Super Bowl XLI Rooting Interest:The First Glimmer of NFL Fandom

It's Gabe's first Super Bowl. His NFL fan affiliation is still undefined, so he gets a nice chance to simply pick one of two options: Colts or Bears.

There are a couple of factors that are going into the decision-making mix:

(A) His existing fan allegiances. Gabe's Florida Gators fandom has two significant implications: (1) He has an interest in rooting for Rex Grossman. (2) He has an interest in rooting against Peyton Manning.

(B) His family birthright. Gabe's paternal grandfather's family is huge Chicagoan. I have to imagine that "Grandpa" -- a Bears fan -- would like to see his only grandson get behind the Bears.

(C) His father's complicated history. (With the Bears, specifically.) Mostly from my dad's influence, I grew up a huge Bears fan. Settle in for some backstory:

I was 12 -- arguably the most formative year for any fan -- for the Bears' 1985 season.

More than that, I grew up a Bears fan in Washington, D.C. I can't stress enough the effect of displaced fandom on a kid in heightening interest.

(What makes that so interesting is that when I finally got to Chicago full-time, for college, and I was finally surrounded by "my people," my love for the team eroded. Ultimately, I stopped liking the NFL altogether, but that was a function of working for the NFL and another story altogether.)

I never regained the die-hard love of the Bears that I had as a kid. But I have always maintained a sympathy (even this season, when I adopted the Jaguars -- thanks, Deadspin!). It's interesting: While I lost my passion for rooting FOR the Bears, I could never imagine rooting AGAINST them.

And so even though I picked the Colts to win the Super Bowl in my preseason picks (over the Bears, I have to add), I will be rooting for the Bears on Sunday -- a residual feeling from my fandom as a kid.

Only 9 months old, Gabe has no real choice in the matter, but I think that given the factors above, he'll be rooting for the Bears, too. At least, that's the direction we'll be pushing him.

And, for the first time, I'm wondering what NFL team he'll be a fan of when he finally has the cognitive ability to make a choice. Will it be the Bears? Is it possible that his experience this weekend will leave some sort of subconscious imprint on him?

-- D.S.

P.S.: I'm in Chicago this week for work, and I was going to pick up a Rex Grossman jersey for Gabe to wear. But they're $40! That's ridiculous. So I'm going to Photoshop an image I'll iron on to a blank white onesie: "Future Sex Cannon." A better homage to Grossman, I cannot imagine.

Dad-to-Be Tiger Off to Good Start

Tiger Woods and I are regularly in the same place in life. Well, not really: He's winning his 7th PGA Tour event in a row, and I'm launching a new parenting blog.

But he and Elin got married the same weekend as me and my wife in 2004. And his 2007 will be defined much like mine was in 2006: Getting axed from a sweet gig as a popular sports columnist Becoming a dad.

Some critics wondered if Elin's pregnancy would erode his focus. Those of us who are new parents know otherwise: I wish I put Gabe's college fund down on Tiger's win last weekend -- and dominance all season. The man is obviously inspired by pending parenthood.

Tiger's dad-ness -- I've already reserved him a spot on the Varsity Dad Wall of Fame -- is going to be one of this blog's big obsessions of 2007. By the time Tiger Junior shows up (and let's hope that's not the name), hopefully Woods will be a regular Commenter on this blog.

Here's an early tip for Papa Tiger: Outfitting the kid in Stanford gear is cool enough. But how about making sure he finds at least one rooting interest on the Tour besides his dad? Let the Oedipal issues start early!

-- D.S.

Does This Mean He's Eligiblefor an Endorsement Deal?

So I'm not quite sure what to think of this:

I happened to catch the beginning of the Senior Bowl yesterday afternoon. I was sitting there with Gabe, my 9-month-old son, on my lap.

At the first commercial break, an extended version of that Under Armour "Click-Clack" ad comes on. The gist of the ad is a bunch of NFL players doing some training drills and repeating the mantra, "Click-clack."

