So a website called, cabletv.com is apparently offering one lucky (?) fan $2,000 to root for their favorite NFL team's rival for the remainder of the NFL. Which in my case would mean having to do a lot of this:
Could I do it? No. That's it. That's the blog. I wish I had more to add (I do), but it's the simplest answer I can give. $2,000 isn't even in the BALLPARK of what it would cost for me to do this for the next 14 weeks of the NFL season. For a couple of reasons;
1) I'm learning as I get older that $2,000 isn't what it was when I was younger. When I was 18 years old? $2,000 may as well have been 2 million dollars. If you gave me 2 grand in cash at 18 years old, I would have retired. But at 35 years old? I could spend 2 grand before I take my next breath. And;
2) Because of my gambling problem, I've had some experience with being forced to root for teams that I hate on a visceral level. Let me whisk you away to early September, 2014. The Brewers are in command of the NL Central. They have been all year. No other team can even sniff what they ate last night, that's how in 1st place they are. Only a total and complete collapse of unfathomable levels would keep them from winning the NL Central. At the same time, the Cubs STINK. They're in the middle of a total rebuild and aren't even on the lead lap. So my buddy at work, Jeff, a Cubs fan, offers me a bet when the Brewers and Cubs meet up at Wrigley for an early September series. If the Cubs win the series, I have to wear a Cubs jersey for a week. if the Brewers win, he has to wear a Packer jersey. 'Ha!' I scoffed. 'No chance they win the series. Hell, if they sweep the Brewers, I'll wear a Cubs jersey for a month!' What an idiot 2014 Jon was. What a *bleeping* idiot. Because as is well documented now, the 2014 Brewer implosion started with that series. Not only did they lose, they were swept. Which led to this:
I'll be honest, I was putting on a little show in this photo. This was minutes after I had to start wearing the jersey. But in my heart of hearts I thought, 'what's the big deal, it's just a jersey, I'll be fine.' But then I started walking around in public, going to the grocery store, getting a coffee at Starbucks. People give you looks. It's uncomfortable. You feel like you have to apologize and make up an entire story as to why you're wearing it. I actually started to concoct a story of an entirely different life for myself. I grew up in Evanston and found work in Sheboygan blah blah blah. It was brutal.
Luckily I was offered an out: Eating a bag of freeze dried grasshoppers and millipede's purchased at a novelty story. Easiest decision of my life to take that Soriano jersey off.
So with that experience, and a more adult comprehension of how much money 2 grand is, I know this gig ain't for me. But if it's for you,
click the link
for more details.
PS: You know what? I'm filling the form out. I want to put myself in a position where I have to make this decision. Also I don't hate the idea of being able to call The Score in Chicago and bitch about the team every day. 'Bring back Cutler!'
