Égalité, Fraternité, . . . Identité

oddly enough, there was a Popeye-esque Caps fan who tried to start trouble with me and a friend while we were grabbing a beer after the Pens game. It seemed to calm down when I reminded the guy that we were all Caps fans, and there was no reason for hostility. J.P. actually had the pleasure of being an innocent bystander for that particular example of stupidity.

But these guys are basically our collective children. We were here long before they were (as a part of the Capitals organization — STH, fans, employees, etc), so we take them into our hearts and minds and watch them grow and develop (prospects are the unborn children we can’t wait to see when they finally emerge). We criticize them harshly, but, that only shows how much we care, and, deep down, we only wish to see them succeed. We would fight to the death (metaphorically speaking) for each and every one of them. Alexander Ovechkin is all of ours, because we took and accepted him into our local culture, and he makes us proud. We are proud of his accomplishments, because we relish them as much, or, most likely, even more so than he does. That is why we use “we,” and why we are so deeply attached to them. Even though they are just a sports team.

Capitals hockey has threatened to make me fail more than one spring semester class.

Caps have become a family issue. My wife’s first question back home after work: “Are WE playing tonight?” The younger daughter’s greatest disappointment in life is that she is not friends with another girl in her school whose father is supposedly AO’s agent…(and she’s too shy to become a friend).

I think the important thing is perspective. I grew up with the Capitals, the Capitals inspired me to play hockey, and I used to pretend I was them while playing street hockey in the neighborhood. Even though they’re undeniably an somewhat amorphous concept – after all, I don’t think anyone affiliated with the team when I started to love them still is – it’s pretty much a part of human nature to root for the hometown guys, especially when you’ve grown up with them.

That said, I always make it a point to try and keep things in perspective. I do my best not to let any (non playoff) loss ruin my day and I don’t feel a Capitals win adds anything to my self worth. By the same token I don’t say “we” when I refer to the team because I want to keep a healthy distance between myself and the team and because I personally have no control over the team’s performance. I also try to keep in mind that if I were from Philadelphia, New York, or Pittsburgh I would most likely be rooting for one of the Capitals rivals, and I think it’s downright stupid to hold anything against anyone for rooting for their hometown team.

As an aside, Pepper, I want to rec this 800 times, once for the article as a whole and 799 times for working that bar fight in to it.

I went out on a date with a girl and found out she was a Duke fan. She didn’t get date #2 but I did finish the meal.

I am fairly certain if she had said she was a Penguins fan, I would have stood up, thrown a little cash on the table and just walked out.

Btw, to those of you who don’t recognize this as a Pepper post (what, no picture with a drop-shadow?!), I offered up this image that he, thankfully, passed on:

I list the fact that I’m a Capitals fan on my resume.

I get a lot more bummed these days after losses than I used to (when wins were much harder to come by). It’s almost like we’re spoiled now, with such a talented team — I expect to win every game. I realize that’s setting the bar too high, but I can’t help it.

My family uses Capitals games as reunions because we are spread out across Maryland and Virginia. The Caps are almost always involved in any dinner or phone conversation in my family. My Dad even got an Xbox 360 just so he could play my brother and I online before Caps games, and we almost always fight over who gets to be the Caps.

Even my mother has become a fan. I’m in the process of getting her a cowbell to ring at games just like she did at my brother and I’s lacrosse games (don’t hate on the Cowbell).

Strangely, the Capitals are one of two teams that we as a family agree on, the other being Nebraska Football (Go Big Red). While the rest of my family has moved on to cheering for the Redskins, I’ve stayed true to our roots with the Miami Dolphins. My Dad and I still cheer for the Yankees, while my brother is an Orioles fan now. I’m a die-hard VCU supporter, while my brother grudgingly supports Bucknell.

No matter the differences in our sporting tastes, we always have the Caps.

This year we’ve introduced six new family and extended family members to the Caps, by taking them with us to games so they can enjoy our family team. All of them have vowed to return or watch games on television. My girlfriend’s family has been integrated into our Capitals family, and it’s not uncommon for her Dad, to call me randomly to talk about his favorite player, Mike Green.

Even Capitals Kremlin is part of my “Capitals family.” Some of you may know that I’m a journalism student. Both of my parents are journalists working in the industry, and together we produce CK. I write, they offer guidance, we discuss story ideas and brainstorm features for the future. It’s like our own personal newspaper in this time of journalistic crisis.

In May, I graduate and my life will be changing drastically. Who knows if I’ll even be on the East Coast or if I’ll be within reasonable distance of attending a Caps game at home. Despite the uncertainty of the future, I know that the Capitals will always be a part of me and I will always have my family to enjoy the games with, be it in person or on the phone while watching on Center Ice.

