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It doesn’t matter the sport.
It doesn’t matter the season.
It doesn’t matter if your team
is mired in blessed mediocrity.
You are a fan.
Whether you live in Boston or Buffalo,
Denver or Dallas, New York or New Orleans,
you are a fan who has precise knowledge
of players, personnel and prospects.
Whether it’s baseball or basketball
that has you screaming in the stands,
or glued to your TV, without dinner,
it doesn’t matter; you are a fan.
With religious devotion and tribal loyalty,
you want to be part of something larger,
something larger than your own life,
an enthusiast for the long haul.
You also want to be a clear winner,
a goal that may have eluded you so far.
Failing perfection, you attach yourself,
barnacle like, in different seasons and sports,
to a team hoping to share in its reflected glory.
You enjoy the highs; you endure the lows.
You are a fan.