The same is true for the Giants and the Jets. Even when the Jets WIN, fans find it painful. The first two years that Mark Sanchez was the Jets’ starting quarterback, which were also the first two years’ of Rex Ryan’s tenure as head coach, they made it to the AFC Championship Game. That’s one game away from the Super Bowl. I watched those games, and the ones that preceded it, with a lifelong Jets fan. You know what? Even the games they won, I could feel the tension. There’s always a sense that something bad will happen. I don’t know why, but I’ve seen it firsthand and discussed it with other Jets fans. They agree. Barring another Super Bowl win (and it is worth noting that the Jets at least HAVE a Super Bowl win in their history, something many other NFL teams do not), I don’t know that it will ever not be at least a little bit painful to be a fan of the Jets.
Does that mean raising your kid to be a Jets fan is somehow bad parenting? Of course not. That’s silly. In my experience kids pick up on fandom naturally — if you’re a Jet(s fan) you’re a Jet(s fan) all the way, and your kids prob’ly will be the exact same way.
Related articles (Note: Some of these are offsite links; DaddyTips takes no responsibility for outside content.)
Raising Kids To Be Fans Of Perpetually Poor Sports Teams
A debate on Twitter — maybe not a DEBATE exactly, more of a series of tweets, some of which are amusing — regarding the raising of kids and whether or not it is a good idea to indoctrinate them into becoming fans of your favorite sports team, even if that team isn’t exactly known for winning it all. (Apologies if anyone is offended by the language of the Tweeter’s username. I’m not offended, but maybe someone else is. If so, sorry.)
My view? Don’t force the issue. If you’re a real fan of a team, your kid will probably pick up on that fandom as they grow up. Sometimes strange things happen; it’s easy to forget that our children are humans with minds of their own.
In my case it’s easy — I’m a Yankees fan and a Giants fan. Neither team breaks your heart the way the Mets and the Jets do. But if I lived somewhere other than New York, I would be more inclined to encourage my kids to consider our local franchises, even if I maintained my own life-long loyalties.
Here’s the tweet that spawned this post:
IF IT WERE ME THE KID WOULD SHARE IN MY RESENTMENT SUFFERING AND MISERY FOR ALL OF FUCKING TIME. DONT BE LIKE ME pic.twitter.com/X8STBMTp5h
— ZODIAC MOTHERFUCKER (@ZODIAC_MF) January 23, 2015
This reply amused me:
@ZODIAC_MF I'm raising my kid an Eagles fan and it feels abusive, somehow.
— Kyle (@Kyle19152) January 23, 2015
The thing is, if you live in Philly, and you’re an Eagles fan, there’s nothing wrong with passing that fandom onto your children. Maybe you shouldn’t encourage them to boo Santa Claus, though.
And for anyone out there who thinks being a Yankee fan is easy, one word — A-Rod. Is that even a word? I don’t know.
Related articles (Note: Some of these are offsite links; DaddyTips takes no responsibility for outside content.)
Attention All Red Sox Fans
Note to Red Sox fans: you can’t call the Yankees The Evil Empire now that you’ve won 2 World Series in four years. Get over it.
High School Senior Pitches Fourth No Hitter
Can the Yankees sign this kid? Now? Perhaps to take Chien-Ming Wang‘s place?
ESPN Schuster has 17 K’s in 4th straight no-hitter -ESPN Rise BASEBALL
Reading is fundamental 7-24-08
What I’m reading as I change my shirt three times a day:
– Gee, I guess firing Willie Randolph was a good idea. (Mets win, take over first place from Phillies – MyWay Sports)
– We all have too much crap. Forbes says you can want to have less. It helps if you can’t afford to buy anything. (How To Want Less Stuff – Forbes.com)
– It’s now illegal to sell Mature-rated video games to minors in New York State. Oh good, this is the biggest problem facing society today. (NY gov signs game bill into law – ZDNet)
Johnny Damon Doesn’t Make That Catch
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVFLbiFAFao 285 247]
You gotta make that catch, Johnny. You just do. Especially since that play tied the game.
I bet the Red Sox are reallllly sad you left.
Cynthia Scurtis’ MySpace page
You know, the internets is a funny place. It’s tough to tell what’s real and what isn’t.
Case in point: the woman formerly known as C-Rod has a MySpace page.
A-Fraud (this one we assume is fake) says “Sorry Baby, I need someone more mature.”
We’ll have to check if Cynthia updates her profile. She’s going to need someplace to meet guys, right?
