But you know what’s even easier? Hating. Naturally the North
Carolina Tar Heels, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons, who are the bitter
rivals of my teams. I am not alone in my dislike of those teams just based on
the fan bases I rep the most. The other teams who could creep into that natural
rivals list are North Carolina State and the Green Bay Packers. Obvious rivals
of Duke are easy, the Packers are an old rival of the Bucs from the days when
the teams were division foes who had the “Battle of the Bays” every year. These
days, that on field dislike has dissipated, but old souls like myself still
hold onto it.
I wish I could sit here and tell you that those are the only teams I don’t like, but that would be a bold face lie. I can be the most obnoxious, stubborn, spiteful, the biggest hater of all the hater fan out there. I am notorious for not liking teams just because my friends like them. Now to defend myself a little here, most of the time I can find a way to dislike those teams without the help of my friends, but where is the fun in that? Everyone or damn near everyone has said or uttered the word “hater” about a friend of theirs, or a guy in a bar, luckily for me, I am both. But the thing that separates a good hater from a dumb hater is educating yourself of the subject you’re hating on. Yes, I am going to talk trash about your team, yes I am good at it, yes I will make you eat your words. But the best part is, most of the time I am right. Go ahead, fact check that stat I just served up to you, counter my argument, I am prepared. Being a professional hater takes work, especially when your main export of hate is sports. You need to be able to not just know as much as possible about the team you love, you need to be able to broaden your horizons and study and research every team, every aspect of the game. Having my love for the games, it makes research and study easy. I can get lost watching sports for days at a time. My season doesn’t ever end. Baseball leads to football, football leads to basketball and hockey, and basketball and hockey lead right back into baseball. There are few days in the year that don’t have something I can put on the television or go to a venue in my city to watch. Now, I can see where throughout this piece it can look like I am the most obnoxious person in the bar and watching a game with me in public might be dangerous. I promise you it’s not. Even though I have had some very memorable moments (being booed at an Eagles bar, silencing a Michigan State bar), almost never is the amount of times a physical altercation has taken place, because I am more than just some hater at a bar. I will walk right up to you, dis your team, and then proceed to talk to you about YOUR program. Because as much as I enjoy being the guy talking trash to you, I love sports more. Being able to talk to any fan about the game is every bit as enjoyable as telling you how much your team sucks – but also suggesting what it can do to get better. So next time you’re out at the bar watching games with your friends, and you spot someone wearing a team you disagree with, talk trash to them, but let them know you aren’t just a hater, you’re a fan of the sport.
