Thoughts About Being a Sports Fan

While watching the Super Bowl last night, I began thinking about my experience of being a sports fan during my lifetime. Over the years I have had my favorite teams. Most of my teams have not been very consistent with winning. Some good seasons but most seasons have been painful.

The first sport I became a fan of was football. My first team was the New York Jets with Joe Namath. My dad loved football so I would watch it with him. He also got me interested in high school football and took me to see his high school football team. I have been hooked since.

Here are the professional sports teams I have been a fan of in each sport:

Baseball
Atlanta Braves (1981-Present)

Basketball
Atlanta Hawks (1978-1999)
**Currently a free agent.

Football
New York Jets (1970-1976)
Atlanta Falcons (1977-2016)
Tennessee Titans (2017-2025)
**Currently a free agent

Hockey
Atlanta Flames (1978-1980)
Nashville Predators (2014-Present)

How many championships have I "won" with my favorite sports teams?

I thought back over the years and wondered how many of my teams have won championships. Here is the list I came up with:

1980    Georgia Bulldogs (Football)
1986    Villa Rica (High School Football)
1988    Warner Robins (High School Football)
1995    Atlanta Braves (Baseball)
2004    Warner Robins (High School Football)
2020    Warner Robins (High School Football)
2021    Atlanta Braves (Baseball)
2021    Warner Robins (High School Football)
2021    Georgia Bulldogs (Football)
2022    Georgia Bulldogs (Football)

Looking back, it seems that 2021 was a good year for my teams.  Unfortunately, the flip side of being a sports fan is the heartbreaking losses I have also had.  Some of the losses I took hard were the Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots after they had a 28-3 lead.  That loss was the end of my following of the team.  That's how hard that loss was for me.  I also took the loss of the Atlanta Braves to the Minnesota Twins in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.  Another tough loss to take was when the Nashville Predators loss of the Stanley Cup final to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It has been an experience of ups and downs over the years.  None of my teams' wins or losses have affected my life one way or another.  Sports have been something that have been a part of my life.  I don't live and breathe sports like some do but it has been a part of me.