THE BACK END

May 30

Sports Illustrated Special Report: Steroids in baseball - SI.com - Magazine -

Just came back from Osaka, where I witnessed a Hanshin Tigers game. None of the team members bat over .300, but the fans rooted harder than any sporting event I’ve ever attended, knew all the songs and communed over a mutual passion for sport that I’ll admit I don’t fully comprehend or possess.

I realize now, though, that for the integrity of professional sport to survive, fans have to want more than simply to witness excellent performances. They have to learn the songs, revel in being part of a team and recognize that being a fan means loving your team even when it’s not winning. It means showing up and throwing yourself unabashedly in the fan culture, and loving what’s happening in the stands and in homes and bars with the TV on as much as what’s happening on the field.

In return the teams try their hardest, but know that fans will stick by them because of their ethic and attitude, because they’re ‘good’ in a moral sense. Everyone comes together to share an experience, to participate in an identity ritual. Buying a ticket to a game shouldn’t be a boardroom investment with expected returns based on performance, or admission to a circus featuring the effects of several drug deals.