Sports fans are a fickle group. Not fickle in our love of sport mind you. We are always passionate about sport. Our love for it is steadfast and strong. Our fickleness has more to do with allegiance to our team. It can be swayed. Not like an earthquake can shake a building from it’s very foundation. It’s not quite that intense. But more like a strong wind will heave a tall tree to-and-fro. Our roots remain anchored, but still, we shift.
I’ve been a Toronto Blue Jays fan forever. I’m not entirely sure, but I think it may be ingrained as a pre-requisite when you are born Canadian. Maybe at least if you’re born in Ontario. I suppose it’s not unlike passion for the Toronto Maples Leafs. Then again, I couldn’t care less about hockey, so perhaps that’s a bad analogy.
CIBC used to give free Jays posters away back when I was a kid. They’d come out with a new one every season I think. I had a paper route back then. I was never a big fan of saving money. What kid is? I had much more important things on my mind. Sweedish Berries. Lik-M-Aid (it’s seem an inappropriate name for candy doesn’t it?). Big League Chew. Gobstoppers. Baseball Cards. Yes, banking was certainly not high on my list of priorities. To bank was to be old. I’d likely have to start wearing a suit, or at least that is what I thought when I was a kid.
Mom was pretty adamant about me saving money though. So she made me open an account. Since the only bank in my small town was CIBC, I decided I would give them the pleasure and privilege of my business. In return, they gave me Toronto Blue Jays posters. It seemed a fair trade. I had quite a few of them on my wall. I don’t recall all the players now, but I do remember a Pat Borders one.
The walls of my room were covered with these CIBC Blue Jays posters along with some other Jays memorabilia. I know there was a towel, a foam Jays logo (the old cool logo), and a Pennant. It wasn’t hard to tell where my loyalty lied.
It was easy to be a Jays fan back then. Especially when they were bringing home World Series wins and always seemed to be competitive. Then we went into a slump that’s lasted for a while. Is 15 years the technical definition of “a while?” I’m not sure. Regardless, it’s been a long, tough decade and a bit to watch Blue Jays baseball.
Have you ever noticed when a sports fan is talking about his team he uses phrases like, “we’re doing awesome right now!” ”This year is our year!” ”We picked up a big win last night.” ”Our guys are looking good this season.” When your team is doing well, they really are your team. You talk about them like you’re a part of it. Us, we, our. It’s like you’ve got an ownership stake, or like you’re actually a part of it. It feels good to be riding the wave of success.
Then there is the big loss. A game where your team gets crushed. Maybe you go on a cold streak. Maybe you miss the playoffs. Then all of the sudden your language changes. ”They suck right now!” ”I can’t believe they blew it this year.” ”They got pounded last night.” ”Those guys are looking like junk this season.” Maybe it’s true what they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going… right off the bandwagon!
That is what I’m talking about with the fickleness of sports fans. Deep down, you still love your team. But when things aren’t going so well, you disassociate from them a little bit. You pull your ownership stake. You don’t really want to be a part of it anymore.
When God is blessing me, my life is great. I have a great show. I booked a voice over job I really wanted to land. I get an encouraging email from a friend. I have an exciting experience at a fire call. My bills are paid and there is a little money left in the bank for an Amazon shopping spree. Whatever it might be, I’m loving God and God is loving me. We are tight. We are on the same team.
Then there are the other days. The days when I have a bad show. The days when I rank 1st on a big voice job, but then I don’t get a call back. The days when I decide to go out of town for a few hours and end up missing 4 fire calls. The days when something doesn’t turn out anything like I had hoped or dreamed or prayed for. Those are the days when we stop saying “us” and “we” and start referring to the team as “them”.
No team is going to win every game. They aren’t going to win every title. They’ll have ups and downs, hot streaks and cold streaks. It’s a lot like life. God never promised we’d book every job. He never promised we’d always have a little extra money in the bank. He never promised every relationship will turn out the way we want. He never promised sunshine and rainbows.
No matter where my loyalty lies, the Toronto Blue Jays are always going to be the Toronto Blue Jays. Whether we’re winning, or they’re losing, baseball will be played. When I show up at the Dome or turn on the game, they’ll still let me be a fan. God is the same. When we’re feeling close to Him because we’re feeling blessed, and when we’re questioning Him or pushing Him away because we’re feeling shafted, His love will always remain.
God never promised us a smooth journey. 162 games is a long season, after all, with pretty of opportunities for ups and downs! He just promised us He’d be there with us through it all if we’ll let Him. I just wish I could be as loyal to Him as He is to me!
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