When everyone thinks of the Land, they, of course, think of all of Cleveland's major sports teams, from always disappointing Browns to the now LeBron-less Cavs to the (w)Indians. It's kind of hard not to when every Clevelanders themselves are always repping their teams, regardless of how many times those teams disgrace Cleveland.
There is one part-time Clevelander who you'll never catch repping any of Cleveland's sports teams, however — mainly because she doesn't even own any Cleveland sports apparel — and that is me.
Yes, I live in the Land (at least for a little over half the year) and I really could not care less about the Browns, the Cavs, and the Indians.
Now before you start screaming about how on Earth could I possibly not worship the Browns, let me tell you it's not that I just hate Cleveland sports or whatever. I'm really not a sports person to begin with. I never have been and never will be.
The only sports I ever watch are the Olympics and the Penn State-Ohio State football game — and even then, I don't end up actually paying attention most of the time.
My world simply does not revolve around athletics, much less Cleveland athletics.
Even though I like to joke about how terrible the Browns are for losing all the time or how the Cavs don't have LeBron to carry them anymore, I could truly care less whether they or the Cavs or the Indians win or lose. I have better things to do with my life than obsess over a basketball or a football or a baseball score.
Sports are just something that has never interested me. When I was growing up, I would have much rather been reading a book, writing fanfiction, playing a video game, or working with my fair animals.
It's why, when I was selecting a college, I didn't factor in athletics at all. My grandmother was super scandalized when she found out that Cleveland State doesn't have a football team, but honestly, I don't care. Cleveland State not having a football team had no impact on me choosing to become a Viking.
The fact that I care so little about sports is probably why I don't care about any Cleveland sports teams. I just can't imagine being someone whose life revolves around Browns to the point where they yell at someone else on the bus for wearing a Cincinnati Bengal's jersey (yes, I've heard of that happening).
There's also not much to root for, even if I was interested in sports. I mean, the Browns went 600 days without a win and just fired their head coach, and the Cavs no longer have LeBron James to carry them and also just fired their head coach. While the Indians are pretty good, they're also disappointing with the fact they haven't won a World Series since 1948.
I know they say being a Cleveland sports fan means you just get used to the losing, but why should I, a person who doesn't even care about sports to begin with, root for a bunch of teams that suck?
While it is true that nobody loves Cleveland as much as Clevelanders, you'll never catch me wearing a Cleveland sports jersey or going to a Cleveland sports game. I have better things to do with my time and better things to spend my money on. This is one Clevelander that the NFL, NBA, and MLB can't sell merchandise to.
When it comes to repping the Land, I'll just stick with my Cleveland State Vikings sweatshirt.
