Venting From A Frustrated Tampa Sports Fan

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There are some things that need to be said about the reality of professional sports in our beautiful City of Tampa. Having lived here my entire life, I have some pent-up frustration that has eaten away at me for many years. Perhaps you've heard some of these complaints before. Even if you have, just hear me out.

I honestly feel so bad for our professional sports teams in Tampa Bay. I genuinely do. I know, "They get paid millions of dollars. How bad can their lives be, really?" I totally understand that. I get it. But how many times have you gone to a game in this city where the cheers of the opposing team's fans were louder than our own? How many times have you gone to a Lightning game where they're playing the Boston Bruins and there is more black and yellow in the seats than blue and white? How many times have you walked amongst a crowd of Eli Manning jerseys on your way to Raymond James Stadium for a Bucs game? I don't know about you, but these are things that I notice ALL THE TIME.

It's not a mystery as to why this happens in Tampa. News flash: it's pretty damn cold up north. Also, taxes up there completely suck. It makes sense why the northern snowbirds would want to relocate down here and they do so by the thousands. My own family is all from Northern New York and they got the hell out of there while the gettin' was good. It would also make sense if they decided to remain fans of their former teams. That is as long as they'd be willing to completely throw out the whole "root for the home team" mantra. But it isn't these first generation northern fans that frustrate me. It's the second and third generation fans from these families that still maintain their northern loyalties that frustrate me.

But don't worry. I still kind of understand. Your parents were Yankees fans and always rooted for the Yankees. You grew up in a Yankee household so now, when New York comes to town, you show up to the Trop to root for the team you were raised on. I'm not saying you're wrong. But is it still frustrating? Yup. Sure is. Here's my take and feel free to call me out if you disagree: Tampa is your city. If you're a Tampa baby then you grew up on the sunny shores of Clearwater Beach and nearly lost your lunch time and time again riding Montu at Busch Gardens. You've felt the heartbeat of the city in our cathedrals of sports: Amalie Arena, Raymond James Stadium, and Tropicana Field. And yet, you still wear the colors of the other guys.

Like I said, I get it...kind of.