*My* team .. *Your* team when does it go too far?

*All names have been changed to protect the guilty*

Who watches football?  Please raise your hand.  Ok, put your hand down you look stupid!  Actually put it back up.  Are your co-workers looking at you funny yet?  Ok, put it down.

Well it is probably no secret to anyone reading this post that I am a huge Cowboys fan (ok, I will give you a few minutes to get all your *boos* out).  Are you done?  Now? 

Good.

But I have a lot of family and friends that cheer for the A-hem Saint's.  See you should be really proud of me I actually put their REALLY name!  I am making progress I assure you.

Well over the past several years the rivalry between these two teams has increased tremendously, I know why but I am not saying anything bad so I am just going to let you decide why you think this is happening.  I think my husband would DIE I just made a sentence that long.  Sorry honey but you aren't here to check my punctuation and the show must go on.

A few years ago a *friend*, we will call him Steve.  Why Steve?  I have no idea it was just the first name that popped in my head.

Anyhow...

On Christmas several years ago *Steve* gave me a Christmas present, I was very excited to see what was in the nicely wrapped box.  Only to be very disappointed when I opened it to find a t-shirt.. a Saint's t-shirt.  sigh  I chuckled and hung it in the closet.  One it was a medium (have you seen my body?) and 2 it was promoting a team that I did not care for and they were rivals of *my* team.  I couldn't betray *my* team like that... EVER!

So it hung nicely in my closet for a whole year.  I swear every time I walked into my closet I heard *pick me pick me*.  Shut up stupid shirt!

Until the day finally came when I did pick that shirt, I swear I think it smiled at me and gave me a wink!  But oh no mr. stupid shirt I am not going to wear you I am giving you back to your rightful owner.  I bought Steve a new Saint's shirt with his name on it and everything, well because I am just nice like that.  He didn't deserve it but I loved him enough to be nice.  But I had to be funny, because well I am funny, and I nicely wrapped the new shirt in the bottom of a pretty Christmas bag and put the *old never worn shirt* on top. 

I think Steve thought the joke was funny, I mean he did chuckle.  I did not see that shirt again until last year when the Saint's FINALLY (sorry I am telling you this is a work in progress) made it to their 1st Super Bowl. 

I hear a knocking on the front door, dog goes nuts barking, I look outside and see our wonderful UPS man getting in his truck.  Ooooh I like when the UPS man comes, he always brings fun stuff! 

pssshhh

It had my name on it and I saw it was from Steve.  I thought that is odd, Steve usually tells me when he is shipping me something.  I am frantically and excitedly peeling off the MANY layers of tape off the box anxious to see what is inside of this box. 

Stupid tape!

Is it possible to sigh and laugh at the same time?  Because that is exactly what I did when I pulled out.. you guessed it..

Do you know what it is?

Yup, the Saint's t-shirt this time with a note that said "wear it proud who dat who dat".  This time I chose to hang *it* in the front hall closet that I never open until Christmas time to get my decorations.  That way I didn't have to hear *pick me pick me* every single time I went to get dressed for the day.

I would also like to point out that Steve and I email on a regular bases and every.single.email Steve sends is ended with who dat who dat.  I swear I want to shoot my brains out when I hear that! 

Cowboy fans can we PLEASE come up with some catchy phrase that will just make all the other team fans cringe?

Well it finally happened, dooms day.  The Saint's made into the playoffs this year. (was going to make a sigh sound here but I am trying to get better, give me time people).  We all know how that game went. Well I just couldn't hardly wait for the clock to hit 0 to send Steve a text!  (because my dear husband ALWAYS reminds me that in football ANYTHING can happen and I need to keep my big mouth shut until the clock hits 0.  I think he just asks WAY too much of me!)

Here was the text that happened EXACTLY the moment the clock hit 0:

Me:  Who dat who dat the Seahawks dat who!

Steve:  For sure wasn't the cowgirls dat!

