I never quite got the entire "we" thing when talking about your favorite sports team.. not only because it's completely idiotic since you aren't exactly taking throws at second base or covering a punt but mainly because it just shows how inconsistent people are. There are certain sports where people will refer to the team as 'we' and other sports where they won't. Nobody says 'we' when talking about Tiger Woods or Boris Becker although they may root just as hard for them as they would the Islanders or Clippers but I guess since those are not team sports, referring to that year we won Wimbledon would be really odd. Not sure what the number is but are teams like mixed doubles or tandem bike racing do people refer that as 'we'? Basically there is a point when a sports-fan goes from being a normal cheerleader to becoming an idiot. .. How about Nascar, there is a team of like 50 guys but only one actual driver or something like Tour de France when there is a team of a like 20 guys biking up a bunch of hills but only one lead dog. How about the Ryder or the Davis cup, individual sport in a team setting??
I figure that there is a tipping point where the team must be more than 5 people for people to start using the 'we' thing or is it sports related because I think people will refer to a football team or baseball team as 'we' more often than a basketball team maybe because there are only 5 guys on the team and saying 'we' when you are a 5'8" white guy with a beer gut and no ups is a bit odd as nobody would confuse you for Lebron James. When the same guy says 'we' when referring to the WhiteSox, maybe he thinks people will assume he's the backup catcher or the long-man in the bullpen. In football they might assume the guy is the kicker or the one who runs onto the field to get the kicking tee..
I only say "we" in reference to my favorite sports teams when "we" win or sign top recruits.
ReplyDeleteWhen my teams lose or miss out on players, "they" are simply "they."
Signed,
LA Sports Fan