Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t like sports and I never have. I’ve been to a few baseball games just to check them out and to eat a few hot dogs. My father and 13-year-old brother, on the other hand, they’re what you might call fanatics and Red Sox obsessed.
If you read my column, you know by now that I’m from New York City. So, why are my dad and brother rooting for New York’s primary rival? It’s because my dad grew up in Boston and even though my brother was born in New York, he refused to raise his son as anything but a Red Sox fan. My brother proudly wears his baseball cap with a red “B” even though most of his friends wear “the enemy’s” hat. He knows full well of the team’s history, the Curse of the Bambino and all of that. Yet he’s strong and committed to the team.
I used to tease him and say I was a Yankee fan. But the truth is that my family is so Red Sox-crazed that I really can’t cheer for the Yankees.
Since all of this craziness started last week, I’ve surprised myself by becoming interested in the series. Truth be told, I don’t even understand everything about baseball. I know the basic facts like how many innings there are, but the last time I went to a game, I found myself a little confused. It may seem simple to you sportsfolk, but I’m an arts and entertainment girl and I’d sooner like to know who Derek Jeter’s dating.
What’s interesting is how this competition has divided our city. I now see “Yankees Suck” posters hanging from windows. I was told that a crowd of people gave the Yankee bus the finger the other night.
But then there are the proud Yankee fans who don’t care that we live within walking distance from Fenway Park. They also watch with anticipation, not scared at all that Boston defeated the Yanks at the beginning. I asked a few of my New Yorker friends, both city and state, how they’ve been holding up.
Max Kaufman, a sophomore economics major who lived in my hall last year and is from Brooklyn, has been a Yankees fan since he was 4 years old. He actually appreciates the rivalry and admits to having a lot of respect for the Red Sox.
“When it all comes down to it, it’s just baseball win or lose, but I love the whole atmosphere,” he said. “Both teams are tough and both teams are good, but I do rest on the fact that the Yankees have done this before.”
He also said “the best trash talking you can do is letting your team beat the other team.”
If you use AOL Instant Messenger, you may have seen some recent away messages of students declaring their devotion to one of the teams. I’ve seen slogans like “Reversing the Cursing!” and of course, “Yankees Suck!” Some people say they don’t care, and while I believe them, it’s hard not to get even a little involved in all the drama and excitement. It seems like everyone has their team, the team they grew up with and will stay devoted to. I even thought about getting one of those cute pink Red Sox hats. But I’m not a hat person.
There’s a scene in the Adam Sandler comedy, “Anger Management,” when Heather Graham takes her clothes off to reveal a Red Sox underwear set. Sandler, a Yankees fan, says that if for no other reason, she’s got to take them off because it represents a team he’s always hated. So, even the movies have been up in the rivalry.
My father likes to quote Theodore Adorno, a literary critic who said, “Life should be brushing against the grain of history.”
Growing up in New York as a Red Sox fan is the ultimate embodiment of Adorno’s claim. My dad also says, that “belief in the Red Sox is true belief because it’s faith without gratification.”
There’s a part of me that feels sympathetic towards the Red Sox because they haven’t won the World Series in so many years. It would be fun to have the Series come to Boston. I’ve seen Rudy Giuliani, New York’s former mayor, wearing a hat with “1918” written on it (the last time the Red Sox won the World Series). I guess he doesn’t feel the same way as I do.
Let the games continue!
— Briyah Paley can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]
