Do Sports Fans Really Have Any Reason to be Proud?

“We won! We Won!” scream the city’s people where their NBA, NFL, or any other professional sports league or association’s team just won the championship. The city is glowing with the pride that their team has defeated all others in their sport. Some coffee shops and gas stations even give out free coffee and doughnuts to their customers to celebrate their team’s achievement. In the midst of all this celebrating I can’t but think to myself, “Did we as citizens of (city), really achieve anything?” The players are chosen and traded by people that don’t care about the city their going to. They just focus on getting the best players they can on their team. First, hardly any players are from the city they are playing for. That’s just where they ended up. Some players may even be from other countries. Most players have never even lived in that city before they ended up on their team. I wonder this every time I hear sports fans saying that they are so proud of their players like if they had any influence on how good the player played.

I can see if the sports fans are excited about the competition of the sport itself and the athletes’ supreme ability. But that’s where the excitement and pride should stop. Logically, it would not make sense to have a favorite player on one team and then not cheer for them when they get traded. For example, I loved watching Michael Jordan play for the Chicago Bulls. I have never even been to Chicago, but I was so amazed at watching him play. I loved watching him regardless of what team he was playing for (he later played for the Washington Wizards).

You might say, “Well the players are encouraged by the cheers from the fans and it makes them play better.” It might. But the players were already top performers or they would not be in the professional league of the sport. I do not mean to be the “wet towel” and dampen the mood at any professional game and make people depressed by their illogical behavior. Even if the truth hurts or embarrasses us, we as thinking creatures should accept it. All I mean to accomplish is to make a point about humans’ behavior and it’s often irrational causes.