The thread about how harsh some UConn fans were toward the team during the first half of the USF game led me to ask: why indeed do people root for the UConn WCBB team. I could think of the following reasons, but maybe there are more:
1. They or their loved ones went to UConn/live in CT and they root for all the UConn sports teams in general, although maybe perhaps more this team because of its fame and success.
2. They don't have UConn/CT ties but they like to back a winner (like when I was a very young Philadelphia kid in the 1950s rooting for the Yankees).
3. They don't have UConn/CT ties but are amazed at how Geno produces a team that so closely resembles the ideal of old-school team basketball playing with skill, commitment, and incredible heart (my reason).
Of course, there are aspects of all three reasons that could be shared with another reason. (And I grew up in Norristown, so there's a 4th).
I don't know if this exhausts the possibilities, but I will say that those who root because of either 1 or 2 may be more likely to be impatient with the team in a close game or even if it (gasp!) loses. As a #3 person, I
try to focus on the aesthetics and teamwork. Of course, I was frustrated by all the missed lay-ups in the first half, but the fact that the players managed to get those shots counts heavily in my book. Sure, I very much want UConn to win it all this year, but that's because I believe UConn
deserves to win it all: they are the most talented, work the hardest, and play the purest form of the game. But I wonder if Geno retires and is succeeded by a coach who puts together a less disciplined team and if Muffet is still putting together her kind of team, whether I would actually become a ND fan. (I admit that possibility because there is no "dislike" button" or "permanently expel from the blog" button, or "find out where his children live" button.) My larger point is that I
try to focus on how the kids play, not if they win. And I'm very much hoping that, if next year is a somewhat bumpy transition year, I can be
an even better UConn fan, appreciating the challenges and the attempts to overcome them. These are all such great kids (and that's not limited to UConn's team) and it's such a transparently difficult sport, that I hope they do their best on the court but find their greatest happiness with friends and in the classroom. One of the reasons I'm hooked on the BY is that I find so many generous bloggers wishing the best for players from other teams [so long as they don't play for UTenn
], and that reminds me that these are all young people, doing the best they can. Just that those at UConn generally seem to do better.
