When you love sports, both watching and playing, you are not in the majority in the gay world. 😊
I’m not here to promote stereotypes around gay vs. straight identities and what defines masculinity – Lord knows I’m still a work in progress! What I do know is sports are not popular (more like non-existent) among my peer group and more importantly, I’m not around many folks who are from Boston and don’t share the same religious fervor for my hometown teams: the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots.
Mentally, sports were something that connected my family and my community.
Growing up in Boston during the 1980s was a privilege – I saw Larry Bird in his prime work his magic on the court (three straight MVPs!) as well as those well-constructed Celtic teams that went to the NBA finals five times from 1981 to 1987. At the same time, Boston was and will always be a Red Sox town. They were loveable losers who couldn’t overcome the relentless Yankees and when they finally reached the World Series in 1986 and lost in the most heartbreaking fashion to the Mets, we were all devastated. Fun Fact: there was a campus riot at my college in Western Massachusetts after the Sox blew Game 6.
Physically, sports allowed me to semi-excel when I was young. I was athletic and had lots of energy (read: hyper, LOL) and sports allowed me to belong with the other kids despite my small stature. I was tiny and fast, so playing soccer and basketball allowed me to be competitive on the field/court. My brother and I were often on the same team and it’s great to think back on how often we were teammates.
Passionately loving Boston sports is a sense of pride
I love memorizing facts and team stats and reminiscing all the championships since 2001. We really have been blessed with all the championship banners, especially the Patriots and the Red Sox. I also love the tradition associated with loving my hometown teams. I’ll always identify that way, through good times and bad.
Peter Leahy
A self-proclaimed “ideas guy,” I’ve worked in marketing for over twenty-five years. After years of sadness, emptiness and self-loathing, I finally came out of the closet in 2013 and reinvented myself. Now happily married to my husband for over two years, we live in California with our Chihuahua Felicia, the queen of our household.