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I also care more about the Caps than Presidential elections.

That second comment is very different from the first one :-).

The best thing about the Caps: It’s helped me learn more about the love life of fanboy bloggers.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to know about that?

I think fans are a vital part of an organization/team and therefore have the right to use we. Especially right now, (barring recent struggles) the home crowd at the phone booth has helped the team, so how can you fault people for feeling so connected to the team?

Nice column Pepper.

I’ve been a Caps fan since I was 8. My heart has gone through so much heartbreak I believe I’m part the Caps.

 I use ‘WE’ when I talk about the caps because I’ve been so emotionally invested in them for over 20 years,and being 28 their are not a lot of things I can say I’ve held onto for that long. With the exception of my family, a few friends and the Redskins, I don’t think I’ve ever cared about something so hard and for so damn long.

We did the ‘boys night out’ when we were kids to go see the Caps.
We did the family trip to see the Caps (always the Jan 1st game)
I got to go with my bro to games with his friends when he was in HS and I was much younger (not always but he’d let me tag a long)
I remember graduating from High School and my favorite gift was the Eastern Conference Champions Hat (although the $ was nice)
I remember being skeptical of taking a girl on a date to a Caps game for fear she’d think I was a huge dork (which I am) for yelling too much; but refused (too cheap) to let the tickets go to waste . She’s was the only girl I’ve ever taken to a Caps game— ended up marrying her.

Point is, the Caps have been a part of my life as long as I can remember.

So I wouldn’t say I’m a part of the Caps, but I would say the Caps are a part of me.

Being a relatively new Caps fan (I joined the bandwagon during the rise last season), I have to honestly say that hockey was never something I thought much about until last year. Now, I wonder how I ever lived without it. Following the Caps is a big part of my life right now, and I don’t foresee that changing any time soon.

More than that, though – I have a very real sense that CapsNation is a family. Dysfunctional, sure. Happy? Not always – we fratch back and forth. But that jersey, the weagle on the shoulder, really does denote a sort of family identity, a sort of fraternity. It’s what makes you hug and hifive and fist-bump complete strangers for no other reason than that your team just won and you’re wearing the same color jersey. :) For example, a bunch of us were parked in a bar in Clarendon one night watching the game, and there was another girl there in a Fedorov jersey, all by herself. Nobody at the table thought twice about inviting her over to the table, to join us, introductions went around, and we went back to the game. We’ve stayed in touch and hang out with Kim sometimes; we’ve even driven up to Hershey once as a group.

I’ve caught myself using “we” a few times to refer to the team. I try to correct myself consciously, knowing that I’m not actually a member … but I think it’s fair to say that the team and the people are a part of us and we’re a part of them. You know we’re a part of them every time you see Ovi cup his hand to his ear or someone throw a puck over the glass.

Went to my first Caps game at 5, and they’ve been a part of my life ever since. They have inspired a loyalty in me that no other team has (with the exception of Maryland, since i’m a graduate of that fine institution).

I went to my first game when I was 9 and have been a fan since. As soon as I got out of high school I bought my STs. If I could, I would literally just follow the team around. That whole mortgage thing gets in the way though.

My mood is obviously affected by wins and losses. Over the last 3 years I have taken the losses pretty hard but this year (for some reason) I don’t as so much. I guess when you are a winning team and your pretty sure you will make the playoffs, losing don’t sting as much.

In terms of my identity-being a Caps fan is a big part of that. Anyone who works with me or is friends with me knows it big time.

As far as the “Caps Family”. I think if you sit in the same section you have your game buddies but you can also have people that absolutely drive you nuts. But winning cures all. Winning big games can certainly cause me to high five and interact with all the people around me. I’m pretty sure I hugged some dude after Bradley scored that SO goal vs the Oil last year.

I say “we” all the time. If “we” could just do this, or that, “we” blew it tonight. So, guilty as charged on that.

It feels good to be able to sit through all those “bad” years and see the team come through like they have. And I think for those of us who have been following the team since then, feel that and it’s special.

I think the comments from Bruce and Alzner about how loud the building is can certainly make us feel “apart” of the team" like gotsparkly said the 7th man.

It makes me a little nostalgic and is inducing me to go on a bit about my circumstances as a Caps fan, so bear with me anyone that reads.

