Boston Sports Featured on ESPN Magazine Cover

By Josh Segal in Featured, Now! ⋅ September 25, 2011 at 6:00pm ⋅ Post a comment

Did you know that Boston is the greatest sports city of the 21st century? Well if you didn’t, you do now after reading the ESPN Magazine issue dedicated entirely to Boston sports. Of course, this success has nothing to do with the athletes or team management, but everything to do with the fans of Boston. Not only are we the greatest fans in the world, we are the greatest people in the world. We’re a gift from the heavens. Damnit, we earned those seven championships!

Why the Hate?

Apparently, not everyone is entirely happy with ESPN Magazine’s decision to release an issue only about Boston sports, but they’re not from Boston, so they must not be smart enough to understand. Seven championships. Two World Series plus three Super Bowls plus one Basketball Championship plus one Stanley Cup.

That equals seven. Seven is a lucky number. And guess what? Fourteen is an even luckier number. And fourteen is relevant because the next fourteen major sports championships are going to be won by a Boston team. And if there isn’t a championship in the next twelve months we’re going to riot.

But why all the hate? No one would complain if it was a New York themed issue–New York is America’s city. Would they rather have an issue about Cleveland sports? Just the idea of that makes me want to vomit. And then there are the people who complain that all the national media does is show Boston and other northeast sports highlights. Who cares if the Rays beat the Royals? I’d rather watch grass grow. Let’s chalk this criticism up to jealousy. Don’t the feeble sports fans from everywhere besides Boston know how futile it is to root for another team?

The Bigger Picture

In all seriousness, the hatred towards Boston is a result of the obnoxious fan behavior I have tried to emulate, not the success of Boston teams. It’s actually kind of sickening. I’ve heard about people who have their own parade spots they go to, every time a Boston team wins the championship. A Cubs fan doesn’t even know how to respond to that. Sports are fun and all, but if you think that supporting a winning team makes you a superior person, you might want to reconsider your life.

Sports are cyclical. Most teams go through periods of success, failure, and rebuilding. Boston just happened to have four successful teams at the same time. Remember the 90’s when it was embarrassing to be a Boston’s sports fan? I don’t, but I’m sure it sucked. Let’s look seven years into the future. Brady and Belichick have retired and New England is in shambles. Pierce, Allen, and Garnett are long gone and Rondo doesn’t have what it takes to be the number one guy. Gonzalez, Pedroia, and Lester decline due to age and injury. And Lackey and Crawford ended up as busts. Doesn’t sound too pretty, but these are all legitimate possibilities.

I remember in 2008, when the Red Sox were eliminated by the Rays in the ALCS, just one postseason after winning the World Series. I was pissed. I just expected they would win that Game 7, that’s what the Red Sox do. My Dad simply said, “Your team doesn’t win every year,” shrugged, and went to bed. And it’s true. Enjoy those championships while they’re fresh–an 86 year drought can never be too far off.

About Josh Segal

Josh Segal is a professional shock artist and trash talker. He also occasionally writes opinion pieces about the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and their respective leagues at large. Segal is currently a junior at Kenyon College where he plans to double major in drama and political science. Apparently he also writes his own biographies in the third person.

Tags: Boston Sports, ESPN, ESPN The Magazine