I am an avid fan of the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team. I am also emotionally labile at best. So as a fan and as an emoter, there should be no question that this time of year is thrilling and stressful and soulfully satisfying.
Background - I grew up watching/loving IU basketball. My memory is mostly watching with my Dad and brother and brother in law. My Grandparents lived in Nashville, In - next to Bloomington so our fanaticism only grew when we were "in the hood". Thanksgiving in Nashville was a great way to kick off the season - we were together, different generations, cheering like lunatics...and it was only November.
I didn't go to IU. I went to Hanover College - about 2 hours southeast of Bloomington. But we were all "Hoosiers". We watched each game. And when the Hoosiers won the National Championship in 1987, we watched on a small TV that I borrowed in my dorm room - stuffed with people and oozing with excitement. That last basket....that shot by Keith Smart.......well, needless to say - HYSTERIA. We were screaming - leaping - hugging - JOY! My next thought? Call my Dad! I lived on the 3rd floor but ran down all of the stairs to the basement pay phone and dialed him up. Can you believe it? Isn't this amazing? My Dad and brother were so happy. My mom usually would play the role of fetching my Dad back to the game when he would give up because he couldn't take it anymore so I am sure she was right there monitoring it all. We hung up so excited and then the student body was just running a muck outside...in the snow - yes, a snow storm in southern Indiana in March - forever a part of my memory!
There's been other thrillers - final fours, trading victories with KY in the 90's, beating Duke to go to the final four in 2002, beating KY last year and now being back on top as Big Ten Champs 2013.
There have been lows. Knight - loved him/feared him. Loved his energy. Loved his sense of humor. Loved his love of basketball. Feared he'd pulically humiliate a player. Feared he throw a fit. Feared he'd loose sight of the program as his own image was such a distraction. Loved that he believed in academics. Loved how well he understood basketball. Feared he punch someone. Feared he push a player over the edge. When that era ended, sadness and relief were the mixed bag we Hoosiers were left holding.
A few years, I couldn't watch. Well - I'd watch but it didn't feel good. And not for me - I mean, I felt horrible for the players - the kids. NOW - we are back! It's awesome yet I am sure a TON of stress for the team and coaches. It's like all of our personal emotional basketball baggage is riding on the shoulders of their success and for that, I feel badly. Because it's just basketball. Right?
Here's to the end of the season - the tournament. A time period during the year that is magical and exhilarating and emotional and stressful. To me it's more than basketball - it's like watching my family bond in action. It's like that team represents my history, my connection to the world and my own pride and self vision is apparent in their journey. That's what it means to be a fan. I try to explain to the kids that being a fan is like being right handed...you just can't help it.
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