Raising a Minnesota sports fan
Saw this article in the Strib and is something we've kicked around before. As the father of two girls I fully plan to expose them to the pain that goes with being a Minnesota sports fan as much as possible, nothing about character-building blah, blah, blah, it's more that I'm hoping to have things in common with them later on in life so when I'm in the Medicare nursing home and have been sitting in my own urine for 4 days they will at least think "hey, it's Sunday, should we go see Dad and watch the Vikes game?" Sure, their answer will most likely come back as "naaah, screw him, he smells like piss all the time" but at least I popped in their head for a second before they got on their personal aircraft and flew to the moon. Best Dad in the world.
(hey, DTK and RTS, the author "Ben Grossman", I assume it's "Benji" from TBS class of 1992.)
(hey, DTK and RTS, the author "Ben Grossman", I assume it's "Benji" from TBS class of 1992.)
6 Comments:
The same Ben Grossman who once strutted around the 3rd floor lounge pronouncing the Hershal Walker trade as the greatest trade ever and guaranteeing a Super Bowl win. Sure that was 5 minutes after the news broke and everyone was excited, so maybe he should get some slack. Then again maybe not.
I have to ask the blog, do your kids have Minnesota jersey's? My daughter doesn't nor have I ever owned one. I did own a Anthony Crater shirt and I had Matt Blair shirt I won from Coke, but I have never owned a jersey. My daughter does have an Iowa Cheerleader outfit.
May 14, 2012 at 9:53 AM
I have to admit, Benji Grossman is right on with this letter to the editor. I desperately want my kids to grow up sports fans...and it would be a bonus if we liked the same teams, for the reasons Jan outlined. My kid doesn't own a jersey, but she also has a cheerleading outfit from my alma mater, and I could see her owning a little Ponder jersey in the future (wishful thinking, I know).
I also liked Ben's dig at LA...
BTW - I do own a Randy Moss jersey from the late 90s Tee Mee Teep heyday. I also got a Tarkenton Jersey as a groomsman gift. That's it, though.
May 14, 2012 at 3:37 PM
My oldest two have been to a game at Target Field, and thus have Twins gear. They see the Twins as an alternative to the Cubs, but are too young yet to realize what a dreadful second option the guys at Wrigley are, so I think I can get them in as Twins fans. They know I despite the Whitetrash Sox, too.
They also have Gophers stuff from their grandparents, and get t-shirts from my alma mater annually, so we're set on the college front.
On the other hand, I have not countered strenuously when their Colts-backing grandfather on their mother's side has given them pennants or things signed by Peyton Manning and had them all lined up to root against the Vikings in the Super Bowl that almost was a few years ago. Indy may have hit rock bottom in a hurry last season, but I see no point in exposing another generation to the utter folly, the constant existential humor, and the general shitshow of a fan's experience that comes with being a Vikings follower. Especially not if Andrew Luck turns out as hoped for.
Since we don't give two rips about the NBA in our house, the Bulls will be my boys' team, I'm sure. Likewise, my older son is already a Blackhawks fan. I'm cool with that. There's nothing to dislike about Jonathan Toews, the team's trying its damnedest to win over young fans (and it's working with young PMA, especially after they sent him a birthday card that he was convinced Patrick Sharp himself must have chosen), and by god they've actually won a title.
I do have a bit of a potential long term problem, not with team identification but general fandom level, based on my recent pulling back. So far, no ill effects, and my son's moving into the sports nut phase with vigor and not realizing that my own consumption/passion level is down by 2/3. But I do fear for the future. On the flip side, however, we watched the second half of "Miracle" on a rainy Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, and that probably bought me a few years right there. I think my daughter thought it was pretty weird that my eyes were watery the whole time, though.
May 14, 2012 at 6:55 PM
I've got one Mauer shirt the girls have each worn, I don't plan on being the dad at the games with the little girls all decked out with Twins colored ribbons and face paint. I think those guys clearly wanted boys.
I'm guessing I have no control over whether they like sports. My youngest seems to watch sports with me, can't always tell what she thinks but she got excited at the Kentucky Derby. I do know that if they want to go to any games between the ages of now and 18 (i.e. ones I pay for) or if they want to watch a game on t.v. in my house I'm not interested in sitting next to a Yankees fan, my daughter or not.
May 16, 2012 at 7:29 AM
That's the same Benjy Grossman. And a very good piece. Now, if it were me, and it was a blog posting, it would include more "Shitty"s, and "Fuck"s.
I'm not sure i agree withe the real fan thing, jsut because, at least in my experience, real fans tend to be a lot more real when teams have at least a small modicum of success.
The A's have had the worst attendance in baseball since they've sucked, and the giants couldn't give away tickets before they were good. i find this generaly true almost everywhere. We set the attendance record after we won a world series, not the year before. The vikings have never had trouhble selling tickets unless they were bad. Every NFL team brags about its 20 year waiting list for season tickets when they are good and then five years later when they are 4-12 for the second year in a row, you hear about blackouts. And new stadiums will buy you a few years of novelty-- A shit sandwich tastes better at a fancy restaurant. Once.
Moral of the story is, nobody likes a loser. Unless they are either one themselves, or keep them around for pity because they have so much other great stuff going on, they hope their success rubs off on their loser friend. I think Minnesota is becoming too much like the former.
May 18, 2012 at 9:24 AM
Tommy Kramer made the college football HOF. I'll have a beer to that.
May 19, 2012 at 7:49 PM
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