I grew up in Dallas and moved to Washington in the summer of 1994. At the time, I wasn’t much of a hockey fan though I did love playing NHL 93/94 on Sega and had watched a few Stars games (they had just moved to Dallas). The only team I really cared about in any sport was the Cowboys. But my parents got the family one of the 10-game ticket packs for the Caps as a way of getting us to do something together and connect with the area. We did those 10-game plans for the first 2 years. My parents’ plan worked, and the whole family became huge fans. I still remember my brother, dad and I out in Landover as Nedved scored in the 4th OT. It was just a taste of what being a Caps fan was all about.

While I would probably already have been a Caps fan for life, the deal was sealed in the 97-98 season. My brother went off to college and my parents and I had season tickets that year. It was a special one, of course, between the move to the (then) MCI Center and the magical playoff run. I was there for Hasek throwing the blocker. I saw the Wings celebrate on our ice. That sealed the deal for me.

I moved away to Atlanta for college (where I picked up baseball and the Braves) and then to NYC after that. I’ve lived in New York for 6 years now, and don’t root for a single local team. In fact, due to my (waning) Cowboys/Braves and (deepening) Caps allegiances, I hate pretty much every team in town except for basketball.

My parents still live in DC and have been full STHs for the Caps for 10 years now. The Caps are quite literally and integral part of my family’s communication structure. Every time we talk, first it’s how we are doing, then it’s significant others, then it’s the Caps. They are my strongest remaining bond to the DC area, which I consider my “home” despite the relatively short amount of time that I lived there. They are once again the sports team I care the most about. And thanks to the Rink (and Red Skate!), they are what I spend most of my online leisure time reading/commenting about.

And if the Caps go deep into the playoffs, maybe I’ll see you on the Acela, Pepper.

Thanks, Pepper. Have spent a lot of time thinking about why being a fan of the Caps affects me so much. As others have noted, nothing the Caps do has any relation to my relationships, work life, income, etc. I have no influence on anything they do. And yet, 9 months of the year, if the Caps are on tv, that’s what we’re doing. If the Caps are playing at Verizon, that’s where we are. If I have a shitload of work to do (like now), I’m reading a Caps blog. Why?

A while ago, I came up with “drama”. That’s gotta be it, right? I mean, humans are naturally attracted to stories, and the good thing about sports is that there’s a different ending every time. But then, I don’t really care about any team other than the Caps in any sport, and I’m certainly not emotionally invested in them. A lot of people talk about the community, and while we’re season ticket holders this year for the first time in my life after 30 years of fan-dom, I don’t really have any other hockey fan friends. When I can’t go to games, I often find it even tough to find takers at work. (I have Caps paraphernelia all over my office, and sometimes new coworkers will come in and say, “Who are the Caps?”. Ugh.)

Whatever, it is what it is. Grew up in Wheaton and lived abroad for 10 years working on international development programs (have a picture of Bishkek Caps Fan Club – two of us in Caps jerseys in front of Lenin statue there), then married a native Russian-speaking Korean girl from Uzbekistan – pretty damn far away from hockey awareness. We moved back to DC in Sept 05, and went to Ovie’s first game, where he scored twice. Now she’s a die hard Caps fan, uses “we” to refer to the Caps (and I don’t discourage her), sports her Ovechkin jersey or Caps sweatshirt or baseball hat whenever we’re out of the house, knows all the players by number, yells obscenities at the tv during Caps power plays, and watches the games even when I’m away (like now) – she even pointed the webcam at the tv so I could watch the game on Saturday… (She also pronounces all the Russian players names correctly, like Koz-LOV and FYO-dorov.)

Not sure how I’d be able to survive a marriage any other way – hockey is 9 months of the year after all – but I take pride in the fact that I created at least one new Caps fan. Actually, another friend of hers (from Turkmenistan, coworker of mine) is splitting our season tickets with us, so there’s another.

Anyway, fact is, as you can tell Caps are a huge part of my identity. Ruins my day when they lose (though not this year as much as previous ones), and if they blow the playoffs this year, it’s not going to be fun to be around me.

But would like to say this – this is probably the best blog ever, and it’s awesome to be part of this online family.

Now about Schultz…

I’m with you all the way on missing out on the society of fans. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking a lot lately about moving back to DC- and I’d be lying again if I said the main reason wasn’t to be closer to the team and everything about it. I too have made a number of friends through being a Caps fan, and I wonder if I hadn’t done that before

I left DC- maybe I’d have never left! My non-Caps loving friends know way more about the team than they ever thought they would, and I’ve even been able to add a couple fans along the way.

I could keep going, so to keep a long story short, the Caps are a much larger part of my life than is probably healthy.

And I would love if we could do more NYC fan stuff. :)