Mine is a two-part story.
First, I grew up with parents who were Celtics fans. We would watch the away games on black-and-white TV (with the sound turned down and Johnny Most on the radio). Home games were not televised locally, so it was Johnny all the way. The home team ruled, and the opponents were out-and-out villains. We would often celebrate a win with a pizza. On several very lucky occasions, we saw a game at the Garden.
I continued following the team through college, and then went into the Army in the late 70’s. When I was sent overseas, I followed the team the best I could through Stars and Stripes, the Armed Forces Network and letters from home.
Back in the US and stationed in North Carolina, I spent many a cold night sitting in my car trying to pick up the action on WBZ.
Then, in the mid-eighties, I drifted away. Life got busy with a new career, a young family, and too much to do. I was aware of what was going on, but I didn’t really follow it.
Then part two.
In 2001, the Fat Kid turned 10, and was becoming interested in all things sports. He started asking about the Celtics, and asked if we could go to a game some time. I got some tickets, and the whole family went. He was swept up in it, and couldn’t get enough. I liked it, too.
As time went on, we watched more C’s games on TV, and went to a game whenever we could. We were in the house for the Greatest Comeback in NBA Playoff History. The Fat Kid learned more and more about the game in general, and Celtics legend, lore and legacy in particular. He is a die-hard, and I am proud to say that so am I.
Then opportunity presented itself. I had a buddy who had a 1/3 share in season tickets. One of the partners traveled a lot and couldn’t go to many of his games. We got first dibs on the tix, and saw a handful of games that year. The next year, when the partner dropped out, we jumped in. Then we went to a two-way split, then a half season, then a full season, where we remain.
As anyone who has kids knows, you become interested in what your kids are interested in. In this case, it was easy. It was like a re-connecting to the past. It is also been a great way for me to share something special with my son. There is the shared interest in the team itself, along with the ups and downs, hope and fear, speculation, arguments about what should be done, the shared disdain for the dancers
. But more importantly, there are the countless trips to the Garden, where he has been held captive in the car. It is hours of sharing rituals, talking about anything and everything, learning city skills and street smarts and watching our relationship grow.
So in a nutshell, I sort of fell into the Celtics by default, but I’ve stayed with them because it is so much more than basketball.
Topic: How did you get into the Celtics (Read 11397 times)