Everyone has a favorite color. It’s one of those inane questions that you get asked, but invariably have an answer to. You gravitate towards that color in all of its variations: clothing, household items, makeup and bags. It becomes a part of your identity in a way; I always get gifts in shades of purple. Colors enrich the world around us in myriad ways and can evoke emotions, memories and thoughts that vary widely amongst individuals.
The color green for example makes most people think of rolling Irish hills, the Emerald City, Christmas trees, etc. Conversely, the color green makes me think of the Boston Celtics and the New York Jets, two teams I hate with a fiery passion. The sad dilemma is that my second favorite color behind purple has always been green, and I’ve had to give it up the past few years. This brings me to my main question: what’s in a color? And how close is a color tied into the identity of one’s favorite team and therefore oneself?
If you couldn’t already tell, I take this all rather seriously… too seriously. I honestly think that if I go out in public wearing a green shirt or green nail polish, people will assume I’m a Boston fan. I worry that if I don’t take off the red nail polish I was already wearing, some random sports junkie in a bar will take me for a Heat fan when in reality I’m rooting for them to self-combust. I identify strongly with my chosen teams, the L.A. Lakers and the New England Patriots. They are as much a part of my personality as anything else.
I am the girl who has been defined for most of my life as “the Lakers girl”; it’s one of the first things people learn about me. I am the girl that wears purple eyeliner, gold eye shadow and purple/gold nail polish during the playoffs. I buy or have to resist buying every purple and gold thing I see as well…. Basically team colors matter to me, a lot.
I know it is superstitious and makes little sense, but I feel like it’s mandatory for me to dress up as much as possible for important games. My rational mind knows that this has no outcome on the game itself, but nevertheless it makes me feel connected to my team. It helps me feel like I’m being the best fan I can be, not only by rooting for them and believing in them, but by showing as much outward support as possible.
It also allows you to be a part of the larger fan community and to connect with others that feel the same way; it is so much fun to bond over a shared love of sports and even more fun when it is love of the same team. Team colors let you know that you belong to the same clan, the same side. I’m not sure why I care so much, but I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about where my allegiances lie.
This brings me to my Saint Patrick’s Day dilemma. If there’s one thing I love more than dressing up for Lakers and Patriots games, it’s going all out for various holidays! I love Valentine’s Day and use it as an excuse to wear all the red and pink I can find. When I’m working on Halloween, it’s all about orange and black. Fourth of July and Labor Day, I am bedecked in red, white and blue. You get the picture: I like being spirited whenever I can.
So here we are, on March 17th: a holiday that extols the virtues of every shade of green, a color I love and detest with equal measure. How am I supposed to feel good about wearing all green when all I can think about are the two sports organizations I abhor above all others? I harbor more guilt that I should about trivial matters such as these… Would a normal person see my green nail polish on Saint Patrick’s Day and think anything about it? No. For that matter, would a normal person see my green nail polish on any other day and automatically jump to the conclusion that I’m the world’s biggest Paul Pierce or Mark Sanchez fan? No.
I’ve tried to mature as a sports fan over the years. I let regular season losses roll off my back more easily than in the past. Instead of blind hatred for whoever dealt my team a death blow last, I’ve learned to respect and appreciate (most) opponents for what they bring to the games of basketball and football. I can appreciate when Rajon Rondo has a 20 assist game, or when Peyton Manning runs his two minute offense to perfection.
I’ll admit that I still haven’t learned to appreciate anything about the Jets, or any other Celtics besides Rondo for that matter, save for the fact that great rivalries make great memories. True fans know the agonies of suffering at the hands of their enemies just as they know the inexorable pleasure it brings when their team is victorious. While I might not like it as a die hard fan, you have to have the low points to appreciate the high points.
I’m going to embrace Saint Patrick’s Day this year, as I have the past few years. While I can’t wear green in good conscience most of the time, today is the one day I can get away with it and remember why I loved this beautiful shimmering color before sports ruined it for me. Skip Bayless tweeted earlier today, “Hope I’m wrong but picked 12 Richmond over my 5 Vandy, which failed to win my trust this yr. Head over heart. OK, I’m secretly Spiderman.” I’m going with Skip, head over heart for the time being. Perhaps someday I won’t acquaint colors so strongly with fan loyalty and therefore my personality, but in the meantime I’ll wear my colors proudly… the other 364 days of the year!