Me:  Nor the aint's. bahahaha  (I probably should have left the last part out, may have taken it too far)

Steve: At least they were playing football today & not just playing with themselves.  (oh snap! good one Steve)

Me:  They have plenty of time to play with themselves now.  And got beat by a team with a losing record.. even made history doing it.  Awesome!  (yeah I really should have just stopped but in my head I was like ... Steve would TOTALLY be doing this if it were the Cowboys)

You know what.. this went on for a few more minutes and then I get this:

Steve:  Get a life.

GASP!  What?  Uh Oh Steve is mad now! 

Then Steve stops talking to me and I get this text from his wife:

Wife:  this is (Steve's wife) (can I just say DUH I know who you are because my *smart phone* tells me)  why don't you and Steve knock it off already!  know you r not a fan of the saints.. but we are.  there comes a time when playful bantering becomes disrespectful (what?  just because I said they have time to play with themselves you think I am being disrespectful?  he said it first about the Cowboys thank you very much!)  I know you r a Dallas fan.. & that's your right.  (now that I am re-reading this I think it is awesome she took the time to hit the # key to put the ' in *that's* but couldn't spell out ARE.  I love you Steve's wife please don't hurt me).  Steve has often said he would not tease you about Dallas if u didn't start it first (really did I hit my head and wake up in pre-school).  why doesn't everyone just give it a rest.. kinda takes the fun out of football for me personally.. now u can be mad at me if u choose.. but I've kept quiet long enough.

Me:  GASP!!  *sniff sniff* Cry WHAT?  Ok, I did not write that back that was how I was feeling.  Once I settled down I wrote back:

You are kidding me right?!?!?!  You can't be serious???  Who gave ME a t-shirt of the Saint's???  I have never given him ANYTHING that has to do with the Cowboys.  (I am leaving a little out here to protect the guilty)  And let's also mention that every.single.email he sends me has who dat who dat at the end.  So the way I see it is its ok for him to tease ME but God forbid I say a ***** word and I get my *** chewed out.  Well ok thanks Steve's wife.

I sent Steve an apology and an email and I didn't hear anything back for almost 2 days.  (this broke my heart because I thought OMG have I lost a REALLY good friend over FOOTBALL???)

Well apparently it just took Steve a little time to get over it and I finally got an email.  And guess what?  NO WHO DAT at the end.  I am so proud of Steve.  By the way, I still haven't gotten an apology for the whole *get a life* comment but I might just let that one go.  :)

Is this the longest blog in the history of long blogs?

Well, I guess my whole point to this story is/was does it REALLY matter if *my* team wins or *your* team wins?  Has the bantering gone too far?  Probably so.

This has made me really stop and think, is it really worth upsetting a family member or a friend because their team lost?  Wouldn't we teach our kids that is poor sportsmanship?  Yes, yes we would.  So why do we continue to do it?  Because for 5 minutes it makes you *feel good* but then you have truly hurt someone you care about?  Well, not for me.  Not anymore.  I am DONE! 

Now I will still high five my husband and kids when *our* team wins or makes and awesome play.  And I will probably still post YAY DALLAS or something equally as lame on my fb status when they win (Come on Dallas I am begging you, can you help a girl out and just win a little more?).  But I will NEVER EVER *taunt* another fan from another team because their team didn't win a game.  And I will ask for the same from you.

But when the day comes, God forbid, and I lose Steve.  I will make sure he spends eternity in/with his Saint's shirt, because I just love him that much. 

For now I will keep it safely in the closet.

Note from Saint's shirt:

HEY YOU GUYS READING THIS.. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME OUT AND GET ME OUT OF THIS CLOSET?  SHE NEVER EVEN CHECKS ON ME TO MAKE SURE I AM OK!  IT IS REALLY DARK IN HERE!  HELLO .. ANYONE.. ANYONE???

Shut up stupid shirt or I will put you in a hot dryer!