West Coast, best coast

Dedicated sports fandom goes beyond time zones

They say you can’t help who you fall in love with, and if they were referring to which sports franchises gain your loyalty, time and tears … well, then they were right.

The holiday season makes us feel all warm and cozy inside, reminding us of the things we’re most grateful for.

DEDICATION — Being a sports fan can lead to sleep deprivation, loss of appetite and stress. Photo Credit: Raiders.com

DEDICATION — Being a sports fan can lead to sleep deprivation, loss of appetite and stress.
Photo Credit: Raiders.com

Few things in this life make me happier than the Oakland Raiders, the Los Angeles Lakers and the USC Trojans.

Now imagine Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” playing softly in the background as you let that sink in.

I’m a best coast girl living way out of the viewing market of all my favorite teams.

It’s a rough life.

For the past 21 years, I’ve been a dedicated sports fan.

My dad didn’t let the fact that I wasn’t a boy stop him from showing me the ropes from an early age.

Some of my earliest and most vivid memories go back to playoff wins, buzzer beaters and the like.

I’m assuming most young girls don’t rejoice over playoff football games on and around their birthdays — these are the things I live for.

But things get complicated when all of the teams you root for are nearly 3,000 miles away on the other side of the country.

When most people think of the West Coast, they think of the glamor — the celebrities living in Hollywood, the beaches and the sunshine.

Well, it’s not all palm trees and paradise.

No one knows struggle better than a fan born on the East Coast with a West Coast state of mind attempting to simply watch games that are relevant to them each week.

There’s a high probably that you’ll end up watching the game cast box score updates alone, and for that, you’re both faithful and resilient.

WatchESPN, NFL Sunday Ticket and NBA League Pass are necessary and proper — and expensive.

It’s nearly impossible to find reasonably-priced team apparel in any store.

This sends you down the rabbit hole of online shopping.

Sometimes you win.

Sometimes you buy old sweatshirts on eBay that smell like moth balls and cigarettes.

True story.

And if you haven’t paid enough, there’s also a physical deficit to overcome.

Games regularly start at 10:30 p.m., and when your fandom is true, you don’t miss a second of it.

You also sleep a lot less.

Have you stayed up until 2 a.m. to watch your team lose to Nebraska in the final minutes of the Holiday Bowl lately? It’s not fun.

I definitely don’t recommend it.

As for those NFL games that start at 4 p.m., nothing important should be going on at that time because it’s inconvenient.

Get used to having the perfect dinner time spoiled by the stress that comes with watching the game.

Crucial decisions must be made: do you cook before or after the game? Does halftime give you enough time to run that errand and eat? The answer is usually no.

I regularly complicate my life because of the teams I support, and I will often complain about it, but that’s the life I’ve chosen to live.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Just win, baby.


Carter is the opinion editor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *