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Camaraderie is one of my favorite words in the English dictionary, simply because it’s used to describe a variety of situations. It can be applied as an adjective to describe a college’s student body, or a verb to describe an ideal workplace attitude, OR simply a feeling of belonging. I mean, we all want to feel like we belong and make an impact, am I right? But the essence of camaraderie is much more than just being somewhere, it’s actually investing yourself in where you are and belonging to something bigger than yourself, like sports.

Too many people watching sports might seem silly or maybe it just seems like a waste of time; but to New Englander’s sports are a pillar of connection. No matter where you’re from, whether you’re athletic or maybe not so athletic (cough, cough me); sports culture is key to our community, identity and sense of home. Now maybe that’s a lot of weight to put on the shoulders of the few New England sports teams, but I believe whether they win or lose, our sports teams shape our community. I mean, they even have an impact on the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the songs that resonate with us.

More often than not, I’ve found myself living outside of New England, yet no matter how far I traveled, I still found my little corner of New England. How did I do this, you ask? Well, I often did it by finding New England sports bars; I even wrote a whole post listing my favorite New England Patriots bars, outside of New England, here! So whether you’re moving to a new city or feeling homesick towards the city you left, getting involved in a cities sports scene can make you feel a part of something even when you’re in a completely new place. Trust me, I know this from experience. 

However, now that I’m back in New England, I made it a priority to get up to Fenway a few times per season. Traveling to Fenway, depending on Cape Cod traffic, can be a challenge but nothing will stop me from arriving at my seats properly dressed for the game. In fact, Vineyard Vines just launched a bunch of new Red Sox items that are SO GOOD (classic Red Sox pun)! I actually laughed out loud when I found out they named the shirt I’m wearing above the ‘EDSFSGSGSG shirt’. Anyway, Matt decided to stand out in this embroidered Winstead stripe performance polo and I sized down to a small in the EDSFSGSGSG shirt, from the men’s department. All and all we got complimented on our attire all day long, and I felt so lucky to have the chance to live so close to such an amazing and camaraderie focused city.  

I guess what I’m trying to say is, whenever I’m feeling lost, overwhelmed or just discouraged; I turn to sports. Overall, these last couple weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions, and as I’ve started searching for a home in Connecticut, I’ve found myself feeling more disconnected from my community than ever. I think, that’s kind of normal to feel when stress strikes or maybe it’s just a me thing, but either way, it was a feeling I just couldn’t seem to shake. So, this past Sunday I decided to sneak away from open houses and reconnect with my favorite New England community gathering spot, Fenway Park. The energy and enthusiasm that comes from the thousands of Bostonians gathered here is contagious, I kid you not. It’s hard not to smile and feel like you belong, amongst such passionate and excited fans. It also doesn’t hurt that I often bump into a few TCC readers at the park, meeting you guys refuels my energy each and every time. Now I want to hear from you! Are you a baseball fan? If so what team? Matt and I eventually want to visit every baseball park and I’d love to hear where you think we should head next. 

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