Every team’s victory is another team’s defeat, and the stakes were high two Sundays ago when the New England Patriots I was raised on played the Denver Broncos, the team that hails from Eric’s hometown.  In the ten years since we moved to Boston, Eric has happily come into the Red Sox fray.  Because of his Sox allegiance, my father innocently assumed that Eric had similarly converted to be a Pats fan.  The morning of the AFC championship game, I overheard a conversation that went like this between Eric and my father:

Dad: So, I guess the conversations between you and your family might get a little heated this evening, disagreeing about who should win.

Eric: Well, it is not such a big deal, since I am a Broncos fan.

Dad, with a perplexed expression on his face: Uh-huh….

A moment of tension, as Dad prepared himself for the inevitably disappointing statement.

Eric: Yeah, we’re rooting for the Broncos.

Dad inhales, unsure if he should butt in about how we raise our kids.

Eric continues: Well, we are raising our kids Jewishly, so I got to pick the football team.

Suddenly, the tension dissipated entirely.  My father chuckled.  

Dad: Fair enough, fair enough.

Choosing a football team is not on par with choosing a religion, at least not in either of our extended families.  But Eric’s choice of the Broncos is symbolic of something that is extremely significant for both of us – Judaism isn’t the only choice we get to make about what kind of family we are.  It is important to us that our children are raised with a mix of traditions that bring them closer to both sides of our extended families.

Rooting for the Broncos has been very special in that regard.  Sunday afternoons and evenings, Eric’s phone is abuzz with calls and texts about the Broncos plays, and for the span of the game the distance between Boston and Denver feels that much shorter.  Colorado is a really magical place, and rooting for the Broncos helps the girls tie their identity to the home of their grandparents, aunt and uncle and cousins that much more.

So tonight, Ruthie can stay up late to root for Peyton Manning.  Hopefully there can be some FaceTime during the game with homebase in her grandparents’ living room.  I will watch the rooting with a smile on my face.  Mum’s the word on who my team will be.