Sreyas Week 2: More Than One Team
Throughout elementary school, the TV in my house was occupied every Monday, Thursday and Sunday. And every single time, it was American Football. At that time, I believed that the TV would have been put to better use to watch All Hail King Julian on Netflix. Over the summer in third grade, I had gone to visit my uncle in Texas, and I thought I would finally have the TV to myself.
But the TV was now occupied by a different sport: cricket. I had never actually seen a full match of this sport before, only segments. But one play from the TV caught my eye. An English player running backwards at full speed, jumping and doing a full 180 degree turn and somehow catching the ball with one hand. I was mesmerized.
But then the next day, India was playing a game. My uncle woke me up at 6:30 a.m. just to watch the game, but that's when it hit me. It’s for India. Being Indian had never been something I could ever really brag about anywhere, but in cricket, that was a whole different story. The Indian national team was so dominating, it was as if the rest of the teams consisted of amateurs. After that, I had a new goal: playing for India.
Of course that wouldn’t really happen, but it got me thinking. I grew up in an Indian family, with Indian parents, eating Indian food on a daily basis, but was somehow considered an American. For a long time I had always assumed that I was Indian and that if the time ever came for me to choose, I would choose my Indian side, my true heritage.
But that day of choosing came much sooner than expected. It was June 12th, 2024. My family was on vacation in Switzerland. The whole day, while we were walking around, there was only one thing on my mind: the USA vs India match of the 2024 Cricket World Cup. I so vividly remember myself taking my dad’s phone to find a stream for the game.
The second the stream loaded, I saw an Indian batsmen getting out, and it was Virat Kohli, arguably the best batter in the world at the time. Before the game, I had already imagined myself cheering for India, but something changed. I don’t know what happened, but I found myself smiling and cheering when the USA gained an early edge. It happened so quickly, but the rest of the game I found myself cheering for the red, white, and blue.
The reaction surprised me because supporting the United States didn’t feel like I was rejecting India. India represented my heritage, family, and culture. The United States represented the place where I grew up and formed memories. Wanting the U.S. to win told me that America had become a part of my identity too. Identity was never a choice between two sides. It was the space created by both.
Hi Sreyas! Despite not being a sports fanatic myself, I found your post very relatable. As an American-born Indian, I have also experienced those clashes between my American and Indian identities. Whether it is the slang I use or the American accent that prevails when I speak Hindi, I always feel a divide from my cousins in India. Fortunately, growing up in a heavily South Asian-populated area means I never felt out of place at home, surrounded by friends who all shared the experience of balancing two cultures.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this cultural gap becomes painfully obvious when I visit India. Mid-conversation, my cousin used an unfamiliar word in Hindi. Despite Hindi being my first language, English has become my primary and comfortable language. While everyone broke into laughter, I had to ask what the word meant and felt like an outsider. Turns out, that word was a derogatory term for someone perceived as overly flashy and tacky, and trying too hard to appear “cool.” Another instance was when I brought up the topic of Halloween to my cousins. Celebrating in costumes and trick-or-treating was a foreign concept to them, making me feel odd for celebrating my American traditions.
Moments like these initially disconnect me from my Indian roots. But reading your post reminded me that they do not define you; just like how you surprised yourself by cheering for the red, white, and blue, identity is not an “either-or” choice. It is the space created by every experience, like participating in the Diwali pooja in my Halloween costume on “Diwaloween” 2024!
Hi Sreyas! I'm not as big into sports as I was before but I've actually had very similar experiences myself. Back when FIFA was still happening I took a surprising interest thanks to the Hatsunemiku custody battle joke going on. I'm one of the newer vocaloid fans which was why this happen to catch my eye.
ReplyDeleteWhen first watching the FIFA games, I never really considered who I would support. I mainly just saw games here and there but never really got into them. That's when I saw Brazil, the joking current owner of hatsunemiku, lose to Norway. Norway then, again jokingly became the new owner of Hatsunemiku and I also saw all the Haaland memes for the first time. This was when I truly found a team I wanted to support.
I know I don't really have any cultural connections to Norway but I what I did have connection to was Japan. I currently am a massive fan of a concerning amount of Japanese content. Since I never really felt any meaningful connection to China Japanese culture was what I attached myself to. After seeing Japan pass the torch to Brazil and then Norway, I felt a connection with the other people who embraced Norwegian Hatsunemiku which was why I choose Norway to support.