"He's gone! He's gone! Touchdown Washington Redskins!", Frank Herzog shouts during John Riggins' epic TD run in Super Bowl XVII, sending waves of exhilaration through the radio pulsing into my seven-year-old veins. That moment, jumping on my parents' bed in jubilation, the local sports optimist was taken. That passionate little boy lives in me today, driving me to admonish sports fans to both local allegiance and logical optimism.
First, as a fiercely loyal home team supporter, I strongly believe that a sports fan must have local allegiance. Specifically, if someone was raised in an area that has an existing team during their formative years, they must root for that team. My only tolerable exception to being a fan of a different team not in that area, is that they must have an immediate family member (like father or mother) who was already a legitimate fan of that other team. Yes, sports fans must have legitimate reasons to love their teams, and not latch onto a team (most commonly done because of widespread popularity and success) with no immediate connections. They also must maintain an unwavering allegiance to them, no matter how bad things may be. And no, I am not the only fan with perspectives like this. Among many who have gone long before me to feel similarly would be Bill Simmons, in his "rules for being a true fan."
I have been fortunate to experience the highest of high's with some of my teams winning championships, and have has also painfully endured the lowest of low's, with lots of losing. The local region that I grew up in for sports teams is arguably the most unique in the country. The "DMV" (DC, MD, VA region) as it is affectionately referred to by us locals, is certainly a hotbed for not only a lot of local sports teams, but also a lot of sports negativity and controversy- that has seemed to grow worse and more pronounced over the years. It almost seems like it’s more common and, perhaps strangely even appealing to many, to be negative and pessimistic. But being optimistic takes intestinal fortitude and courage. Being optimistic still acknowledges sports heartbreak, critical thinking, organizational disagreements and frustration. But pursuing and cultivating optimism can be a powerful coping mechanism, and pragmatic strategy for a healthy, happy mindset. I’m convinced it has helped me enjoy my teams so much more over the years. Being optimistic doesn’t dwell on heartbreak losses and let them ruin our week, dominate our conversations, and worst of all…rule our lives. While the challenges and tough losses come, an optimistic mindset chooses to pour energy and hope into the next opportunity, and bouncing back to overcome adversity. It doesn’t mean that “everything is awesome”, and some pie in the sky, irrational belief that our teams will somehow win the championship every year! Being optimistic chooses to embrace hope. Hope for the best and don’t expect the worst. One of my favorite speakers and writers Jon Gordon says, “Optimism is a competitive advantage.” Therefore, I want to impart a hopeful, rational, and logical optimism to other fans so they can think intelligently, enjoy the ride with their teams, and to appeal to the rioting masses of negativity.
