It is not easy being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan.
Being a Pirates fan means having the daunting memory of 20 losing seasons, it means wondering if a 2013 postseason berth is truly a sign of better days ahead and it also means pondering the choice of believing or giving up.
More than anything, however, it is perhaps the most suspenseful, frustrating and exciting of all professional baseball teams to follow.
And that is why if one is not lucky (or unlucky) enough to prioritize Pittsburgh as his or her first-string team, the Pirates should be considered for second place.
There are not many sports teams that would still have a fan base left after 20 years of futility, but Pittsburgh still does.
Sure, many of the fans that showed up at PNC Park during the magical 2013 season jumped on the bandwagon, but being a diehard fan can indeed be frustrating. The bottom line is that we should accept those bandwagoners with open arms, though.
The Pirates know better than any team that the saying “the third time’s a charm” is nothing but true after being Major League Baseball’s “Cinderella Story” for two years before directing a happy ending in 2013. The 2011 and 2012 seasons saw first-half surges turn into free falls after the All-Star Break.
The mere fact that they finally accomplished the unthinkable — that they believed in themselves enough to push through what many thought was going to be a third letdown — should be enough for any baseball fan to marvel at. And this is regardless of whether the fan is a diehard or not.
However, this goes for any fan out there, not just those who reside in Pittsburgh or who grew up with Pirates baseball: The Bucs do not have to be your first-favorite team. Keep loyalties to hometown teams tied deep in your soul.
But there is nothing wrong with rooting for another team if your team does not make the cut. It does not matter if you’re a Cardinals fan, a Reds fan or an Angels fan; there are too many people who were not pulling for the Pirates last season.
Obviously, Pittsburgh fans received animosity from Cincinnati fans in the Wild Card round, but most would have rather seen the Pirates win than the Cardinals. Even St. Louis fans, who are considered by many the most loyal in baseball, were pulling for the Pirates in that one-game playoff.
No one wanted to see the Pirates lose, because it’s an unexplainable phenomenon to pull for the underdogs. Especially because they boast the league’s Most Valuable Player in Andrew McCutchen and National League Manager of the Year in Clint Hurdle.
So go ahead and pull for the Pirates, even if they are not No. 1 in your heart. Because it is easy to find teams that you love to hate, but rare to find those you hate to love.
ks363012@ohiou.edu
@kelsey_surmacz4
