Tween Me would loathe Dad Me.Tween Me is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan: calling the local D.C.-area cable company on a weekly basis to beg that they add WGN to our system so I can watch Cubs games. Playing the 1984 Strat-O-Matic season as the Cubs over and over, for years past the actual glorious Next Year Is Here 84 season itself. Showing up at baseball camp insisting I play second base, just like my hero Ryne Sandberg.I came by my Cubs fandom honestly, like all of our kids do: biologically. My dad is from Chicago and is a lifelong Cubs fan. He passed that down to me. At that formative moment when I was creating a fan consciousness, his fandom was imprinted on it.To his credit, he didnt impose it on me; I embraced it, most certainly as one meaningful way to connect with him. Family trips to Chicago to visit my grandparents would include breathless El rides to Wrigley, slack-jawed access to watch all those day games on local TV and mornings poring over the local newspaper coverage I didnt get at home.When I got to college in Chicago, I was sure I was in heaven -- my freshman facebook entry (lowercase f, obviously) included Chicago Cubs among my declared interests.Twenty-five years later, that die-hard Cubs fan is long gone. Im wearing a Nats hat. My kids and I are glued to Bryce, Max, Trea and the crew in the playoffs. If it comes down to the Nats and Cubs for the chance to play for a World Series title, my allegiances will be with my hometown team.Tween me is more than a little upset. He is desperate to know what happened. How does that kind of childhood passion for a team fade?I have thought about it a lot. Ironically, I think that relocating to Chicago for college most changed the dynamic for me -- I thought I would love the shared, social immersion of my fandom with legions just like me. Instead, I found that part of my love for the team was precisely because I felt a form of exceptionalness about it. Growing up in a sea of Orioles fans, being a Cubs fan gave me an identity. Among millions of other Cubs fans -- many of whom were vastly more invested than me -- I felt a little lost. Partly, it was also because I found a new sport to become obsessed with: college football. And, yes, partly it was the Sisyphean task of being a die-hard Cubs fan.Tween Me would be beside himself over this treachery. However, Dad Me is heartened by the fact that my kids have developed their own nature-and-nurture connection to a team -- its not my childhood team, of course; its their childhood team.As a parent and a fan, it is so fulfilling to have introduced them to a team and had it stick. (As fans born in the aughts, many of their other team allegiances are as defined by geography-defying NFL Red Zone or NBA League Pass as any other factor.)Meanwhile, their enthusiasm for their home team enhances my own feeling about that team. It is so easy -- too easy -- to take a wearying, anxiety-laden adult perspective on your team, but proximity to child-like enthusiasm is the antidote.I find it impossible to project too far down the road with their fandom -- after all, when I was their age, I could never could have predicted where things would have ended up three decades later.Instead of a Cubs hat, I join them wearing a Curly W. Instead of a Sandberg T-shirt, we put on our Bryce Harper shirts. We commiserate and celebrate with the other fans in random moments, like on line at the grocery store. They clip and save the newspaper sports section front pages and would certainly beg for us to buy all the garish championship merchandise. Through them, I am trying to recapture the unbridled baseball-fan joy of Tween Me.Unquestionably, I forfeited the opportunity to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime moment for die-hard Cubs fans who have been willing to put in the effort and embrace the kid-projecting earnestness of being a real fan. But sharing in my own kids enthusiasm during this playoff run is not a bad consolation, regardless of how the team finishes the month.That said, from my own experience, there is a lesson I want to impart to them from this: You can pick up new favorites along the way, but dont ever lose the original fan faith you had as a kid.Tween Me deserved better, but Dad Me is trying to make up for lost time.Dan Shanoff writes about parenting for espnW. You can connect with him on Twitter at @danshanoff or follow along with his sports-parenting adventures on Instagram at @danshanoff. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Aj-Klein-Jersey/ . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Thomas-Morstead-Jersey/ . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Ryan-Ramczyk-Jersey/ . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Marcus-Williams-Jersey/ . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Manti-Teo-Jersey/ . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. SAN ANTONIO -- The team attempted to keep it private, but San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is doing more than just speaking to reporters about social issues, according to a couple of Twitter posts Monday from scholar and activist Dr. Cornel West and The Nation sports editor Dave Zirin.Over the summer, Popovich reached out to youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. On Sunday, the coach invited West to speak in San Antonio to approximately 350 kids at the Jo Long Theatre of Performing Arts at the Carver Community Cultural Center. The event lasted 3 or 4 hours, Popovich said, and included the entire Spurs team and basketball staff, as well as owners Peter and Julianna Holt.Zirin served as the moderator for the event, which covered the gamut, Popovich said.It was big time. Cornel West is amazing, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. Hes been fighting that fight for a long time. Hes very clear, very well-spoken, had a lot of examples and names. He was right there. I had listened to a few of his interviews, and its just mesmerizing to listen to him. So it was good to get to meet him and to listen to him face to face. And if you add that to the fact that there were 350 kids from Sam Houston High School learning and listening, I think it was very powerful. It was a great, great move.Popovich has been outspoken over the years regarding social issues, and he hasnt shied away in recent days from expressing his views regarding the presidential election. This event, however, had been planned well in advance of the election, and the team took its time putting it together because Popovich wanted Sundays town hall with the local youth to be more substantiaal than a one-time visit.ddddddddddddIt was about the kids, Popovich said. In todays environment, one can talk a good game about we need this or we need that. We need fewer disparaging remarks. We need more attention to healing the atmosphere for a lot of minority groups, whether its racial or things that have been said about women or handicapped people or any such talk is just talk. But at some point, theres got to be follow-through where people are engaged.The Spurs plan to conduct more outreach activities with local youth. Much of the discussion during Sundays town hall focused on what young minorities face on a daily basis.The purpose of it was to show the kids that even though the environment is as it is, and weve heard some pretty rough talk through the election, that there are people, many people at all levels who value them greatly, Popovich said. They dont need to be as fearful or feel less than because we know who they are. We depend on them for the future.Popovich said the town hall conversation touched on a variety of topics, including race in America, sports, economics and the fatal shooting of a San Antonio police detective during a traffic stop Sunday.Of course that was pretty poignant considering the tragedy we had losing a police officer (Benjamin Marconi) through just horrible violence. But thats what it was all about, Popovich said. The kids were great. It was as simple as that. We just wanted to be there for them so that they know we want to interact with them, and that a lot of people care. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '