More often than not, being a Cleveland sports fan is inherited. It is this innate sense of something that has just always been. Like the indigenous cookie table at weddings, the joy of church festival bingo, and memories of those Geauga Lake or Cedar Point Summers that left you screaming for your “mother” at the top of the “Demon Drop,” it’s in our DNA. If you don’t believe me, just try asking a true Cleveland fan why they don’t just “pick another team.” Beware though as there may be consequences.
Confusion is the first reaction. “What is this ‘pick’ that you speak of?” It’s as if that never occurred to us. How can you choose something that is in your blood, your marrow, the color of your eyes, and the cadence of your voice? The confusion will be followed by incredulity and eventually the reexamination of your relationship. “Can I continue to be friends with this traitor, non-believer, Siren of impossibilities?” And believe me, the odds will not be in your favor.
Even those that move across the country to get a “fresh start” in life still find they are tethered. You may have escaped the weather, but your heart will forever beat in time with the drum of the Cleveland Indians, the bark of the Dawg Pound, and lift with every new Cavaliers tip-off.
Last night, in those moments before the final buzzer sounded, I was filled with this overwhelming sense of disbelief. I could see the score and feel the remaining seconds ticking away, but I just couldn’t comprehend it. I couldn’t accept that it was about to happen. The proverbial wheel just had to fall off. Then, I saw LeBron fall to the ground in agony and thought, as every Cleveland fan stopped breathing, there it is. But…….…..
HE…..GOT…..UP! It wasn’t over.
Even in that very last second, instead of screaming, I tentatively said, “I think we are going to win this.” I was still waiting for someone from the other team to rip the ball out of our hands, hurl it across the floor, and make a 4-point basket. Yes, I know it doesn’t exist, but that is the place being a Cleveland fan takes you.
But………..
IT…..DIDN’T………..HAPPEN!!!!!!
So we screamed. We cried. We danced. We called our loved ones. We blew up social media. We jumped up and down on a single cop car. We hugged. We celebrated. WE…….DID……..IT!!!!!
I know some people don’t understand the “we” of Cleveland sports. That means you probably aren’t from here, so let me explain. While we didn’t shoot the ball, we are in it together. Throughout our lives, we’ve been underestimated and counted out before we even made the shot. People bet against us over and over again and toast our defeat long before anyone makes it to the finish line so convinced it just won’t be us. When you are born in or near “the mistake by the lake,” no one expects you to survive let alone thrive. And with so many moments like this, it can make it difficult to keep going. To get up when everything in you is telling you to stay down.
As a proud Professor at Cuyahoga Community College, I’ve witnessed so many stories like this one. The single parents working three jobs and trying to take classes at night in between shifts and unreliable sitters and public transportation. The young man who is judged before he can even open his mouth to reveal his wit, his gifts, and his potential to change the world. I’ve seen those moments of disbelief when I hand back an “A” paper. The grandmother who was told she wasn’t “good enough” to go to college, but fifty years later, she’s here. She gets knocked down to the ground in agony……
But…….…..
SHE…..GETS…..UP! It isn’t over.
Tentative steps towards graduation that result in that glorious walk across the stage at commencement. Where we scream. We cry. We dance. We call our loved ones. We blow up social media. We jump up and down on the equivalent of a single cop car. We hug. We celebrate. WE…….DID……..IT!!!!!
We are Cleveland.
Because it’s not just these teams.
It’s this place.
And I am so happy to be a part of it.
Confusion is the first reaction. “What is this ‘pick’ that you speak of?” It’s as if that never occurred to us. How can you choose something that is in your blood, your marrow, the color of your eyes, and the cadence of your voice? The confusion will be followed by incredulity and eventually the reexamination of your relationship. “Can I continue to be friends with this traitor, non-believer, Siren of impossibilities?” And believe me, the odds will not be in your favor.
Even those that move across the country to get a “fresh start” in life still find they are tethered. You may have escaped the weather, but your heart will forever beat in time with the drum of the Cleveland Indians, the bark of the Dawg Pound, and lift with every new Cavaliers tip-off.
Last night, in those moments before the final buzzer sounded, I was filled with this overwhelming sense of disbelief. I could see the score and feel the remaining seconds ticking away, but I just couldn’t comprehend it. I couldn’t accept that it was about to happen. The proverbial wheel just had to fall off. Then, I saw LeBron fall to the ground in agony and thought, as every Cleveland fan stopped breathing, there it is. But…….…..
HE…..GOT…..UP! It wasn’t over.
Even in that very last second, instead of screaming, I tentatively said, “I think we are going to win this.” I was still waiting for someone from the other team to rip the ball out of our hands, hurl it across the floor, and make a 4-point basket. Yes, I know it doesn’t exist, but that is the place being a Cleveland fan takes you.
But………..
IT…..DIDN’T………..HAPPEN!!!!!!
So we screamed. We cried. We danced. We called our loved ones. We blew up social media. We jumped up and down on a single cop car. We hugged. We celebrated. WE…….DID……..IT!!!!!
I know some people don’t understand the “we” of Cleveland sports. That means you probably aren’t from here, so let me explain. While we didn’t shoot the ball, we are in it together. Throughout our lives, we’ve been underestimated and counted out before we even made the shot. People bet against us over and over again and toast our defeat long before anyone makes it to the finish line so convinced it just won’t be us. When you are born in or near “the mistake by the lake,” no one expects you to survive let alone thrive. And with so many moments like this, it can make it difficult to keep going. To get up when everything in you is telling you to stay down.
As a proud Professor at Cuyahoga Community College, I’ve witnessed so many stories like this one. The single parents working three jobs and trying to take classes at night in between shifts and unreliable sitters and public transportation. The young man who is judged before he can even open his mouth to reveal his wit, his gifts, and his potential to change the world. I’ve seen those moments of disbelief when I hand back an “A” paper. The grandmother who was told she wasn’t “good enough” to go to college, but fifty years later, she’s here. She gets knocked down to the ground in agony……
But…….…..
SHE…..GETS…..UP! It isn’t over.
Tentative steps towards graduation that result in that glorious walk across the stage at commencement. Where we scream. We cry. We dance. We call our loved ones. We blow up social media. We jump up and down on the equivalent of a single cop car. We hug. We celebrate. WE…….DID……..IT!!!!!
We are Cleveland.
Because it’s not just these teams.
It’s this place.
And I am so happy to be a part of it.