We Had Sports

Sports fandom started for me at birth. I came home from the hospital decked out in New York Giants gear.

My mom was a fanatic, which also started for her at birth. She was the fourth of four children, all girls. My grandparents weren't looking to have such a full house, but my grandfather wanted nothing more than a boy. So when my mom came out, he said "(screw) it, she's going to Yankees and Giants games with me."

We're from New Jersey, but when I was six, my mom moved us to South Florida. My grandfather had recently retired and made the typical northeastern migration to Florida. My mom, a single mom, followed to stay close for support.

In 1996, my grandfather bought four Dolphins season tickets — him, mom, my brother, and me. He also picked up a Florida Marlins ticket package. We had seats to half the games, right in the bullpen next to all the pitchers.

I grew up at Pro Player Stadium. That's where I learned to sing the national anthem. Most of what I remember as a kid stems from time spent running around that place.

Growing up wasn't easy… but sports made it a helluva lot easier. When life was dark, sports offered an escape. We didn't have much, but we had sports. While my cousins went on cruises to Italy and other extravagant vacations… my grandfather took us to games.

In 1997, the Florida Marlins found themselves in the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. I had been to one game in each of the prior rounds, but not the World Series… and then Game 7 was on the docket. I remember my mom picking me up from school early that day. When she did, I knew exactly where we were going.

The Marlins came from behind in the ninth to push it to extra innings, then sealed it in the 11th.

It was unreal, the coolest thing I'd ever experienced. I didn't fully grasp how cool it really was, or how lucky I was to be there, sitting club level for a World Series Game 7 as a seven-year-old.

But wait… people were crying?

"Mom, why are some people crying? They shouldn't be sad, we won!" I asked as confetti poured down around us.

"Those aren't sad tears, those are tears of joy," she told me, through some watery eyes of her own.

It was 24 years before I finally understood that feeling. But we're not there yet in the story.

The Marlins and baseball were my first true love in sports. The Dolphins and football were a close second, and would eventually take the top spot. The Heat were firmly third.

What's a Ute?

In 2004, we moved to Utah. There's a whole story behind that, but we'll stick to sports today.

I stayed true to the Dolphins, Marlins, and Heat, and still do. But you're probably wondering: what about Utah?

At that point, I didn't know what a Utah Ute was. College athletics meant nothing to me outside of filling out a March Madness bracket. That stayed true through high school.

Dolphins, Heat, Marlins — a new pecking order. The Marlins had essentially become a farm team, Dwyane Wade put together one of the greatest NBA Finals performances of all time in 2006, and football was still "Fins Up."

As high school wound down, I started figuring out where I'd go to college. Utah Valley State College was the frontrunner — a chunk of my friends were going. Dixie State was second — my girlfriend was headed there. The University of Utah wasn't really on my radar. Only one person from my graduating class was going.

My mom wasn't thrilled about me picking a college based on where my friends were, so she set up a campus tour at the U. Before we left, she stopped me near the Marriott Library — there's a spot where you can see Rice-Eccles from a great vantage point — and said, "don't you want something like that?" She talked about the college experience, the games, all of it.

I picked up what she was putting down. The University of Utah became the play. In August 2008, I moved into the dorms and became a Utah Ute.

I had no idea the ride I was in for, despite the best efforts of a couple friends I made during orientation. They did get me to sign up for The MUSS, though…

The Tipping Point

It wasn't the moment I stepped on campus that I fell in love with Utah. It wasn't the week one win over Michigan in The Big House. It wasn't even the home opener against UNLV, my first time inside Rice-Eccles, even though I remember that day like it was yesterday.

It was week six.

Oregon State came to town fresh off a win over #1 USC, and I was starting to grasp the playoff-like nature of college football week to week. Utah found itself down eight with a little over two minutes left, then tied it up, got a stop, and kicked a walk-off field goal with what felt like flawless execution.

Fans stormed the field. I followed. It was my first field rush, and being down on the turf with the fans and players, shouting "Let's Go Utah," was the coolest thing I'd ever done. I carried that chant into Area 51's 80s Night later that evening.

I was hooked.

There were so many memories made that season. The TCU game still makes my heart skip. Kyle Whittingham took a picture with me when he delivered The Pie to those camping out for Holy War tickets — I was one of them, and I did it so I could bring my brother. Utah capped it all off by beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to finish perfect. Storybook stuff.

The offseason was brutal. But that's where I found the message boards, the recruiting trail, spring ball, all of it. I was obsessed.

The next season I drove to Eugene for a pre-Pac-12 matchup with the Ducks. I loved the college town feel. Got sent home with my first L as a fan. Didn't matter.

I never looked back. Utah had my whole heart. The Utes and college football became my life, and some of my greatest memories and longest-standing friendships have been built around this program.

Tears of Joy? Found 'Em.

Remember that kid who couldn't make sense of tears of joy, sitting in the middle of a come-from-behind World Series clincher at seven years old?

In 2021, he finally got it. Utah beat Oregon to win its first Pac-12 Championship, and it was the first and only time sports have ever made me cry.

Today, I'm fortunate to have helped build a tight-knit community of Utah fans who share this passion. People with varying levels of obsession, all wearing the same logo. I'm lucky to cover Utah athletics and create content that hopefully brings fans closer to the program.

There's more ride in front of me than behind me.

I can't wait to make more memories. I can't wait to make more friends.

And above all else, I look forward to sharing this with two boys of my own, both of whom think every red thing in the world is Utah Utes, and "we don't like blue."