By: Erik Drost
With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I’ve been thinking about the things I’m thankful for as a Cleveland sports fan. It took a while, but I came up with a list of reasons to be thankful. People often make fun of Cleveland sports teams, and for good reason. However, as a lifelong fan of this city’s sports teams, I couldn’t imagine myself rooting for any other teams. I love this city, I love these teams, and I have plenty of reasons to be thankful.
Cleveland is a city full of blue collar workers, and the sports teams represent that work ethic. We don’t have the superstar athletes that teams in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami have. We also don’t have the highest payrolls. We do, however, have athletes that work tirelessly to get better. We have fans that are completely committed to their city’s teams, and aren’t jumping on another team’s bandwagon. The teams clearly represent the blue collar attitude that this city is all about, and it’s honestly something special to watch.
In Cleveland, we don’t have championships to brag about. Every sports fan knows that Cleveland hasn’t won a championship since the Indians won the World Series in 1948. We can, however, brag about having some of the greatest athletes in the history of sports, in Cleveland. We can brag about the days we had Jim Brown, Otto Graham, and Bob Feller. I hate to say it, but we can also brag about the days we had LeBron James. As fans, we’ve been able to see some of the greatest athletes in the history of sports, play right here in our hometown. And for that reason, we should all be thankful.
Fans of Cleveland sports share a unique bond, one that other sports fans probably don’t understand. While so many other people choose to root for whatever team is winning, true Cleveland fans stick with their teams through the good and bad. And let’s be honest, in Cleveland, there’s been a lot more bad times, than good times. Cleveland sports fans have cried together and cheered together. As fans, we’ve helped pick each other up, when our teams have once again broken our hearts. Cleveland sports fans truly stick together, unlike fans of any other teams I’ve ever seen. We create some sort of odd family, one that outsiders will never understand. To be a part of it, truly makes me thankful.
There honestly are a lot of reasons Cleveland sports fans can be thankful. Win or lose, it’s always a party for Cleveland sports fans. Despite us saying “There’s always next year,” we are never that confident, so we never truly get our hopes up, thus, never being let down.. Whenever one of our teams finally wins a championship, we’ll appreciate it more than other teams because of how long it’s been since we’ve had one. Honestly, look at all of these reasons to be thankful.
In all honesty, people can make fun of our teams as much as they want, but I’m thankful I’ve always rooted for them. I truly enjoy being a Cleveland sports fan. As I’ve said, I’m a part of the greatest group of fans, and I love it. I love everything about Cleveland sports, and I truly am thankful to be a fan of these teams.
