Hockey Team Fan Reflections

"My" team in professional sports...is the Vancouver Canucks...of the National Hockey League. At moments when I'm not in my "fierce fan" mode...I can see some of the areas
of blindness...that are part and parcel...of having this kind of engagement with a
team. For instance...a player you like...can be banished to the minors...sometimes...
without it being quite clear why they were. Sometimes...a player can depart your team
,,,on his own volition...simply because another team offered him more money.
Management can make foolish decisions in drafting young players into the team...who
turn out to be busts...once they are tested in actual games...and so on. What is it
about being a fan of a team...that can on close inspection...sometimes be no more than
hubris...e.g. "our team will win the cup for sure this year". For me...one of the reasons I would give...is that hockey...is simply a beautiful game...with human beings
making flowing patterns...while gliding around on narrow blades on the ice. I think
that a team becomes "your team"...a lot of the time...because it's located in the
area you live in...and you are able to go to the games...or see them on television
...regularly. After a while of that...you identify...with a team...and tend to stick
with them through thick and thin...although...if a team frustrates you for too long
...or if you move to live in a new area...with a new team...desertions from the
team you used to identify with...can happen. Last night...my team won...and I was
able to see the game on television. I suspect that...if they had lost...this early
morning...of the following day...I'd still be in recovery...from that particular
bruising...and wouldn't be writing an entry about hockey. That's the way we fans are
...exulting or sulking...depending on the results...and recovering...if there is
need for it...in time to catch the nect game. "Go Canucks Go!"........Quester.