Coming back from vacation this week I was in the airport. It was Laguardia in NYC. The wife and I had visited the city for the first time, spending a few days in Manhattan, taking in the touristy sites and just generally roaming the city to discover something we'd yet to experience. As people are wont to do in airports, I was wearing a cap, in particular a Chicago Blackhawks cap. This is among my normal rotation of ballcaps including the Hawks, Reds, and a bourbon related one. All passions for me. Passing along the corridor from one terminal to the next I hear a voice yell out "Go Hawks!" I glanced that way to see a raised arm and a knowing nod from a passerby. I returned the gesture with a smile and continued on to the food court.
Later, at the gate while we waited I was reading a magazine. I'm forced to arrive ridiculously early to things due to my wifes insistence we never be late and my own anxiety, so we were killing the remaining two hours before our flight by reading. Anyone who has spent any time in an airport knows most of them are loud and ridiculously crowded places, adding in a popular place like NYC only makes it moreso I assure. As I sat and read, my bag was at the end of the bank of seats instead of in front of me so it wouldn't topple over. This area also happened to be the main walk way towards the rest of the terminal. There was ample clearance around me, but as I read I was interrupted by someone with an "excuse me". A plane had just landed and people were filing by quickly so in my haste I made the assumption that someone wanted me to move my bag so they could get by with their oversized roller bag. That's the cynic in me. Raising my head to look up a rather cheery looking fellow smiles at me and proclaims "Go Hawks!". This man was clearly dedicated to the cause, wearing the familiar-at-the-UC-and-road-games sweater bearing the 88 of one Patrick Kane. We exchanged a fist bump and a laugh and he too was on his way to whatever destination he had for the rest of the day.
This sort of thing is fairly common as a fan of that team. I've been greeted with similar cheers in various parts of the country when wearing Hawks attire. For the longest time I chalked it up to the Hawks being fairly popular this last decade, but as I reflected on it this time through it dawned on me that I've struck up conversations over several of my teams over the years when traveling in their attire. A Ralphs in California when wearing a Reds shirt led to a 20 minute chat with an Ohio transplant about Griffey and Dunn and the future. A UK hat in Dallas. Hawks gear in Vancouver, LA, and Savannah amongst others. Murray State T-shirt in Chicago....the list goes on for all my fandoms really.
I love sports. I might not have traditional friends, but sports has led me to lots of pleasant conversations and encounters just wearing a shirt or hat, not to mention all the great talk at ballparks and arenas across the country.
Any good stories to share about meeting strangers and bonding over sports in unexpected, or even expected places?
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Originally Posted by Kingspoint