It's a catchy enough ad. And so I'm mimicking the sound from the TV as the ad rolls along. Then, when the ad finishes, I turn to Gabe and I say, "Click-clack, Gabe!"

And he looks straight at me and says, just about as clearly as he's ever enunciated anything in his short life: "Click-clack."

Now, here's the dilemma: I believe that this was Gabe's first words. Not "Da-da." Not "ba-ba." ("Bottle") Not "Ma-ma."

"Click-clack."

(I suppose it could have been worse and his first words could have been: "We must protect this house!")

Still... his first words: An advertiser marketing message? Should I be excited or depressed about this development?

-- D.S.

(This post was also published at my DanShanoff blog.)

Welcome to Varsity Dad

I looked at the first sonogram of my wife's belly and, through the joy, the thought hit me:

My kid ain't gonna be LeBron James.

I'm all for parenting that encourages kids to believe they can be anything they want to be. But as a one-time professional sports critic, I know better. Lawyer, physicist, chef – even sportswriter? Why not?

Pro athlete? Not a chance.

Parents' aspirations for their child's sports-stardom might be sincere. Hey: If you want to push your kid to be some kind of sports star, that's your prerogative. The reality of that, however, is a complete myth. Beyond the sheer (im)probabilities, let alone the opportunity cost of what you deny your kid to accomplish their/your dream, it strikes me as not particularly fun for anyone.

And as I set out to parent my kid, I've only got one goal as it relates to sports:

To raise an all-star fan.

Unlike actual sports participation, being a fan is totally masterable. The expectations that society has of a sports fan couldn't be lower. There's a high social value to being a fan – it's one of the most basic and powerful forms of currency. And, finally, there are no anxieties (or disappointments) about making the varsity, getting drafted or becoming an All-Star.

The idea to define what makes a great sports fan in a blog crystallized when I wrote a column in the spring of 2006 for ESPN.com, explaining why I was rooting against sports' ultimate Cinderella - George Mason in college basketball's March Madness championship tournament.

My loyalty was to Florida's Gators, the Cinderella's opponent; it was an allegiance I had married into. In exploring the strange circumstances of how I had adopted a passionate fan allegiance -- (1) so late in life, and (2) through my wife, no less -- I expanded the analysis to something more universal: Redefining the rules of fandom to embrace – not reject – the logistical and emotional realities of what had previously been constructed as a pejorative: "Fair-weather" fandom.

I laid out five windows of opportunity in ANY fan's life when they might jump, swap, drop, embrace or reject previous allegiances, without fear of being labeled "bandwagon" by other fans.

Of the nearly 1,000 columns I filed for ESPN.com over the past six years, no column ever triggered a response as emotional as this one.

Fans wrote in to joyfully thank me for finally releasing them from a self-imposed exile or for legitimizing their previously criticized sports loyalties. Others emailed to curse me as undercutting fandom or, worse, corrupting the next generation of fans.

The response fascinated me. When it comes to creating, developing and honing sports "fan-ness," everyone has an opinion. But could I really define some sort of fan ideal? Could I lay out rules or theories or a game plan to reach the highest level of fandom?

New fatherhood – plotting the lessons I would teach my own kid about being a sports fan – offered me the opportunity to re-examine the rules, roles, assumptions and choices at the heart of fandom.

Given an undefined personality -- a blank slate – what kind of fan will I encourage my child to be?

As a result, I began to develop a re-interpretation of what makes the "ultimate fan": A fan philosophy I would feel good about imparting to my own kid, yet flexible enough for any fan – parent or not – to adapt for their own life – or at least contemplate.

And so with the backdrop of plotting out my own kid's fan development, this blog will lay out my foundation of raising a great sports fan, drawing on stories in the news, first-hand experiences, other bloggers' commentary and the "Aha!" moments that come from re-examining my own assumptions about being a fan, simply from the combination of the process of following sports on an obsessive basis and the uncharted path of fatherhood and how those lessons might affect my kid's experience or future as a fan.

