Shailesh Ingale

Growing up in the Washington DC suburbs in the late 1980s, it was nearly impossible to not become a football fan. The Washington Redskins were in the middle of the Joe Gibbs dynasty, and my first memories of watching sports were in the buildup to Super Bowl XXII in 1988.

At eight, I didn’t really understand football, but I did understand the contempt I felt seeing John Elway smiling on the sidelines after the Broncos went up 10-0. Of course, that was the preamble for one of the most historic quarters in NFL history, and a 42-10 Redskins win. The rest was history. From that point on, no matter how good the team was or what they were even named, the Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders were my team.

On an early April day in 1989, I came home from school to find that the Jetsons weren’t on TV. Instead it was Orioles opening day. That day, I had no understanding of the challenge they were facing. The previous year, the Orioles started 0-21 before earning their first win, and on that 1989 day they were facing the Red Sox and future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens. The Orioles won that game, and went on to a historic season. And for the many decades since that afternoon, I just kept watching, listening and eventually streaming.

In 1998, I started my first semester at the University of Illinois. Even though I grew up on the east coast, attending college in the midwest had become a tradition in my family. Illini sports has always been a bit spotty, but I lucked out that they somehow won the football and basketball Big Ten Championships in my six years there.

Somewhere in all that, I discovered that physical activity was the best way to keep my mind sharp and make myself productive. My first attempts to run regularly were my freshman year of college— and going from my dorm to the football stadium and back (1.5 miles) seemed like an accomplishment. That eventually led me to a dozen or so half-marathons and four full marathons in my 20s and 30s. My love of physical activity has stuck with me and grown since then— I’ve become an avid runner, hiker, biker, lifter, swimmer — really anything that leaves my entire body slightly sore when I get in bed at night.

By 2018, I still loved playing and watching sports, but I found it was just tough to dedicate three hours in an afternoon or evening to do that. That’s when I discovered the English Premier League. 9am on a Saturday is the perfect time to watch sports, drink coffee and plan my weekend. My choice of a club (Everton), was somewhat random, but I quickly discovered an amazing community in Everton supporters. I’ve made a couple of trips to see them in England, and found that there’s a tight-knit group of ex-pat Liverpudlians in Chicago. My bond with Everton was sealed in a 2022 game against Crystal Palace. Everton came back from 2-0 to win, and fought off almost-certain relegation that day.