Let's see.... I was actually born in Cleveland, but have lived most of my life outside of Ohio. My dad never really liked sports, so growing up I didn't have those father-son moments tossing a baseball around or anything sports related. The rest of my dad's family are big Indians fans, so whenever I would visit my grandpa or spend time with my uncles I'd watch the Indians or go to home games. I remember never really getting into baseball unless I was at the game, but during the 90's when we had Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, Sandy Alomar, and Albert Belle, it was easy being a fan.
I knew baseball wasn't for me when I met Albert Belle in person. I waited after a game for a long time just to meet him since he was my favorite player at the time. When i asked him for his autograph he told me he doesn't sign anything unless he gets $50 first. I had a ball and everything and I just remember the look he gave me when I told him that I didn't have any money. I was 7 at the time, but still, that one moment killed that sport for me thereafter.
I moved to California with my dad a few years after, so all my sports connections to the city were lost for that time. Having a lame dad also made it hard to get into any sports or teams, since he never wanted to watch it on the TV or go to any local games. A lot of my friends growing up were Giants fans, 49ers fans, Raiders fans, etc. California was were I spent most of my life, but it never really felt right following any of their teams.
It's funny that my start into the basketball world was following the Pacers since I liked their pinstripes. I heard about Reggie Miller being such a great shooter and Jermaine O'Neal being a great up and coming player, that made it easy to like them. Just like whenever my friends would pressure me into being a Lakers fan or a Kings fan, it just didn't sit right that I was following a team that I have no actual connections to. That fandom lasted for a few months lol.
I remember the first time I heard Lebron's name when I was visiting Cleveland and some family back in 2002. They were talking about how great he was, how he was this amazing player and he was actually from the area. My grandpa took me to a St. Vincent St. Mary game and I remember him not playing, but EVERYBODY was talking about him. I wanted to see what he was about, how he played, how people could be this passionate about a guy in high school. That was around the time the Cavs really sucked, so nobody was talking about them, it was all about Lebron. Just that passion alone seemed to be the thing I was missing all those years.
Growing up around people who literally followed the Kings one moment, the Lakers the next, it was nice to see people passionate about something that didn't even have to do with winning. That's when I knew that I was meant to be a Cavs fan. I wanted to be able to share that passion, that excitement, that die hard fandom that came from being proud of where you're from and not from how many titles you won recently. It's one of the main reasons I hate player fans, bandwagon fans, whatever you want to call them. Being a fan of sports is not something that was ingrained in me, it wasn't something that was passed down from father to son. It was something that as funny as it sounds, it was something that came over me like I was one of those people in the church that the Holy Spirit took over. Winning titles shouldn’t be what makes you passionate about the team you follow, it’s nice of course, but being proud of your team’s history and the city behind it is what truly means something.
All the negativity that Cleveland has gotten over the years, all the laughter at our struggles, all the jeers about Lebron leaving only strengthened my resolve. I lived across the country, but that passion for where I was born meant much more than the fake fandom of whichever team was the IT team out in California. This is why I'm proud of my team, my city, and one of the reasons I’m proud I moved back to Ohio. Even though Lebron was the reason I became a fan of the Cavs, it was before he was even drafted that I knew that my connection to this city meant more than the titles the Lakers were winning at that time.
You don't have to be from Cleveland to understand what true fans really believe in. That even after 50+ years without a title that people are still passionate about their hometown team. This is why I can't respect people who just hop from one team to to next like the flavor of the month. A championship will mean so much to this city and the fans that have decades of service to the teams they love, not the players who come and go.
I love this team regardless of who the coach is, who the star is, because like what one of the other posters mentioned already, we’re a family. We may not be from the same neighborhood, the same race, same age, but we are united in our love for this team. So, I’m sorry if player fans will read this as being stupid or why the team doesn’t mean as much as the players on it, but to me you’re an idiot.
Sorry for the long post. I don’t really post much since I like lurking and just reading what others have to say, but for those that took the time to read, thanks.