The Gambling Sportsfan's Dilemma

I have a dilemma. If Michigan State makes the final, I am guaranteed at least a tie for first place in my office pool. They are playing the only team I really root for year in and year out in college basketball in UConn. So what do I do? Do I cheer for my wallet or do I cheer for my team?

 

Normally this isn't much of a problem. In fantasy baseball, I usually shy away from taking Red Sox players and even if I do, it rarely, if ever, comes down to one game that I would have to root against my beloved Yankees. I never bet on hockey or basketball so my Rangers and Knicks are safe, though I feel I missed out on opportunities to bet against the Knicks the past several seasons. The Giants are usually my only "dilemma" as far as the Big 4 sports go. I've done fantasy football which usually does come down to one of two key matchups and I do a pick league (based on the point spread) which sometimes has me rooting for teams I never should. I never actually root against the G-men, though. My Big Blue loyalty runs much deeper than any monetary value.

 

But college basketball is tricky. I was born a college basketball orphan. There is no team in New York City. St. John's is the closest but even when they were good, I never liked their teams. Syracuse is one New York school which has good sports teams but they were too far away to really be considered a home team. The first college basketball game I remember watching was during the 1990 season. In that NCAA tournament that year, Tate George hit "The Shot" to beat Clemson (before losing on a buzzer-beater to Duke in the next round). I really got into UConn basketball, though, watching the Huskies backcourt of Ray Allen and Doron Sheffer. The latter, an Israeli, became my basketball Koufax. In their final season, I will always remember Ray Allen's last-second, off-balance floater to cap a 12-0 run (and erasing a 74-63 lead with 4 minutes left) to beat Allen Iverson's Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden.

 

Since then, I've been a UConn fan. But not a fan big enough that if they lost a game, I get really upset...except when they've gotten knocked out of the tournament. So there is my dilemma. So when the Final Four begins in Detroit, I will be rooting against my wallet or my team...I haven't really decided yet. It may be a sign of getting older or the tough economic climate, but I think I may be rooting for my wallet for the first time.