By Rashid S. Umar
It’s common knowledge, at least on this site, that I’ve been a fan of the Detroit Pistons since I as seven years old, dating back to the 1983-84 season.
Over the years, I’ve found myself becoming more and more emotionally involved with the team, as well as, all of the others who represent Motor City, and I’ve noticed some things.
As a teen, I used to watch each game with a grey and blue Pistons t-shirt in my lap, I would wake up to my Isiah Thomas autographed basketball and said wished it “good morning” (if you laugh I will hunt you down and eat your soul, this is hard for me as is), heck even during the 2004-2005 seasons, when the team would be on the verge of losing a series I would wear my red, white, and blue shirt, in hopes that they would stave off elimination – it actually worked until the game seven loss in the ’05 Finals to the Spurs.
Now has come a new wrinkle in my “fanatic” lifestyle, I find myself deleting players from my social media i.e. Facebook friends once they leave.
Ohhhhh… serious… I know.
It started with Grant Hill back in 2000. I was a fan of his website and would receive e-mail updates of his newsletter. Once he left for Orlando, I deactivated my account with the enclosed message “Burn in Hell, Grant!!” Harsh? Yeah, I know.
Years later, once Ben Wallace decided to leave for Chicago in 2006, Rasheed leaving for Boston in 2009, and Rip Hamilton this past off-season, I deleted them all from my Facebook account in an attempt to mask the disappointment of them moving on with their careers.
One of my good friends said, “I understand what you’re saying, but I keep them as ‘friends’ because I still root for them.”
I respect your thoughts, sir.
Now, I know that this is a business, and I know that we as die-hard fans tend to go overboard, but don’t try to talk sense into us at the time of these events happening.
I guess, in a way, at least for me, when someone decides to leave it’s like they’re dissin’ our much maligned city.
Or, perhaps it’s just a case of a die-hard fan being a fan.
What crazy thing do you as a fan sometimes?
Rashid Umar is a guest writer for Need4Sheed.com. He can be contacted via Facebook or email at inquires@rashidumar.com, or visit his website at http://www.rashidumar.com.
Well I’m 29 and I was young during the Bad Boy era but those guys were legends to me and I also went to the Isiah Thomas camps. The teal era I respected Grant Hill and Lindsey and watched a lot of the games, but I switched alliances when the Bulls got Rodman and watched every game of 96-98 run, who can blame me when John Crotty was are point guard and Jordan was back.
When we started rebuilding with Ben,Barry,Robinson etc in 2000 till today I’ve only missed 18 games and rock all different Pistons apparel.
Just off the energy of Ben Wallace during are run, made me want to hit up the weight room after the game, and I looked up to all those guys. I’ve also played ball my whole life and now that the players are younger then me I could never look up to them and I will never by a jersey for myself again and to me out of the young’s Durant & Rose really conduct themselves like the old school players.
I hear you, once they leaves the pistons it’s curtains.