In this way, the appeal of the blog is far broader than simply for sports fans with kids or sports fans with kids on the way. The blog will be for any fan interested in a self-proclaimed "expert" take on a constantly evolving definition of being a "great fan." (But just know going in: It's about raising a sports fan.)

This blog will cover all sorts of topics and subjects I think are important to raising an all-star sports fan: Archetypes, Allegiances, Appreciation, Participation, Behavior, Appearances, Competitiveness, Consumption, Community, Individualism, the Future of Fandom and more. (I'll explain more about what those topic headings mean to me as the blog progresses.)

I think there's an authenticity to the blog subject that elevates it beyond my personal argument about what makes "great" or "lame" fans:

As a template for how I'll raise my OWN kid as a fan, the values – the stakes – emerge as implicitly real and relatable. What's on the line: My own kid's fandom, and my own sense of fan self in being the main person to influence that.

(And, reading this over, it is here my wife slaps me in the head and demands to know why her influence isn't reflected or represented, especially considering the kid, at 8 months, already owns more Florida Gators-themed crap than anyone rightfully should... a direct result of his mother's influence and quite possibly the only fan allegiance he will truly have no say over. This, of course, has massive implications for the future, and the inevitability of this blog getting to that is as guaranteed as my son's future need for "fan therapy" because of the impact of his mother on his life. Hey, when can ANY kind of therapy – sports or otherwise -- not be essentially reduced to mom issues?)

There is a challenge embedded in all of this, which makes laying it out in real-time, through this blog, so appealing: On my other, original Dan Shanoff blog (http://danshanoff.blogspot.com), one of the things that makes it so much fun to write (and, hopefully, to read) is the participation of readers through the Comment area below each post.

Because what I'm writing isn't necessarily right. It may be wildly wrong: I could turn into the equivalent of Todd Marinovich's father, creating a "Robo-Fan" who leads a thoroughly joyless life (though perhaps not ultimately ending up as some drugged-out freak, like Papa Marinovich's poor son). Worse, my son-as-fan could end up a misinformed blowhard, writing a sports column for some online sports site.

And so I welcome and look forward to reading your reactions to what I write here. I welcome the challenges to my "How-to-Raise-a-Fan" belief system. My defense might make it stronger; my tacking to new models, thanks to your opinions, will make it stronger, too.

As a final thought, I have no illusions about my kid making millions as a pro athlete to financially support me when I'm old and he has grown up.

But he just might care enough about sports to give me a call after the big game to share the moment – or even gloat over how I called it wrong. Could anything be more rewarding between parent and child than that?

-- Dan

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Advertising on Varsity Dad can help you reach an active, engaged group of readers -- mostly parents -- who love sports and love their kids. Not necessarily in that order. (Check that: *Hopefully* not in that order.) And if they're anything like me, they shock themselves at the inordinate amount of money the spend on those kids -- but still don't hesitate to do it.

Contact me at varsitydad-at-gmail-dot-com to talk about ways to communicate your message and to become part of the community. I am actively creating partnerships with companies for title sponsorship, banner and text ads, sponsored posts, reader contests, product reviews and more.

(OK, why is this technically the first post? I didn't want to sit this post on top of the "Welcome" post, but I wanted it to be an active post for the blog's launch.)

Welcome to Varsity Dad: First Post

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of Varsity Dad, a new blog dedicated to the intersection of parenting and sports. If you're checking in from my other blog, welcome!

But this blog won't cover your typical "How do I raise my kid to be a star athlete" bunk, which I argue is, at best, a myth and, at worst, a delusion.

Varsity Dad is all about the underrated (but infinitely more fun) process of raising our kids to be great athletes SPORTS FANS.

Coming shortly: A more detailed explanation of the blog, its back-story and its future. I hope you'll enjoy it, interact with it and pass it along to people who might like it.

-- Dan Shanoff