I love Cleveland sports, probably to a degree that isn’t entirely healthy. And when I meet another person
who loves Cleveland sports, I embrace them.
Some are going to know a little more than me about rosters, all-time records, history and lore; some are
going to know a little less. Some despise the Steelers more than the Ravens, some hate the Ravens more
than the Steelers. Some think the Haslams are the worst owners in town, some think the Dolans are.
I don’t judge them. The thought “You’re not a REAL fan if you think that!” doesn’t really cross my mind.
To tell the truth, these meaningless disagreements are generally kind of fun because they encourage you
to reconsider the way you think about things. We’re united by our love of the city and its teams.
So this Monday, as I walked along the Memorial Day parade route in town, I kind of found myself
wondering: Why is it easier to get along with people who disagree about the trajectories of a bunch of
star-crossed sports teams than it is people who disagree about the trajectory of our country?
These are actual Tweets I saw as I was scrolling Twitter over my coffee on Memorial Day morning:
“There’s only so much Americans take from these stinking liberals an (sic) America has had enough you
wait until the next election. Liberals are just pure evil they hate America and our values.”
“Republicans hate America. They hate the American people. They love only power and will embrace dictators
and dictatorship to retain power.”
Here’s the problem: Take the most polarizing, prominent people in each party — let’s say President Donald
Trump as the Republican, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the Democratic counterweight.
Do you really, really think either of these people hate America? You probably vehemently disagree on the
policies or tactics of one, the other, maybe both. There’s a chance you think one of them is kind of
dumb. You may even think one of them is not looking out for the best interests of this nation as a
whole.
But do you really think one of them legitimately hates this country? Actively does things to make the
nation weaker out of hatred for what this country means?
I don’t. Frankly, I think it’s the kind of nonsensical thinking that’s gotten us into a situation where I
can disagree with a fellow Browns fan, and shake hands at the end of the disagreement — but can’t do so
with a fellow American most of the time.
It doesn’t have to be this way. And I saw my glimmer of hope in Bowling Green’s Memorial Day parade.
Marching side by side, a few units back, were our mayor, Republican Dick Edwards, and the man who hopes
to replace him, Democrat Mike Aspacher.
At least here in BG, we all kind of understand that we’re all fans of the same team at the end of the
day. And if we can cultivate that kind of dialogue and understanding in our neighborhood — which is
honestly probably the only thing we can really nudge as citizens — maybe we can help it grow again at a
national level.