Why I'm not a "fan"
After my mid-season review of the Tampa Bay Lightning - or, more specifically, after how I'd stated that if they trade Lecavalier that I'm going, too - people have been questioning my dedication to the team. I've decided to clear some of that up. Although, a few people probably won't like it very much.
I have never once said that I was a Tampa Bay Lightning "fan" - not once. Nor have I ever called them "my" team, or referred to what needs to be done using the word "we;" as in "we" need to do something about the defense. I have said that I follow the team, and nothing more.
As for being a "fair-weather" fan, do you really think I would've followed the team for this long if I was just in it for when they were winning? I started following the Lightning at the beginning of last season. You know, the one where they finished last in the league so that they were able to draft Stamkos #1 overall in the 2008 draft. And this season hasn't exactly been all sunshine and roses, either. So, for me, there has never been "fair weather" anything in regards to the Lightning.
So now you're probably wondering why I do follow this team. It's simple, really. I lived in Tampa for a bit, and I believe that you should follow the hometown team. So I did. And while I do currently live in northern Virginia, I don't follow the Washington Capitals since I don't live in DC or the immediate suburbs.
Am I a Lecavalier fan? No, I am not, since I'm not a fan of anybody's. But he is one of my favorite players and I do follow how he's doing. As I do with most guys on this team.
I'm a fan of the game, not of teams - or of players. I have my preferences, as does everyone. But the word "fan" comes from the word "fanatic," and I'm not fanatical about any player or any team, and never have been. I'm only really fantatical about the sport itself.
You see, for as long as I've loved hockey, I've followed players and not teams. Initially it was because I had hockey practice at the same rink as the hometown major junior team. And when some of them were drafted, or signed to pro contracts, I followed their teams to see how they were doing in the AHL, IHL (back in the 1990s), and the NHL. I've never been a dedicated fan of any NHL team since there wasn't one where I grew up. Vancouver was a 3+ hour drive away, and their games weren't broadcasted in the Seattle area.
I've liked other teams, sure. But the players I've followed were on those teams, and that's why I've liked them. And since the player turnover on hockey teams is so huge, sometimes those teams change. For me, it's the players that matter the most, and not the organizations that they play for. Even still, I'm not a fan of any player. I admire what they're able to do, and for the most part, that's pretty much as far as it goes.
Because of that mentality, I have no problems moving on to another team - as I have a few times before - particularly because of this situation. The management/ownership of Tampa Bay have made the sport I love into some big joke, which has been very hard for me to take at times. So that's why, if they follow thru with their biggest punchline of the season, I'm gone. But I'm not going until then.
2 comments:
Cassie, whoever said that you must be fair-weathered to leave the Lightning if Lecaalier left... well, blind support for a team does not equate how much of a fan they are. It does show they are a gluton of punishment and will only see the rah-rah-rah when the chips are down.
I don't particularly care for that element. Be they sports fans, be they teh base of political parties, etc.
The question that people should ask themselves is how loyal is this team to YOU, the fan?
Last year I wrote something trying to poo-poo fans suggesting we boycott the Lightning because of how poorly they were playing. I don't share that sentiment that the team should be flat out cold-shouldered.
That being said, that was last year and tied to antics from last season. The lone off season of OK Hockey's ownership tenure and this season so far has displayed to fans that ownership doesn't knwo what it's doing.
It's hard to stay loyal to a product when the product doesn't have a clue what matters to it's base.
I've dropped out of Lightning fandom in 1996-97/1997-98 because of how inept things were. Phil Esposito kept trying to spin things and managed the roster much like Lawton has now: trade players for the sake of doing so. Dangle big name fan favorites to other teams (and get garbage of equal contract value in return). Hope was gone.
Hope's the reason I stick it through and I can tell you that trading Vincent erases hope and faith for this franchise.
I understand what you are saying about what it means to be a 'fan.' And you are certainly correct in saying that 'fan' originates from the word 'fanatic.' But I do believe that words mutate over time when they are altered from their original forms. Take for example, ASAP:an acronym which when broken down means "As Soon As Possible." Now that sound like a very lenient sentiment and one which would not encourage the subject of such a comment to go out of their way to rush the activity in question. But shorten the phrase to ASAP and all of a sudden that phrase has taken on an entirely new meaning. I can only compare it to the medical term STAT, which, although I am not certain what it means exactly, means that scanario in question is of the utmost importance and must be taken care of quickly. So has the word 'fan' mutated from seom exceptional person who is unhealthily attached to a particular object or idea to a person who merely has a preference for said object or idea. Ironically, truly fanatical people are called 'fanatics' while the rest of us who follow a particular team but are mostly even-tempered are merely 'fans.' I see little harm in calling yourself a fan because most people do not associate the term with a fanatic these days.
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