Ever since I was little, I’ve been either watching sports on TV or playing them. It’s hard to think of a time that I didn’t have sports in my life. I’m the kind of person who, if I’m really just needing a sports fix, will turn on a random game and watch. I grew up in Connecticut so there was a split (sports fan wise) between those who supported New York, those who supported Boston, and those who followed a random team that you couldn’t help but question how that happened. The teams that I follow are the New York Rangers, Boston Red Sox (You know, the 2018 World Series Champs, no big deal!), and New England Patriots. Growing up in the Northeast, these teams were EVERYWHERE. Coming out to KU, all of that changed (and I may or may not have cried about being so far away from my sports teams). All of a sudden, I went from the local fan to the one where everyone asks you how that happened. For some of you, this isn’t a problem, but for my fellow out-of-staters that moved away from their favorite teams too, this one’s for you.
1. You feel disconnected from your team.
Honestly, this is one of the first things that I noticed when I came to KU and still tend to feel to this day. Sometimes I feel SO disconnected from my teams back home it’s not even funny. Not only did I move away from my family, but I moved away from my second family too. You miss them just as much.
2. No one cares about your team and it’s hard to find fellow fans.
It’s like looking for a needle in a hay stack. You’ve gone from seeing someone wearing your team’s gear everywhere to your jaw dropping at the sight of your team’s logo. I’ve seen one Rangers fan on campus and that was last year.
3. You have to pay to watch your team.
Yes, I know that some people don’t have cable included in their rent and have to pay, but for me, in order to keep up with my hockey team I have to pay for NHL.TV, which is not cheap. I miss the good ole days when I could just flip to the channel and watch without worrying about blackouts or anything of the sorts. Local fans, be glad your team is broadcasted almost everywhere during their season.
4. When your team is on TV, it’s always the away broadcast.
For me personally, it kills me a little bit inside to have to listen to the other team get talked up constantly. Especially when the announcers are also talking down about my team in the process. My team’s doing great things too, thank you!
5. Time zones are a thing.
Okay, maybe it’s just me that this throws off, but time zones are honestly a blessing and a curse. Even though mine is just an hour off, it still throws me off sometimes. All of a sudden 7:00 starts that would give you plenty of time to get homework done and eat dinner before the game are 6:00 starts, so you’re dashing to the dining hall or running around your kitchen trying to make something edible and then go watch the game in the comfort of your own room (Aka the only place streaming it). On the other side, when your team is playing in a time zone far away (for me that would be the West Coast), you don’t have to stay up until 10 pm to see them play.
6. You have to order gear online.
I miss being able to walk into my local sports store and seeing all of my teams’ gear hanging up proudly. Out here unless it’s KU or Kansas City and the occasional K State (Why they have K State gear in Lawrence I will never understand), you’re SOL.
7. You have to deal with people asking why you’re a fan of your team.
Girls have to deal with this ALL THE TIME (Which is a whole other article in itself), but when you’re an out of state fan, you get that too. Why ARE you a Boston fan out in Kansas? Or a New York Rangers fan out in Kansas?