By: Alex Sheesley
My name is Alex, I live in Washington DC, and I love the Yankees. Not to say I don’t like the Nationals, I do to the point where I own their merchandise as I’ve lived in DC the majority of my life, but the Nationals gear is a fraction to the Yankees gear I have. The comments are OBVIOUS that I’d be a bandwagon fan, being a DC native, but the catch is I was born into a Yankees household. Before me, my family was living in Brooklyn even before the Yankees existed, before any of the rings, and when they did become a team, they rooted their hearts out. I have a right to be a fan without being bandwagon out of New York; I’m a transplant fan.
The transplant fan has been around since organized sports teams were team-based. It’s nothing new, and it is really just a fan who lives out of the teams supposed “Fan Region” but has a long connection with a team. So, while my situation is not new, the details are unique. Due to my geography, living in a town that was an AL East team’s in the Orioles until the Expos moved in 2005, causes a lot of tension between team fanbases. Furthermore, since I lean to the Nationals over the Orioles, who are also hated by the Orioles for stealing TV money, finding another Yankees fan can be tough. Half of my DM’s are just the “Da Yankees Lose” meme sent by my friends, as well as the typical bandwagon calls. There are further disadvantages of living out of New York as a Yankees fan, such as the fact that I can never get to see the Yankees live unless we go to Baltimore. Also, due to the heat of the rivalry, that can’t always be the best. MLB.tv is the only way to watch the Yankees because I am out of market for the YES network.
But, there is a lot more than just gloom that I can’t go see the Yankees live. Often I can bring reality to scenarios where the eyeball test is used, as there is some non-bias within talking about another team, or actually relate to the Talkin’ Yank’s podcast due to their transplant fan status. Overall, the life of a transplant is different. Usually, they can get along with other teams, due to the non-divisional rivals or not even having a team, so the folks around them hop on the Yankees train. But, with that being said, there is no team I’d rather root for than the Yankees, and I’ll stick by them living in the Bronx, Baltimore, or even Boston. This is because there is a special club vibe when talking about true diehard fans of any teams, Yankees involved or not. No matter where you live, you can be a passionate fan of your favorite team, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Move across the country and see how hard it is to follow your favorite team, and then you will truly appreciate how passionate transplant fans are.
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