Secrets of a Sports Hater

October 17, 2008

I hate baseball. And basketball, hockey, and soccer. And football? Forget about it.

Taunt me all you want. Call me a heretic, an apostate, a traitor to the human race. I'm used to it. I went to college at the most basketball-obsessed school in the country. And then moved to one of the most sports-crazed cities on the planet. I guess I like being in the minority.

But before you dust off your buckets of tar and bags of feathers, ask yourself how many people you know who have slept outdoors in freezing temperatures for three weeks in solidarity with their peers to get college basketball tickets? (I have- it's called tenting, and it's awesome.)

So you might be somewhat less surprised to know that I have been following the ascent of the Phillies to the World Series. While I may not have watched every minute of the playoffs, I checked the live scores, followed the Twitter updates, and swapped the tuner from time to time.

And did I mention I hate baseball?

As reluctant as I was at first to embrace the Blue Devils as part of my college life, I quickly realized that Duke Basketball was more than just about sports. It was about a shared experience, an institution that didn't discriminate. Everyone could be a fan and participate in a sense of community that brought the entire student body together in ways that no well meaning administrative directive could.

Fast forward to Philadelphia, specifically South Philly, and I find myself drinking a Natty light on the couch of my Phanatic neighbors watching the Phillies beat the Dodgers on their way to the World Series. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Phans in the street--my carefully pruned mums destroyed by the Phans. But who cares? This city needs the win; mums be damned

Amid the current economic crisis, I can't think of anything better to bring this region together and stoke some optimism for the future than the Phillies' journey to the World Series. The sports culture in Greater Philadelphia is one of the region's greatest assets, and not just for the economic impact of stadiums, playoff games, and job creation. Sports unite this often fractured place in ways that no well meaning governmental directive could. This shared community experience has the power to change the way we live our lives, the way we interact with our neighbors, and the way we break down our day-to-day social divisions.

This power is more than just some hippy-dippy sentiment. Finding ways to unite our region is vital for Greater Philadelphia to move forward on a world class journey. We all have a stake in the future of this region, just as we all have a stake in the success of the Eagles or Phillies.

Herein lies the difficulty our government officials and civic leaders face: translating the shared excitement of a Phillies win to a shared commitment to working together for the betterment of our region. Some may be skeptical, but if even the most cynical of us will smile on the inside when the Phillies win the Series. And that may be just enough.

--Christopher Scoville, Communications & Development Associate