During my junior and senior years of college at Indiana University I lived in two different off-campus apartments with the same roommates Adam (who we called Aft) and Justin. Although things weren’t always perfect we did appear to be the envy of our friends. Many of our acquaintances had difficult living situations with unruly roommates who played music too loud, invaded their privacy or let the dishes in the sink grow their own ecosystems. I believe the key to our success was that for the most part (and I pushed the limits of this statement far more than Aft or Justin) we weren’t assholes and we all agreed to abide by one simple rule: If something is bothering you, then take care of it, don’t bitch about it. Meaning if the carpet was dirty and it bothered you, vacuum it, or deal with it.

In October of 2003, my team, the Chicago Cubs seemed destined to break their long-standing and well-documented streak of consecutive years of not winning a World Series. I watched each game of the 2003 playoffs with Aft (a huge White Sox fan) without taking much abuse of rhetoric. After the Cubs famously blew their 3-2 lead in the NLCS against the Florida Marlins, and were once again deemed losers, Aft was gracious in consoling me and not rubbing it in. Two years later in October of 2005 I would have the same opportunity to show Aft and some other friends (including my ex-fiancé Barbara), who were die-heard Sox fans, that same courtesy.

However I did not.

When my dad and I talk about sports he always tells me not to refer to myself as part of the team by using the constructions “we” or “us” to tie myself in. But I am a part of the team I would try to explain, without him buying a word of the explanation I was attempting to sell. But we all have our favorite teams, and rooting allegiances based on what cities we grew up in, where we attended college or even what teams our dad’s loved as a kid. We watch every game on the edge of our seats, letting the outcomes affect our moods for hours or even days after.

When your team has the chance to win a Championship it’s a BIG DEAL! It’s a HUGE FUCKING DEAL, but instead of me being happy for my friends when the White Sox won the World Series in 2005, breaking the second longest streak for a team not winning a World Series, I was jealous and petty. Since my team had lost their chance two years earlier I was jealous that my friends were getting to see there sports fantasy fulfilled. Now I try to learn from my mistakes and work on my shortcomings, and certainly this is an area where I would have hoped to show some growth, but I honestly don’t think I have. When the spotlight was on the Atlanta Falcons a few years ago and the Bears were struggling I was jealous of my friend Mike (he’s from the ATL). With Michigan football suffering through their worst season in school history last year I couldn’t bare to listen to Ohio St or Penn St fans as they racked up victories.

And now with another baseball season nearing a close without the fruition of a Cubs World Series I am only left with my disappointment and my shortcomings. In the interim I can only continue to be the sports fan that I am and aspire to be a more gracious “sports friend” in the future.

Or better yet, maybe that will just have to wait ‘til next year…