Perhaps there’s no other team more synonymous with baseball than the Boston Red Sox. From their brightly colored logo to rabid fans like the Fenway hat lady, the Boston Red Sox, is not only Boston’s team but the team of an entire region.
I should start by mentioning the obvious: no, I am not from Boston. I do not have a Boston accent. I am from Florida. This article will be more of an outsider’s perspective, so please forgive me if I get certain facts wrong or misinterpreted. There are no other fans in baseball like Boston Red Sox fans; they are diehard fans in every sense of the word, from naming their children after their favorite player to encouraging their child to wear their favorite player’s number when playing little league. There’s nothing these fans won’t do to show their pride.
When I graduated from high school, I went on a trip to Boston to celebrate. One of the places my mother and I went to is Fenway Park, and man, it was an experience like no other. Their team store was packed to the brim, which made me a little more thankful I was able to get a Mookie Betts jersey, but that’s not even half of it.
We were told by our Uber driver, Carl, who immigrated from France to Boston, that an hour or two prior to game time, they close the street. At first, I was skeptical because I thought “OK, it’s just a baseball game,” but when I saw that line, I was completely floored. This is what Sports should be and from that day forward, I decided in my mind that there’s no fan base like the Boston Red Sox fanbase.
When I walked into that stadium, it was unlike anything I’ve heard. It was (to be corny) heaven. I remember not wanting to leave to go back to our hotel. It was that surreal. I’m even getting chills thinking about it as I write this today. It is purely indescribable. You have to experience it yourself. 500 words can’t do it justice.
Growing up, I had always thought that Boston fans were (how do I put this nicely…) not the best people and that can be attributed to the trauma that I received from watching my beloved Dolphins get clobbered by Tom Brady every year. No, I only kid. But they definitely changed my perception of who Boston sports fans are and the entire city of Boston.
If you want to know what it’s like to feel the thrill at a game in Fenway Park, after you’re done reading this article, be sure to look up the song dirty water by the Standells or Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. Those will give you the essence of exactly what it feels like to step into the hollowed grounds of Fenway Park.
I am forever grateful for the hospitality that we received that day. Here’s hoping that I get to come back soon.
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