Teamless Fans
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by user Saddleshoe
I own about a dozen Yankees t-shirts, two Mets shirts and countless hats from a variety of teams. I call myself a Yankees fan, but fairly often, I find myself listening to other teams as well on MLB.com Many of the players I have followed have moved from team-to-team. There is still a special feeling I get at Yankee Stadium. It's home and it mostly feels like a place in which I am among friends.
But, how long will there be fans like me - - when even my own state of "fan-ness" is changeable. I know the Mets fairly well and I admire them. Like everyone else in New York, I own a David Wright t-shirt.
I also want a Brian Roberts t-shirt. And I have underdog favorites like Mark Grudzielanek.
It's 2007, and all of us can watch any teams we want anywhere in the world. We can follow minor league players. Sharon Pearce, who writes OUT OF THE BULLPEN on www.outofthebullpen.mlblogs.com, follows Steven Pearce, not just because he has her last name, but because he seems to be a rising star.
It's a good thing that all of us have so many options to follow and watch so much. But, I wonder if, in twenty years or so, people won't be fans of teams anymore. My students already just buy sportswear for fashion purposes. They astonish me with their collections of Yankees hats in multiple colors when they don't even follow baseball. Will the next generation of fans not follow one team, but several? Will they go to the park, or just watch the games on TV, the computer or their phones?
I don't think having multiple allegiances is a bad thing, but I wonder what it will do to the way the sport is marketed or played.
What do you think?
