The Bronx Bombers Syndrome: Celebrating Irrational Hatred

Some years ago during a phone call with an old friend, I mentioned that I’d been raised as a Giants fan and so, of course, hated the LA Dodgers.

“Why,” she interrupted, “do you hate the Dodgers?”

Her question stopped me right in my tracks. It occurred to me for the first time that the real benefit of sports fandom was less about the opportunity to express…