How my dad inspired my Cleveland Indians fandom

In honor of Father’s Day, I explain how my dad helped me become a diehard fan of the Cleveland Indians from a very young age.

Being a Cleveland Indians fan is an interesting endeavor to undertake. But for most of us, it wasn’t up to choice. It was our upbringing.

Some of my earliest memories involve watching the Indians and rattling off the lineups that included Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel and other stars from the past.

Yet I didn’t just happen upon the team as a toddler. I was raised as a fan.

With today being Father’s Day, I wanted to explain just how integral my own dad was to making me a lifelong fan of the Indians. And don’t worry, he will indeed be reading this so it isn’t an empty gesture.

Memory is an odd thing, because every time you recall a memory there may be some differences from the last time your brought it up. However, regardless of the specifics, some of my earliest memories involve me going to Indians game at Jacobs Field.

My dad played baseball up through high school and once I was able to stand and stop crying every five minutes, I was playing the game myself. My enthusiasm carried over into my dad taking me to games, even if I was so young it was a hassle to take me downtown for four to five hours.

And not only did my dad take me to some games, he committed to taking me to more than ten games a season for most of my childhood. He spent his hard-earned money on whatever nonsense ballpark snack I wanted so I could take in some baseball in my formative years.

I am admittedly a diehard fan of the Browns and the Cavs, but the Indians are the team I remember most from my childhood, and that is because of my dad. Even after growing up with the team in the midst of a historic playoff drought, he had the passion in the sport to take me to games when I was too young to appreciate it in an entirely selfless act.

The child-parent relationship at a sporting event is often romanticized, especially with baseball, but the parent is the one tasked with all the responsibility. From the kid having to go pee every two innings even after saying they were fine to being starving after just eating a pretzel, the parent has to deal with all of that. And my dad did just that and continues to do so when I stare blankly at the ballpark menus.

Next: Indians draft recap

I would not be such a big fan if not for my dad and certainly would never had the passion to write about the team if not for him. So for that, I am forever grateful.

Happy Father’s Day!