For five weeks, I've been following my Dallas Cowboys through text messages, NFL.com and phone calls from friends in far-off places where they actually show the Boys' games.
In enemy (read: Redskins) territory, I rarely see a game on T.V. myself. In an ironic twist, when the Skins played on Sunday night against this region's second favorite team, the Eagles, and the Giants played at 4:15 p.m., my Cowboys and their 1 p.m. time slot was left wide open. But they had a bye week.
This got me thinking to how external conditions affect a fan's view of the game. I recently got so fed up with my T.V. situation that I made a trade for Clinton Portis, because I was desperate to watch just one of my fantasy league players.
I grossly overpaid, giving up last year's fantasy God, Peyton Manning, and underrated Rudi Johnson, for Portis and Randy Moss. I knew I overpaid when I proposed the trade, and I fully expect it to be the downfall of my season.
You know who I blame? Fox.
Studying a long way from the Cowboys and my other favorite teams, I tried other solutions. I talked to my roommates into getting the Sunday Ticket satellite package. But, they told us there are too many trees around our house. What?!
For myself and for many AU fans, this is a legitimate problem. AU is not University of Missouri, where everyone is either a Chiefs or a Rams fan. AU is in fact American, a melting pot of sports fans.
This football-fan stew makes for some lively debate. But everyone is on the same page right around 1:15 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, when we're all crying because the only thing on TV for the day is Old Man Brunell and the 'Skins, followed by the 4:15 p.m. game featuring the agonizing Ravens, from D.C.'s little brother, Baltimore.
What gets me is how much it has affected the way people root for teams. I know people who are Redskins fans simply because they are easily accessible. Their gear is sold everywhere, their games are always on, and the Monday Post is the Redskin Weekly.
First, I call them homers and berate them for taking the easy way out, but then I question if they are so wrong. The whole point of following sports is for personal enjoyment of actually watching sports. What better way to enjoy sports more than to actually follow a team you can watch weekly? So, maybe me, the loyal Cowboys supporter who has endured the Ryan Leafs and Clint Stoerners, is the one who's wrong for obsessively checking my cell phone and laptop for scores.
I know, why I don't just go to ESPN Zone, or another local sports bar? I remind you that I am a college student who is not made of money. For me to go enjoy three hours of my 'Boys would cost a cool $60. Overtime? Another 20 Washingtons.
Honestly, there aren't any options for a non-'Skins fan on a budget. But I still choose to stick with my Cowboys, as I hope all you Jets, Falcons, Seahawks and Broncos fans out there will as well. But, just don't clog nfl.com so I can't get updates of the Dallas game.
In the meantime, I'm stuck waiting for James Brown's wonderful voice announcing NFL Game Breaks in the middle of those boring Redskin performances.
