A Yankee Fan Living in the Middle of Red Sox Nation
"If 'manners maketh man' as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say"
-Sting: "I'm an Englishman in New York"
"If 'manners maketh man' as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say"
-Sting: "I'm an Englishman in New York"
I am a Yankee fan. I have been a Yankee fan for the past 17 years. It took me a while to settle on a team. I went back and forth between the Yankees and the Mets for a while, but this is to be expected growing up where I did. My father, a Yankee fan, my brother a Mets fan, I always had someone to side with. What was the deciding factor that finally lead me the way of the Bronx Bombers? My dad purchased Season Tickets to the Yankees. This gave me FREE access to home games, FREE being the operative word. There you have it, a Yankee fan. I also realized as I grew up, that it was an unbreakable tie between me and my father, something we could always talk about, something we finally had in common. I would say now that it was that bond that tied me so tightly to the Yankees. While I don't think we ever attended a game together, he never hesitated to get me the tickets I asked for. Coveted Yankees v. Red Sox Tickets were always mine for the taking, especially since I went to school in Springfield, Massachusetts. Half the school rooted for the Yankees while the other half pined away for the Red Sox.
I never really hated the Red Sox, I felt sorry for them. What I did begin to notice was that Red Sox fans, while they are loyal to the core, hate Yankee fans. I knew there was a rivalry, dating back to the Babe, and maybe even further, however, I didn't realize how bad this rivalry was, how hated Yankee fans were, until I stepped foot on the Ferry to visit my mom. The man who led my car to its parking spot in the belly of the "Island Home" was glaring at me. Not just straining to see who was behind the wheel, and usher them into their tight little spot, but glaring, a look of all out hatred. I could not for the life of me figure out why. Had I run over his dog when I was pulling in? Did I look like his ex-wife? Had I slept with his ex-wife? No, couldn't have been that, as much as I love my girl time, I do not "bat" for that team. It wasn't until I was washing my hands in the bathroom of the ferry, that I realized why I was scrutinized by all of the people on the boat. I had worn my Yankee hat. My 17 year old Yankee hat that was purchased by my father for my first game. The hat that I wear not only when the Yankees are winning, but when I miss my dad. When I want to be closer to him. When I am thinking about him. I meant no disrespect to the people of Red Sox nation, I simply was missing my father.
This was not my first encounter with the people of Red Sox nation, and it certiantly would not be my last. But I was tucked away in my little corner of Connecticut surrounded by my family, mostly women, and ALL Yankee's Fans. It was okay to root for my team, hell, we even allow you to root for your team...as long as it is not too loud, or at least not louder than we were. Now, here I am, 30 minutes from Fenway. My husband has actually installed numerous signs for those coveted Fenway Franks. No one here likes Yankee fans. They despise them on mere principle alone. I am happy for the Red Sox. They played an awesome series. I can say that because I am secure in my allegiance to the New York Yankees. We will not always win. We will even loose sometimes to the Red Sox. I can handle that. It is okay, because we will live to play another game/series/season. What I can not handle are people despising me for simply wearing a hat. I love my little town in Massachusetts. I can tolerate the Red Sox/ Patriot fans. I can tolerate the commercials from local furniture stores guaranteeing a sale if the Red Sox bring home the pennant. I can tolerate my Conservative political talk show host blabbing uncontrollably about the Red Sox victory. I can even tolerate the morning news broadcasting live from Fenway, where my morning weather update is brought to me from the top of the Green Monster. I get it. Red Sox Nation is excited. What I have a difficult time with is their inability to accept me. Just because I root for the boys in pinstripes, does not make me a bad person. It just means I have better taste!!
I never really hated the Red Sox, I felt sorry for them. What I did begin to notice was that Red Sox fans, while they are loyal to the core, hate Yankee fans. I knew there was a rivalry, dating back to the Babe, and maybe even further, however, I didn't realize how bad this rivalry was, how hated Yankee fans were, until I stepped foot on the Ferry to visit my mom. The man who led my car to its parking spot in the belly of the "Island Home" was glaring at me. Not just straining to see who was behind the wheel, and usher them into their tight little spot, but glaring, a look of all out hatred. I could not for the life of me figure out why. Had I run over his dog when I was pulling in? Did I look like his ex-wife? Had I slept with his ex-wife? No, couldn't have been that, as much as I love my girl time, I do not "bat" for that team. It wasn't until I was washing my hands in the bathroom of the ferry, that I realized why I was scrutinized by all of the people on the boat. I had worn my Yankee hat. My 17 year old Yankee hat that was purchased by my father for my first game. The hat that I wear not only when the Yankees are winning, but when I miss my dad. When I want to be closer to him. When I am thinking about him. I meant no disrespect to the people of Red Sox nation, I simply was missing my father.
This was not my first encounter with the people of Red Sox nation, and it certiantly would not be my last. But I was tucked away in my little corner of Connecticut surrounded by my family, mostly women, and ALL Yankee's Fans. It was okay to root for my team, hell, we even allow you to root for your team...as long as it is not too loud, or at least not louder than we were. Now, here I am, 30 minutes from Fenway. My husband has actually installed numerous signs for those coveted Fenway Franks. No one here likes Yankee fans. They despise them on mere principle alone. I am happy for the Red Sox. They played an awesome series. I can say that because I am secure in my allegiance to the New York Yankees. We will not always win. We will even loose sometimes to the Red Sox. I can handle that. It is okay, because we will live to play another game/series/season. What I can not handle are people despising me for simply wearing a hat. I love my little town in Massachusetts. I can tolerate the Red Sox/ Patriot fans. I can tolerate the commercials from local furniture stores guaranteeing a sale if the Red Sox bring home the pennant. I can tolerate my Conservative political talk show host blabbing uncontrollably about the Red Sox victory. I can even tolerate the morning news broadcasting live from Fenway, where my morning weather update is brought to me from the top of the Green Monster. I get it. Red Sox Nation is excited. What I have a difficult time with is their inability to accept me. Just because I root for the boys in pinstripes, does not make me a bad person. It just means I have better taste!!
2 comments:
Please - Im not sure (as much as I love that part of the country) if I could live in Red Sox Nation.
People will always complain about NY (only cause they can). But At least Yankee fans let you cheer for whom ever you want. Red sox fans are just mean mean people. And they really don't have a reason to be. I guess kinda like a spoiled child. They did earn this champonship. But its not going to happen every year - just like its impossible for Ny Yankees to win every year. So someone should get the bees out of their bonnets and they should all take a chill pill. Because at the end of the day win or loose the YANKEES RULE. We are not mean fans -
hey heather, I just got done reading your blog. New Englanders are assholes when it comes to sports, I married and divorced one remember? They hate just to hate. My Exhusbands brother was the worst, he was a ball boy or some dumb thing for the Pats when he was a kid (they were born and raised in Foxboro) and you would think listening to him,any New England team could walk on water. I Hate football, I mean hate it, but I cheered on any team playing the Pats just to bust his balls :) and when I was forced to live in North Attleboro for the longest coldest 6 months of my life I got the hairy eyeball all the time. So I did what any red blooded New York girl should do.... I wore a yankees jacket ;)
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