Occupiers

So I was reading a piece from a Palestinian author about what it's like to have grown up in Tel Aviv, and how everything that was there before the formation of the Israeli state was more or less systematically wiped off the face of the earth. Everything, that is, but the indigent people. And I don't want to totally derail the blog with the backstory and inspiration here, because Lord knows that the only difference between the American Indian and the Palestine situation is population density and overwhelming numbers, rather than "morality" (and since the only indigent population on the earth that wasn't decimated by the introduction of Foreign Guy might be the Maori in New Zealand, and oh my, what a digression, I'm amazed you even finished this sentence).

There's also this: the Iraqi people, despite the recommendations of their own government, are taking to the streets to celebrate the removal of American forces from their cities, as part of the drawdown and redeployment to Afghanistan. This has resulted in the deaths of hundreds (I know, I'm as surprised as you are that there are hundreds of Iraqis left, given the way that country has gone in the past decade), because large collections of people in Iraq almost always results in a bombing or three, but the people want to celebrate the removal of an occupier that much. Not exactly the flowers and chocolates that we were sold.

Anyway, let's get this back to sports before I'm accused of anti-semitism, americanism, and kiwiism. Especially when the point was just to deal with the sports equivalent of Occupied Lands, which is to say, the growth of Road Fan.

I've been Road Fan from time to time, but never in a fashion that anyone might really notice. Part of this is that I'm a small guy -- shorter than Muggsy Bogues, though probably, sigh, not lighter. Being a big obvious Road Fan might give me a direct path to a dumpster, and, well, I've got better ways to end my evening.

But more importantly is the fact that Road Fan should, IMO, show some freaking respect. The Real Golden Rule -- do unto others as you would have them do unto you, not He Who Owns The Gold, Rules -- should be the guiding point here... but it's increasingly not, especially as Road Fan gets to the point of starting to outnumber the non plus teams. The last time that the Yankees or Red Sox felt very uncomfortable in a road game in Baltimore? Probably not in this century. The last time that either of those teams didn't own a solid 50% of the loyalties of the population on that road game to Oakland? Probably 2005, really.

It's not a healthy situation. When I was a partial season ticket holder in Oakland, I made sure to never take my kid to one of those games, because the Occupying Force? It's not a good vibe, really... and it's also a vicious cycle down, down, down. Now that your kid can more or less root for the road team in complete comfort, why should the home team ever win the hearts and minds of the young? (And it's not as if sports is doing a bang-up job of attracting young audiences these days, what with the rampant expense of it all.)

I'm not saying you should have to root for the home team, especially if you are from somewhere else, or even that you have to raise your kid in the colors of the local team. But I am saying that if you're going to be in the opposing team's yard, you should fly under the radar, even if the local team doesn't have particularly ferocious fans, or even if you are in the soft cocoon of your own shirts. The world doesn't need any more occupied land, even in something as harmless as sports.