Rooting for Rivals

Naturally, football is one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions. I love seeing the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions kickoff every Turkey Day. It doesn’t matter where the teams are in the standings. Records don’t signify the nostalgic meaning of the annual games. I hope Dallas and Detroit continue to host games on this day for many years to come.
There’s a reason rooting for a team doesn’t come with an owner’s manual. There are no written criteria for which opposing rivals you aren’t supposed to like. The instructions are up to the individual sports fan. I’m one of those rare fans who roots for both the Cowboys and the New York Giants. That makes being a football fan living in New York difficult at times. But, you would be surprised how many New Yorkers dig Big D as much as I do. I actually started out a New York Jets fans. Back when the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were all the rage, I rooted handedly for Gang Green. I finally woke up in 1989 when the NFL was introduced to UCLA quarterback, Troy Aikman. The Cowboys drafted terrific Troy when I was six years old. In the early 1990’s, anybody who was anybody in New York adored Bill Parcell’s Giants. If you didn’t reside in upstate New York, you cheered for the Giants to knock off the Buffalo Bills in the Superbowl. I remember taking a liking to Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly, especially after Kelly returned from an injury to lead the Bills over Dan Marino’s Miami Dolphins in the ’90 playoffs. Thomas scored in the final quarter and Kelly drove downfield to finish it off with a pass to Andre Reed. The Bills annihilated and dominated the Raiders in the AFC Championship game to set up Superbowl XXV. I don’t remember muc h about the actual game. Unfortunately, I was much more concerned with what song the New Kids on the Block would perform at halftime. Apparently, I missed one of the best games in history. The Giants edged Buffalo 20-19 for the smallest margin of victory ever.
The Cowboys were my team from the moment Troy Aikman emerged to stardom in Dallas. With it came many wonderful moments and several heartbreaking ones. The Giants and Cowboys have had very memorable games throughout the years. Yankee Stadium hosted the first meeting between the rivals in December, 1960. Allie Sherman’s Giants faced Tom Landry’s underdog Cowboys. It was Dallas’ only non-loss that season. The game ended in a 31-31 tie. Thirty-four years later, Hall-of-fame tailback, number 22, Emmitt Smith, captured my heart by burying the Giants an overtime Meadowlands affair. The Cowboys repeated as Superbowl champs that year. I couldn’t believe there was anything as wonderful as the Cowboys when I was little. In almost every Thanksgiving picture I own, I am either wearing a Dallas sweatshirt or an Aikman jersey. No one in my family appreciated it, but they went along with my fanaticism anyway. The only time I really heard it from my relatives was when the Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers squared off. I’ll never forget Neil O’Donnell throwing mistakenly to Larry Brown in Superbowl XXX. The day after the game, there was only one thing to do. Create my own victory poster, plastering the names of every Cowboy on a poster hanging on my wall.
In the late 1990’s, my father took me to Albany, New York to see the Giants in a training camp game. I got on the field to score autographs from some key players. Jason Sehorn, the USC cornerback, was hands-down my new Aikman. I knew everything about number 31. It’s too bad his whiffle-waffle career wavered. The Giants were suddenly interesting because they were a solid team again. It was special to share each moment with my father because I was in the final two years of high school. I didn’t mind the Giants doing well. The ‘Boys were blazed by Big Blue for the division nine years ago when Tiki Barber scampered in for the go-ahead touchdown. They returned to the Superbowl in 2000, only to lose. The Giants were suddenly interesting because they were a solid team again. They returned to the Superbowl, only to lose out under Jim Fassel. In 2008, New York mastered the impossible to decking the Patriots in the Superbowl on the day of my grandmother’s funeral. I know the product on the field that February 3rd day was unimportant. But the victory helped to ease and heal my sad heart.
Today I am thankful for all the memories the Cowboys, Giants and every other sports team has brought. My life has been influenced by all of them in some way. I have a Giants pennant on my wall. On a shelf below sits my beloved Cowboys football. Someone once told me it wasn’t possible to be a fan of both the Giants and the Cowboys; the two do not coexist. I beg to differ. If it seems contradicting, I disagree. The answer is quite simple. The two can coexist because, for me, they do. I grew up fascinated by this game. I learned to appreciate it because of the Cowboys. I learned just how much the game could affect my life by rooting for the Giants. I’ll probably never go to Dallas and see the Cowboys play. I know I will never witness Aikman’s arm live in person. That doesn’t stop me from being a fan. I sought out the Cowboys on my own. With New York, I had some support and people on my side to cheer along with. We need both independence and dependence in our lives. The Giants are more accessible for me. They’re like a good friend, who will always be there. Dallas is like the person who will always have a piece of my heart. There is no need for an explanation when feelings come into play. I’m purely and simply thankful for both blessings in my life.

Parting Points: Turkey Day tune- “Thank You” by Boyz II Men
“I’ve always viewed myself as an achiever. I need to achieve for myself”- Troy Aikman