There is no I in team, but there is one in Tigers

As a life long fan I am dealing with an age old question of etiquette. When talking about your favorite team, which set of pronouns do you use? There are two choices:  first person and third person. If you want to use third person, that is your prerogative and I respect your decision. However, I believe in the right to use first person  (given you meet the below criteria). Through reading other blogs, listening to podcast, etc. I have seen a lot of negative sentiment towards using first person pronouns when talking about your favorite sports team. The conversation usually goes something like this:

"The Tigers look terrible are you concerned?"

"Its been a bad start but once we get back Zumaya and Rodney things will pick up."

"We? Are you on the team?"

"Yes, I am on the Tigers, that is why I go to school full-time and write a blog about baseball. Jackass."

Things typically escalate from here and my wife again has to bail me out of jail. Why do I take such offense to people questioning my pronoun usage? Because I have lived and died with the Tigers since I was 5 years old, which is not only longer than any Tiger has been with the organization, but is as long as Tiger outfielder Matt Joyce has been alive. I think I have earned the right as a fan to speak of the team in terms of 'we'. When the Tigers beat the A's in the ALCS in 2006 I have dozens of phone calls and text messages of congratulations - people know I am part of the team - albeit not in the traditional sense.

If you too want to be part of a team, any team, you must meet the following criteria:

1. There can only be one personally possessive team per sport - no "we" referring to the American League East.

2. You have to either a. Have put in 5+ years as a fan or b. put in 2+ years as a fan during losing seasons. You are not automatically granted personal pronoun status, this must be earned.

3. You must truly live and die with this team. If you are from Baltimore, grew up an O's fan, but now have no idea who Daniel Cabrera is - you have lost the right to be a part of the team. Being part of the team requires dedication at all times (not just during the playoff run).

I leave you on Wednesday hoping we can salvage a game against the Angels. The pitching has been great in the series, we are just waiting for the offense to show up.