I grew up in a baseball household where red dirt was an accent color, knee highs socks were always in style, and sunflower seeds were a whole meal. My family spent weekend after weekend watching my brother swing a bat in the 100 degree Florida heat, which is something we still do.
Things changed when I met my boyfriend and he introduced me to a new sport: basketball. To me, this was the game that tall people played so they could show off their height. It consisted of one team running down the court to make a basket followed by the next team doing the same thing for an hour. So, when my boyfriend said, “I love basketball, we should watch the game together!”, my first instinct was to say no but I covered it with a fake smile and suggested we get dinner instead. I knew the day would eventually come that I would have to sit down, right next to him and watch the tall people run on TV.
My boyfriend is a college basketball fan, Michigan Wolverine fan to be exact (the best team out there FYI). He gave me a Michigan shirt and we were ready for the game. I was expecting some cheering, maybe a little anger, and some fun but what I got was a full on show. My boyfriend never sat down the entire game as he ran around, throwing hands, and yelling at players like they can hear him. To me this was insane, crazy, and something I did not do, until now.
As I have continued to watch the one and only Michigan Basketball team with him, I have grown to love the players on that court. I give the players nicknames, compliment their shoes, and judge them when they do not make a shot. I truly have become a great fan of theirs. Zavier Simpson (who I call Kevin, a jokingly reference to Kevin Hart) is my favorite. Even though Zavier stands 6 feet tall, when he placed next to Jon Tesky who is whopping 7 foot 1, Zavier looks a little small. Teske is Tuskeee cause it just sounds way more exciting that way when you exaggerate it. Jordan Poole, the sophomore that wears short shorts, is the only one I trust to shoot 3 pointers since he made the winning one his freshman year. The other tall white dude is Ignas Brazdeikis, Iggy for short. Last but not least in the starting lineup is Charles Matthews aka Carlos for short. I call him Carlos because I forgot his actually name and now the name Carlos has stuck on me. The best part is after just one season of me rooting for this team, I am already their good luck charm, my boyfriend has picked up on their new nicknames, and I consider them my best friends (even though they don’t even like my Insta comments on their posts).
As basketball season is still going strong, I continue to spend my nights watching Michigan destroy other teams. I pace the room as my boyfriend does it opposite of me, we throw our hands up in the air when the referees make a dumb call, and we yell their nicknames every time the ball leaves their hands for the basket. Michigan basketball is no longer a sport but a lifestyle as my closet consists of navy and maize t-shirts, and whenever someone says “go” I automatically respond with “blue!”. I lived my life in the bright sun waiting for players to round bases and score runs but now I watch my new friends drain threes and break school records. Ann Arbor, Michigan is home to a beautiful campus, amazing basketball team, and now a part of my heart. Go blue!
HCxoxo,
Hannah