So tonight's the night. The night I almost thought would never get here. The Kansas City Royals host the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. I, for one, will not take this for granted. Back in 1985, I assumed the Royals would compete for a spot in the Series year in and year out. That's how the success of the late 1970's and early 1980's conditioned Royals fans. Royals fans knew that 1985 was special. There had been a lot of heartbreak due to the freaking Yankees. And when the Yankee hex was finally broken in 1980, KC was beaten back down by the Phillies of all teams. I still hate Tim McGraw because he's the son of Tug McGraw who got the final out for the Phillies in the 1980 World Series against Kansas City.
But still.
We didn't expect to have to wait this long to get back. The popular narrative is that Royals fans have been suffering for nearly 30 years. Actually the Royals were competitive until 1994. That's when the strike hit and small markets got the shaft in the new economic reality. With the death of Ewing Kauffman and the retirement of George Brett, the franchise was rudderless for a long long time. But not as long as people make it out to be.
But still.
It was bad. It was really bad for a really long time. People just kind of laughed or smirked when I told them I was a Royals fan. They appreciated my loyalty to a team but looked at me with pity. But at least my team had a ring. There's a lot of teams that still have never won the trophy. Seattle and Washington/Montreal still have as yet to even make the World Series.
But still.
This year's Royals are the reason you should never jump on a bandwagon. Bandwagon fans never get to feel the great satisfaction of seeing their years of loyalty rewarded. Johnny come lately fans of the Heat, Lakers, Yankees etc... they'll never get it. They'll never have that feeling. They'll jump up and down and feel a temporary excitement when their newly adopted team wins but they won't feel the deep joy of a fan...who's rooted for a team for decades, through thick or thin, through the highs and lows...who sees their team win after an insufferable drought. That joy doesn't come when you shallow reasons for supporting a team.
I support the Royals because I grew up in Kansas City (Overland Park actually). I attended countless games at Royals (now Kauffman) Stadium with my family and my best friends. I painted a giant sign of the old Royals logo and put it in our picture window overlooking our street during the 85 playoffs. I attended game 5 of the 1985 playoffs with my Dad. I recorded all seven games of the Series on VHS cassette. I listened to hundreds of Royals games on a small transistor radio in my dark bedroom on muggy summer nights. I have worn visiting Royals gear into the Rangers Ballpark for 16 years to cheer for a mostly terrible team in a hostile stadium. I could go on.
These types of memories do not happen when you are merely a bandwagon fan of a team that you chose to associate with because they were winning at the time.
Yes, it's just sports. But these Royals also represent a tie to my childhood, my youth, my young adult years. These Royals are a nostalgic tie to connections with friends and family that span four decades. Win or lose, that can't be taken away from me.
Go Royals!
photo: my little league George Brett Louisville Slugger bat that I used from 1983-1986.
