Now I know some of you are thinking that the good comes with the bad. Professional athletes are treated like gods, and with the cheering and the autographs come the comments good and bad. Iāve heard from fans that are singing someoneās praises one second and then ready to rip his head off the next. It may be true that this goes with the territory and I just donāt get it. I just believe in supporting the team, win or lose.
Does this mean that I donāt yell helpful hints at the players on the ice during the game? Of course not. Iām very vocal. And I think that statistically, Iām due for a profound bit of insight that should be shared while the RiverKings are down by two, on a power play. But what I am most often yelling is āGo āKings!ā
I guess the moral of the story is this: treat athletes like you would like to be treated. My mother told me if I didnāt have something nice to say, shut up and smile. In the IT department, I donāt work under the same scrutiny as the RiverKings. When I donāt finish setting up that printer, or fix someoneās email, or figuring out why theyāre not connecting to the network, I donāt get booed. No one spends anytime wondering about what a loser I am, or if I was tired or distracted. What about when I fix someoneās mysterious shutdowns, or get their graphics looking beautiful? I get no applause. I would like to.
I want to get treated like Hank from that Starbucks commercial. I want my own personal cheerleaders. But with the cheerleaders and fans come the living in a fishbowl feeling, and I know I couldnāt deal with that. So as long as these guys are brave enough to get out in front of everyone and play, Iāll keep cheering. And on those rare occasions when Iām not thrilled with the way our team played, Iāll just smile.







Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
I would like to counter this sentiment with that of paid attendant Homer Simpson:
"This ticket doesn't just give me a seat, it also gives me the right -- no, the DUTY -- to make a complete ass of myself."
2 - Stephanie S.
Great Job Chris!!!!!
3 - Kristin Grey
GREAT read!