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Sports Apparel
"I don’t care if people are sports fans and seeking other strangers to talk sports with. To me, these people are selfish, and act like their obsession with athletics gives them license to interrupt my day and drop their two cents."
By Anyi Howell
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Youth Radio's Anyi Howell may wear athletic gear on a regular basis...but that doesn't mean he wants to talk sports with all the strangers who assume his fashion choices reveal his athletic allegiance. Anyi likes green and yellow, and he wears Oakland A's and Boston Celtics clothing...but he warns people not to take this as an invitation to discuss either of the teams' last seasons. In this humorous meditation, Anyi says that, instead, he'd rather talk about the weather, or not talk at all.
News flash! I couldn’t really care less about what you think of my favorite teams. I’ve learned Americans take sports, and fashion statements made by sports’ apparel, way too seriously. It seems like some people think wearing a sports team’s apparel is an automatic invitation to start a sports related argument or conversation.
When I shop for sports gear, I usually look for Oakland A’s colors, green and yellow. This habit has also put me in my share of Boston Celtics gear...and when I wear it, I often find myself explaining to some stranger that no, I am not a Boston fan. And some of those strangers even ask me to explain why I would wear Boston colors if I am not a Boston fan.
My responses in these situations are never polite. I don’t feel like they need to be. I shouldn’t have to explain to people that I like wearing green and yellow...that this particular jacket was a hand-me-down...or even that I rushed to get dressed and threw together a matching fit not concerned with a team’s brand. Get out of my mix!
Lately, it’s been torture being seen outside wearing the colors of my favorite football team, the Oakland raiders, who succeeded in becoming the worst team in the national football league last season. Some people walked up to me and said things like, “you must like losers,” or “someone misspelled 49ers wrong on your shirt.” I even had someone walk up to me and say in their most condolatory voice, “I’m so sorry for you.”
I don’t care if people are sports fans and seeking other strangers to talk sports with. To me, these people are selfish, and act like their obsession with athletics gives them license to interrupt my day and drop their two cents.
I wish these folks would refrain from commenting to me altogether, just as I’m sure these people wish to not be greeted with attitude and obscenities. Don’t assume I want to
talk sports with strangers just because I wear sports apparel. Call it antisocial if you like. But personally, if I see you on the streets and I don’t know you, don’t talk about the team imprints on my clothes. If you have to talk to me at all, let’s talk about the weather.
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