Sports: They're not just for breakfast anymore

I love watching sports. Usually it has to be a team that I'm cheering for, but not always. I'll watch live, I'll watch on television, I'll watch on videotape. I probably spend more time watching sports than anything else I do. My favorite sports to watch are World Cup Soccer, college ice hockey and professional baseball. But by no means am I limited to just watching those. In any given year I will probably attend 60 University of Michigan sporting events, 20 professional sporting events, and watch another 200 sporting events on television. What I enjoy about watching the sports is that on one hand I know what is going to happen because of my knowledge of the sport, and on the other hand, something different happens every time. The following are the teams I spend the most time following.
Michigan HockeyHockey is the first sport I was really exposed to, as my father has always played it. Naturally when I came to Michigan I was very quickly drawn to Yost Ice Arena, home to the Michigan Wolverines, who have won more ice hockey national championships than any other school. My favorite players ever have been John Madden and Kevin Magnuson.
Chicago CubsThere is nothing better than a summer day at Wrigley Field. I will always be loyal to the Chicago Cubs, no matter how many times they break my heart. Someday the Cubs will win the World Series, and everybody will claim to have been a Cubs fan from birth. When I say it, it will be true. My favorite players ever are Ryne Sandberg and Steve Lake.
U.S. SoccerSoccer is the world's most popular sport, and is probably the one I am most passionate about. When The U.S. Men's National Team has a match in the World Cup or a qualifier I will watch it, and nothing will get in my way. I'll skip class, take vacation from work, get up in the middle of the night - whatever it takes. Many Americans don't realize how good the U.S. men are, but those of us that do love the team. My favorite players ever are Frank Klopas and Tony Meola
University of MichiganWhile hockey is my favorite Michigan sport, I closely follow many U of M teams. I very rarely miss a home game of the football, women's basketball or women's volleyball teams. My favorite football players were Jamie Morris and Jon Jansen. My favorite basketball players were Catherine DiGiacinto and Molly Murray. My favorite volleyball players were Jeanine Szczesniak and Alija Pittenger. While I did not follow his team, I also closely followed the career of track star Neil Gardner, who was one of the coolest people I've ever met.
Chicago FireThe Chicago Fire of the MLS finally provide me with a domestic soccer club to cheer for. I have been at two of the biggest games in their history, the 2000 MLS Cup championship game they lost, and the 1998 MLS Cup championship they won. The latter was especially fun, because I was on the team plane for the flight back after the game. My favorite players ever are Frank Klopas and C.J. Brown
Detroit TigersWhile I greatly prefer the National League and the Cubs, the Tigers have been growing on me. I started going to games because they were the only professional baseball team anywhere close to me, and I've always loved going to baseball games. When the last season at Tiger Stadium came my friend Joe Pleva and I decided to get partial season tickets so that we could go to the final game at Tiger Stadium. The next year we renewed our tickets so that we could go to opening day at the new ballpark. The Tigers are a fun team to watch, and I really enjoy going to the games, even if it is designated hitter ball instead of baseball. My favorite players ever are Bubba Trammell and Rick Leach.
NHLI used to be a huge fan of the Chicago Blackhawks. However, I now hate the franchise because they have made too many moves without the intent of helping the team be better in the long run or short run. The team is the worst managed team in the NHL, and I can not force myself to cheer for them again until they have new ownership that cares about winning. I do still enjoy watching pro hockey though, and I tend to cheer for teams with former Michigan players. I also love Hockey Night in Canada. My favorite NHL players ever are Keith Brown and Tony Esposito
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