RUINED AS A TRUE “FAN”; DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!

An editorial by: Jared Neumeier

RMFL – A few Sunday’s ago, I ventured into man paradise… ESPNzone in downtown Disney in Anaheim, California.

This isn’t just a bar. This place has food, drink, tables and even reclining chairs and something like a thousand tv sets showing every possible sports program imaginable. As it was Sunday, you can imagine that every NFL game going on in the planet could be viewed from some sort of comfortable location… And was.

One of the games that was on was my Oakland Raiders who were getting beat by the San Francisco 49ers and with every mishap the Raiders experienced, it seemed like there were a group of guys letting out a great roar of delight. But that wasn’t all, for with every significant play from every game, someone cared and roars were going on all around… Win or lose, a raucous time was being had by all.

All, that is, except me.

It was not because my particular team we getting beat, for throughout the game, the outcome was certainly in doubt enough to care… and to cheer. It is just that as a sports fan I have been ruined… destroyed… tainted… and I write this sad story so that maybe, just maybe I can save one poor soul from going down my path and suffering my fate. Please, oh please, do not let this happen to you.

I grew up in Salt Lake City and became a big sports fan early. Reasonably arbitrarily I became an Oakland Raiders fan in 1969 and an Oakland A’s fan the following spring of 1970… and I REALLY, REALLY cared.

In 1973, the first year that I watched, that my Raiders failed to make the playoffs, I had just watched the game that eliminated them on TV and I went to my room and cried. I cried real hard. You see, at that time I was a true-blue die-hard sports fan.

That next spring, however, was the beginning of my end. It was the first year I became the commissioner of a big time sports league.

I know you are thinking, “hey, that would be like 1974! You became a ‘commissioner’ in 1974 of a ‘big time sports league’!?!?! How OLD is this guy!?!?”

Well, I was just 11 at the time, however, not too young to get involved in a game that few of today’s youngsters may know of, called “Strat-O-Matic”. See, this is a “board game”… no computers, no X-box, no Play-Station and John Madden was coaching the Raiders, not putting his name on a computer game. I can assure you, in fact, he would have considered it funnier than heck at the time if you even suggested that he would be involved in such an enterprise some day.

Strat-O-Matic, was a “Computer generated” board game in which you actually purchase the game and either all of the professional teams from a given season or a select number of teams from a season (usually the previous one) and you play the game between real either Major league baseball teams or real NFL football teams (although since then, they created NBA basketball, hockey and college football versions). In this case, it was major league baseball teams.

The game claimed (as would the Madden game of today) that players performed in the game “just like in real life” and it was your coaching moves that would make the difference. Of course, I was also a Strat-O-Matic Football owner, but in 1974, I not only bought a select number of teams, but I created a schedule and played an entire 162-game regular season and playoffs for a select 6 teams AND compiled comprehensive stats for all teams and all games throughout… just to see if the claim of the game was right.

This was the beginning of my end.

In 1987 I was introduced to something else that would lead to the complete destruction of my ability to cheer 100% whole-heartedly for my football team every week… a phenomena we all know of today, called FANTASY FOOTBALL.

For those who don’t know, Fantasy Football, is a game real adults (and kids too, I suppose) play in make-believe world where they pretend to really own a collection of actual football players from a variety of pro teams. Through an initial pre-season draft and a number of in-season player transactions, “owners” attempt to build a winning team that scores points week to week based on the performance of the players on that team.

Of course, it is generally impossible, if not folly, to expect or want to get only players from your favorite team, so in the competition of fantasy football, one must invariably end up… at some point… actually rooting AGAINST their favorite team. Not to lose, of course, but at least for the other teams star receiver to pick up a couple of touchdowns against them. Which, as all of you out there who have NOT been affected by fantasy football, is just down-right UN-AMERICAN! Rooting against your own team, in any way, is being a traitor to the cause that we all hold so near and dear. But fantasy owners are put into that position. A position I have been in every year for the past 20 now.

Now you all know why I have become so jaded.

In January of 2001, the final nail was pounded into my coffin of death as a true football fan. I was shanghai-ed into becoming commissioner of the Rocky Mountain Football League.

Obviously, just becoming commissioner of a league… any league… does not immediately exempt you from all bias. That is just not only impossible, but highly improbable as well. We all have our biases, many of which we are not even aware of. I’ve always had the “favor the underdog” mentality which has served me well as a commissioner and even more so as a sports writer. We all love the David defeating Goliath story-line. It gives all of us who had sand kicked in their face at the beach, lunch money stolen or simply striking out with the head cheerleader… hope. The meek CAN inherit the earth!

However, my mentality as someone that could get emotional over a football game had already been severely compromised. After 6 seasons as commissioner of the RMFL, and 20 years of fantasy football, not to mention a handful of coaching stints and other activities, I can honestly say that the place in my heart that makes me care… really care… about a particular football team has been effectively killed.

Oh, but this is not a sad story… no, not at all. But a story of hope.

More than likely, those who are reading this editorial are NOT too far gone. You… still have hope.

Think for a moment about YOUR favorite NFL team…

Who is it??? Cowboys, Steelers, Packers, Rams, Bengals, Broncos…? Who?

Are you thinking…?

Think about their history and about some of your favorite players over the years….

Still thinking?

Good.

Was there a nice warm feeling… perhaps even an elevated heart beat? IF so, and likely so, then you are not too far gone.

YOU can be saved.

Now I know, I know, MOST of you don’t have to worry about this… ever. You will never become involved in fantasy sports and you will never end up being a commissioner of a sports league. You will continue to go on… living and dying by your team each week. You will NEVER see an extremely close play in favor of the opposing team.

Maybe you true sports fans out there consider this whole live and die by my team concept as an Albatross hanging around your neck… especially if you are a Jets fan or a Vikings fan or a Browns fan… or, today… a Raiders fan.

But to you, I say this… ENJOY your pain.

For in pain, you have life. You live, you feel, you care… this is what life is about; embrace it!

In July of 2007, I will walk away from the RMFL with many great memories. I will definitely feel as if I have accomplished as much or more than ever could be expected. When I leave, however, I will enjoy the freedom to choose a team and yell most whole-heartedly for them. To live and die by my favorite team, in the NFL or even the RMFL.

I will have the freedom to do all of those things… but not the ability.

Live long an prosper sports fans. Paint your faces, tailgate, drink beer,love or hate the officials… but always appreciate the love and passion that you have for the game of football. It’s the greatest team sport ever. It’s OUR game!