In Defense of Celtics Fans
Your mom is probably a band wagon fan. Or maybe your girlfriend. They turn on a game and will continue to watch as long as “their” team is winning. At Fenway, they get their chicken fingers and cool dogs in the top of the inning, or stream down the aisle if the team is headed for a loss. People have a natural and understandable desire to watch their team win. Losing sucks, and watching a losing team sucks even more. Which is why the recent tide of Celtics bandwagon fans is fine by me. Hell, I’m one of them. I’m living proof that there’s nothing wrong with being a bandwagon fan. Here’s why:
-This past season, I got really into the team. I would literally shake with anticipation and nervous energy. In the playoffs, Sam Cassell did something to me that no Red Sox team has done since 2003. I can truly say that I bled Celtics green and sweat Celtics sweat (especially under my armpits after losing to Detroit at home). And so what if I sat by twiddling my thumbs in 2004 or 2005? The point is, for the 2007-2008 season, I became a fan. And it wasn’t just me. For the first time since they tore down the Garden, a Boston basketball arena came alive with energy. The difference between Celtics “bandwagon” fans and everyone else become painfully clear in the finals. The Staples center was silent compared to the Garden. Lakers fans bailed to the highest bidding celebrity, while in Boston, the highest bidder was, more cases than not, an even bigger Celtics fan.
-Dino Radja. Hence, the picture. My first Celtics memories are not of Bird at the old Boston Garden, but of the shitty new Fleet center and the 3 year tenure of Dino Radja who, along with Rick Fox, never failed to entertain me. Yes, growing up I loved basketball. My fondest memory of the Celtics is watching Dino heave up a behind the back granny shot from his own 3 point line with 1.something seconds left in the game, down 2 to some other, equally crappy team. The shot fell at half court but I loved the effort. I’m pretty sure my love for Dino stems from an imaginary situation in which he hit that shot, dominating the Sportscenter top 10 for years to come and earning a place in the list of all time basketball greats. So I have a personal history and connection with the team, even if the time between 1994 and 2007 is left blank.
-An understanding of history, which brings me back to Dino Radja. As a 5 year old sitting in the half empty stands, all I knew was that his name kind of sounded like Dinosaur. And I loved dinosaurs. If Bill Russell had sat next to me at that game, I probably would have thought he was LeVar Burton. But now, I appreciate the history and legacy of a team like the Celtics. I research. I learn. I don’t just read a game recap and call it a day. My obsession with sites like baseball-reference.com and Wikipedia has taught me a ton. Did you know that in the late ’80s Radja played for a team called Juggoplastika? Did you also know that this isn’t Hazel Mae’s nickname?
The point is, we don’t all work at ESPN. We can’t follow every sport and every player all the time. Some things have to be pushed aside. But when they start pushing back, we can’t help but listen, and then we begin to realize that hey, maybe they shouldn’t have been pushed aside in the first place. Look at Paul Pierce holding up the championship trophy after throwing out the first pitch at Fenway. Look at Wyc Grousbeck, who is now a household name in the Boston area. The Celtics have pushed back and grabbed hold. I’m certain they’ve stuck for good.
