Sports - a complicated relationship

Not a fan, but…

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Now, back to the ‘stack!

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Some people who don’t know me may assume I’m a sports enthusiast - after all, my brother, who, along with a handful of others, created the sports memorabilia business, is a well-known fan, collector, and all-around maven. But I’m not my brother. And my knowledge of sports pins the needle at ‘ignorant.’

The Steiner Brothers (l to r) Adam, Brandon, and me on a hot day

I just came from my local barbershop, where a seemingly eternal basketball conversation is still going on. I recognized the name LeBron, and that was it. I’ve been to two pro basketball games in my life.

I’ve never seen a Super Bowl game. Super Bowl Sunday at game time, you can drive fast on the 405 or the Long Island Expressway. Done both. I’ve only watched one pro football game in my life: Giants-Bears, 1987. I was being a good houseguest, and I confess, I was hard-pressed to stay awake.

I’m not a hater, though. My relationship with sports is more complex. I’ve always enjoyed going to Yankee games, especially in the 90s when Brandon got us tickets. It’s a game you can watch without interrupting your thinking, as long as you keep track of what’s going on. I’ve seen a few great baseball moments at the Stadium: Reggie Jackson’s three home runs in three swings in the ‘77 World Series, and Paul O’Neill’s 10-pitch walk in the 2000 World Series. I got to be there, and I’m glad. I also got to interview Yogi Berra once.

Paul O’Neill, after a bunch of foul balls

I know a lot of sports fans, in addition to the aforementioned brother. Back in college, my roommate Joe S. (a subscriber to this ‘stack) was a baseball fan with a prodigious memory. You could wake him out of a dead sleep and say, “Joe - 1955 Dodgers lineup!” and he could name them all before opening his eyes. I think that’s true - it’s certainly the stuff of legend. I respect sports fans.

Maybe Joe didn’t know them all, but that’s how I remember it.

I like sports movies. The first movie to bring me to tears was “Jim Thorpe All-American,” which I saw when I was twelve. When Burt Lancaster says, “Coach” at the end of that movie, every boy in my summer camp sniffled in the dark of the social hall. Sports movies have a story, and I love good stories.

Even if most sports movies have the same story.

I used to regret one thing about my lack of enthusiasm for sports: Playing team sports teaches teamwork. You learn that serving the objective of the team is more important than serving your own objectives. Then I realized that I’d learned that by doing theater.

I respect and appreciate sports, but I just don’t have that “fan” gene.

Am I the only one with a complicated relationship with sports? I doubt it.

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