Growing up my brother and I watched sports with my father. Every Monday night, my mother would cook the four of us a great hot meal, and the three of us would sit around the TV and watch Monday Night Football. At that time, I didn't have a team to root for, but my brother was deeper into sports. He rooted for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Seeing that I didn't have a team yet, I just thought I would root for the Steelers, too. But that didn’t sit well with my brother. He told me I had to pick another team, so I did.
The team I picked was the Los Angeles Rams. I chose them cause I liked the QB, Ron Jaworski, a.k.a. “Jaws’’ and the “Polish Rifle.” He was called that because he was Polish and he had a rifle for an arm.
I rooted for the Rams and followed his career. I was a loyal fan until the Rams traded my boy to the Philadelphia Eagles. I've been an Eagles fan since. I know he was traded to the Chiefs and the Dolphins, but I didn't care for those teams. Plus, the Eagles had the coolest jerseys in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Eagles wings on both sides of their helmets and Kelly Green and Battleship gray for their team's colors, Wicked Awesome!
Every football season, I erect a shrine which I named, ‘’The Convocation’’ (that's what you call a group of eagles).
Like all red-blooded American sports fans, I also follow the National pastime, baseball. The team I rooted for was the 1980’s Los Angeles Dodgers, and yes, I followed a certain player. His name was Steve Garvey. He played first base.
Once again, I was a loyal fan and once again, the Dodgers traded him to the San Diego Padres. Since then, I have viewed the Dodgers like how Batman views the Joker or how Superman views Lex Luthor, every time my Padres play the Dodgers.
Like my shrine to my Eagles, I also erect one for my Padres every season. I call that shrine, “The Monastery.” This next sentence may get me beat up by my church family, but I hope the Yankees win the World Series this year.
So, if anybody from church sees me and feels they need to hit me, I have one request. No punches to the face, please. My face is my money maker.
The reason for this article was suggested by a fellow sports fan and a pastor from church when he asked me this question, “Why do you root for those teams?’”