The Joy Of Rooting For Distant Sports Teams

... got yet another boost for me recently.

I'm a graduate of UCSD. Even if I didn't despise my alma mater for its relentless shift even farther left, it has no sports teams of any consequence. Our kids' schools, the University of San Diego and Cal State Long Beach are both negligible in that regard as well. That leaves me a free agent when it comes to finding a college football team to support.

A lover of all things New Orleans, I've settled on LSU. I've never been to LSU and have only visited N'awlins 5-6 times. Despite that, LSU it is.

Vacationing in Maine, I brought along an LSU ball cap and t-shirt. Wearing them while hiking, I discovered the proper greeting for other LSU fans when a family of 6 walked by us. Here's what they had to say:

• "Go Tigers!"
• "Go Tigers!"
• "Go Tigers!"
• "Go Tigers!"
• "Go Tigers!"
• "Go Tigers!"

I got a big laugh out of that. Later in the day, at a brewery, I got another "Go Tigers!" and shopping at Costco yesterday here in San Diego, someone right near me gave me a "Go Tigers!" and then proceeded to tell me that he was a Georgia alumni and we talked college football for 5 minutes. He never realized I was a Tiger fan wannabe.

If you root for a distant team and you find someone wearing their gear, your instant reaction is to smile and talk to them. That goes for people who root for a rival team. A big Newcastle United* fan as well, when I see people wearing any EPL gear, I immediately chat with them if possible. There's an instant rapport, the same as if an Italian came across another Italian somewhere in the Philippines. Were I to wear a New England Patriots shirt in Maine or a Padres shirt here in San Diego, there would be no comment at all. It's too normal and doesn't invite conversation.

So in exchange for buying a t-shirt or ball cap and following a distant team, you get opportunities to smile and meet new people on a regular basis. Sounds like a winner to me!

* - An English Premier League (EPL) soccer team.