Go Team! (Whichever team! I Don't Care!)

Last night, Tiffany and I went to watch the University of Kansas' men's basketball team play UC Berkeley, and I was reminded of two truths about myself. First, why I was a better soccer player than a basketball player. The speed of basketball and the size of the court made me play that particular game in a constant state of claustrophobic panic-- once, the first year I played on a team as a 6th grader, an opposing parent (what a jerk!) yelled "Shoot it!" as I was dribbling the ball past half-court. I did shoot it. And, as you might expect, I missed. Also, the fact that basketball teams call plays was not conducive to my personality. When a play didn't work, I didn't know what to do, so I'd dribble straight for the basket without a thought for any of my teammates. In soccer, there's no such thing as plays, so I could never feel inadequate not completing one.

The second thing last night's game reminded me of is this: I have no loyalty as a fan. I grew up in Kansas, so you might think that, although I did not attend KU, I'd cheer for my hometown team. Alternatively, because I live in San Francisco, you might think that, although I did not attend Cal across the Bay, I might cheer for the Bears. But I cheered for neither team. Instead, I did like I always do when I'm watching a game and cheered for a good match. When Kansas was on a roll, I cheered for Kansas. When Cal got too far behind, I cheered for Cal. I was happiest for the few minutes in the game when only four points separated the teams. Having been an athlete all my life, I am curiously indifferent to who wins games in which I do not play.

My brother cannot understand this about me. When the Giants and the Rangers were set to play in the World Series, I bet him the Giants would win. He was horrified that I'd chosen the Giants over the Rangers. It was as if I'd told him I was pregnant but had decided to donate my baby to Goodwill.

"But you were born in Texas," he said sadly.

"So," I verbally shrugged on the phone. "I live here."

Anyway, of course I won the bet, but I wasn't happy about the way I won it. I wanted the series to last longer than it did, and so, while I bet on the Giants, what I really wanted was a lot of fun games to watch.

Tiffany, also, is not a fan of my indifference. When the Patriots or the Red Sox play, she cheers wholeheartedly for them because she grew up in the Boston area. I'm happy for either of those teams to win, but, if they're winning by too much, I cheer for whomever they're beating.

"Wooo-hooo!" I yell, when the opposing team scores.

"Rebecca!" Tiffany screams. "Shut up! If we* lose, I'm blaming you and it won't be funny!"

I'm an intensely loyal person in other areas of my life. As a spectator... not so much. But I guess that's a kind of loyalty too-- I'm consistently, passionately, faithfully loyal to the idea of a good spectacle.

*As an aside, we have a good friend who hates it when spectators use the first-person to cheer for a team, as in, "We're winning" or "We made a great trade last year." She thinks if you're not on the team, you don't get to have ownership in the team. But I take ownership of all teams... as long as they're giving me a great game.