Lost My Beanie.

AFL football is a winter sport here and often played in atrocious weather. Thus supporters rug up well to protect themselves from the weather. Thus hats, gloves and scarves are very popular, so much so, that there is a big market for them in the various team’s colours.

In the kiosk where I work, it gets rather cold in the winter and although I have a heater for my lower half, my ears often get cold. So last year I bought a cheap black beanie somewhere and wore it for a while but it was a bit short and didn’t properly cover my ears, so seeing some even cheaper Beanies in AFL Football team colours, I decided to buy a Tiger’s one and wear my Team’s colours proudly on my Head. At the time it was a brave (Silly?) thing to do as we were languishing at 15 out of 16 teams, although we did end the year at number 9. As a result of proudly wearing my team’s colours, I copped a lot of flack from the supporters of the other 15 teams. None the less I survived that, as it seems we usually do.

At the end of last winter I put my Beanie away and evidently lost it. This winter it is again staring to get really cold again (for me, if not everyone,) and I needed something to keep my ears warm again. Unfortunately I can’t find my Tiger’s beanie anywhere. I know where a black one is but not the one in my Team’s colours. Which in itself is not really a big problem now as I no longer need to advertise that I support the Tigers, because as they have yet to win after 8 games I have been copping a lot of flack over it. Although it has to be a good 8 or 9 months since I last wore the colours, very few have forgotten whom I support or how badly they are currently going, and take every opportunity to tell me so. None the less I would still wear my Tiger Beanie again if I could only find it.

What about you? Are you proud to wear your heart on your sleeve, or your team’s beanie on your head, or do you keep your affiliations secret to avoid notice?

Are you proud to support your affiliations in the good times and the bad? Or are you just a “Fair weather friend”? The Tigers were a great team once and I believe they will be again and I am not ashamed to be known as one; in the bad times as well as the good. What about you? Are you proud of what you do and support? Why not?