Something happened this past weekend that I never, ever saw coming.
Saturday, as I made that treacherous drive from Salt Lake City down into the belly of the beast that is Provo, I figured I was in for a real treat, for this was the first time that I would step foot into LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Little did I know it would be a life-changing experience.
As a native of the great state of Connecticut, I had made a living for the first 22 years of my life not only as a die-hard New York Yankees fan, but a die-hard Boston Red Sox hater as well. Let me tell you, if there was one thing I hated most in the world of sports, it was the Red Sox8212;until Saturday.
It took me a long trip into LaVell Edwards to remember there are actually people who like BYU and that I detest the Cougars far more than I ever could the Red Sox. This got me thinking, why do sport fans hate other teams, and what causes them to hate the teams they do?
I compiled a list of the teams that I love to loathe, and I came up with the following: the Boston Red Sox, BYU, Manchester United and the Duke Blue Devils (in no particular order).
Growing up in New England, you’re forced to make a choice at a very young age8212;Red Sox or Yankees (or Mets…maybe). It’s not a terribly difficult choice, but once you choose, that’s it. By choosing a team, you’re essentially choosing to hate the other as much, if not more, than you like your own. You hate the other because you’re obligated, not because you want to and it crosses all boundaries. My own brother, my own flesh and blood, dons that dirty little red “B,” and it makes me sick.
Manchester United, on the other hand, is different. I’ve never been to Manchester8212;hell, I’ve never been to England8212;but I don’t have to in order to hate, because the hate is brought close to home through fans. In the past I had no issue with Manchester United, but that all changed when I heard a friend’s comments about the team. This lone fan single-handedly ruined the club for me when I became constantly bombarded with the “greatness” of Man U on a day-to-day basis, and before you knew it, my hate started to grow.
With some teams, you can’t quite tell why you despise them the way you do. Take for instance the Duke Blue Devils, or more specifically, the men’s basketball program. I have never been to North Carolina, nor do I like the Tar Heels, and I don’t care about the ACC or men’s lacrosse for that matter. For all intents and purposes, I shouldn’t care about Duke, but I do.
I don’t know whether it’s the love affair Dick Vitale has with the university or if it’s the fact that its coach looks exactly like its mascot, but what I do know is that I don’t like Duke one bit.
What I’ve learned is no matter the reason, whether you’re brought up to hate, a friend drives you to hate, you hate for hate’s sake or a school like BYU just makes it so easy to hate8212;it’s part of what makes sports fun.
I guess if that makes me classless, so be it.
