Look around you. If you can see 10 people from where you are, statistical evidence suggests that at least 4 of them will go through or have already been though a divorce at some point in their lifetime. Here are some depressing stats from divorcerate.org:
According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America:
- The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
- The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
- The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%
Don’t worry, I’m sure these numbers are skewed by the large amount of successful prison marriages that are never reported. Maybe not. Anyway, I highlighted the divorce rate today because last year I went through a tough time in my own life. I fell out of love with my favorite sports team.
I am a rabid Major League Baseball fan. I can just barely remember a time in my childhood before I was into baseball, but I don’t like to think about it. In the early summer of 1987 I was 10 years old, collecting baseball cards and playing little league ball. I loved to organize the baseball cards by team, but I hadn’t really landed on a favorite yet. That’s when Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees revealed his superhuman abilities and hit a home run in 8 consecutive games, tying a Major League record.
“Mattingly hit another one!!” I was roped in.
I remember being in the basement one afternoon during the epic run and my dad yelling down to me, “Mattingly hit another one!!” I was roped in. It all made sense. I had a favorite player to root for and the choice made geographical sense, living in western New York. Team merchandise was readily available at local stores, and this was a huge bonus in pre-internet days.
For 23 years I rooted for the Yankees through thick and thin. The late 80s and early 90s were some tough times (see Claudell Washington, Mell Hall), but then in 1996 the Yanks were back atop the sports world with a World Championship, going on to win 4 World Series titles in 5 seasons from ’96 through 2001. As life marches on and adult responsibilities multiply, our favorite sports teams are always there for us. We may have less time to spend with them, but the love never wanes. The love between a sports fan and their favorite team is largely unconditional.
The love between a sports fan and their favorite team is largely unconditional.
The team may make moves that the fan disapproves of, but these speed bumps in the road of affection are merely that. Sometimes your favorite team or player does something that really pisses you off, and that might earn them some “boos” or a few choice words on Facebook or your social networking outlet of choice, but in most cases that fiery passion just strengthens the bond between fan and team, making you feel even more invested. Rarely does the occasion arise where the unthinkable happens.
In the fall of 2010, I was accompanying my wife on a shopping trip to the local mall. Around 8PM EST, for some reason the notion of professional sports crept into her head and she asked me, “Hey, isn’t the Yankees-Rangers playoff game on right now?”
“Yes, it is,” I replied, “why do you ask?”
“You should have said something! We can leave any time, if I knew that was on I wouldn’t have made you come to the mall!” she reassured me.
“Honestly,” and this was the first time I would say out loud what I had been thinking for a while, “I kinda don’t care about the Yankees anymore.”
“Huh?” she asked.
“Besides Derek Jeter, I don’t really like any of their players, and frankly I’m kinda tired of Jeter too. They just don’t do it for me.” I explained. “It’s not them, it’s me.”
And there it was. I was back on the market, sports single for the first time in 23 years. I felt so naked and cold. What if someone came up and asked me what my favorite baseball team was? I have no answer. That’s ridiculous, I’ve loved baseball as long as I can remember. I was scared and alone. I had jumped off the Yankee ship at the height of popularity, fresh off of numerous division titles and playoff appearances; the opposite of “bandwagon jumping”. I guess it’s true, we can’t help what the heart wants.
What I did was rare. Dedicated sports fans don’t change their team allegiances. They just don’t. Kids do it, but they change everything. Self respecting adults stick it out through the good times and the bad. But why? Why does a large percentage of the American public blindly support a sports franchise that continually lets them down, or that they feel no personal connection to? Statistics show that almost half of America will get a divorce at some point but when I think of all of the sports fans I know, I struggle to identify any adults who have divorced their favorite sports team.
Fear of commitment is for 23 year old guys, just like Taco Bell and Axe Body Spray.
Is it because we don’t sign legally binding “fan contracts”, and we are free to come and go as we please? We rarely exercise the right to walk away, but is it just nice to know we can? Come on, America. Fear of commitment is for 23 year old guys, just like Taco Bell and Axe Body Spray. Let’s reverse this disturbing trend. Go ahead, re-examine those sports team relationships you have. It’s ok if you don’t love them anymore, you can stop pretending. The Yankees and I had it all, but somewhere along the way we lost it; and guess what? I think we’ll both be just fine.
You are a treacherous, traitorous bitch. We are no longer friends. Cancel our visit in
August. Good day.
Oh yeah, still like moist.
This can’t be news to you. I launched an all out campaign to find a new favorite baseball team last winter. You and the Yankees will be fine. It’s just no fun to expect nothing but a championship every season. I’d rather be pleasantly surprised every so often than disappointed almost every year.