Fan favorites from the OER Project Community

The OER Project Team

Sports! Baseball, basketball, hockey—at OER Project, we love all of them! Whether you follow a particular player, have a favorite team, or are just there for the (excellent) snacks, sports offer a joyful reprieve from grading papers and planning lessons. Last week, you all came together in the OER Project Community to share your favorite teams. A fun conversation developed—and perhaps one or two new rivalries did too!

We’re highlighting several teachers’ responses below. Want to join in on the fun? Head over to the original post and share your own favorite team!

Hayden Brown brought a little international flair, posting about his love for the West Coast Eagles, an Australian football team. And by football, dear US readers, we mean “soccer.”

Devon Rose and Jason Manning shared the North Carolina teams they follow.

For Devon, it’s NC State:

But Jason prefers Duke!

In spite of the rift this revelation nearly caused, Devon and Jason decided to remain friends, thanks to their common enemy—UNC!

Michael Carman shared that while he is not particularly thrilled by sports, he DOES love a good oddly named sports team: The Toledo Mudhens!

The lone hockey fan, at least in this roundup, shared her love of the New York Rangers. Sherry Atta even used to have season tickets! Hanging out in a crowded stadium sure does feel like a pipe dream right now—but it’s good to have something to look forward to!

Finally, we’re surprising one lucky participant with a gift to say thank you for all of her awesome contributions to the OER Project Community! Read on to learn more about Rebecca Sloat’s favorite sports teams, the dream sporting event she’d love to attend, and the similarities she sees between sports and teaching.

OER Project: How did you come to like your favorite sports teams? Share the origin story.

Rebecca Sloat: Well, as you stated in question 3 there are two teams in my photo. Their origin stories are similar. I grew up in a very sports-oriented family. My brother played soccer and baseball, and my parents took me to all the games. My dad watched football more than anything, and when we were at his house on the weekends, football was always on. The Steelers are my dad’s favorite team, that is where our family on his side are from, which of course  affected my brother and me. We are both huge Steelers fans. The other team in the photo is the Arizona Diamondbacks. While I do watch football, and often bet on the Super Bowl, baseball is my favorite. I understand the game and enjoy going to them. This is how I was able to bond with my mother. We had a difficult relationship high school through college, and after Arizona got the Diamondbacks, my mom got season tickets. She invited me to a couple of games, explained the logistics, (she was the scorekeeper at my brother’s games), and I fell in love. I do not  really watch any other sports. My love of sports also inspired me to coach. When I first started teaching, I wanted to coach baseball, but most athletic directors laughed at me because I am female, so I started coaching girls’ softball and boys’ and girls’ soccer. I have since coached a softball and girls’ soccer team to the championships—and won!—as well as coaching the boys’ soccer team to the championships—which we lost.

OER: You shared several teams in your photo. Which one is your favorite?

RS: They are both my favorite! Football is Steelers, with KC as a close second, and the Diamondbacks are my favorite baseball team. However, if I have to choose, I choose the Diamondbacks, because I enjoy baseball more.

OER: If you could go to any sporting event, which one would it be?

RS: I have been to a lot of baseball games, sometimes in the suites, and twice in the Dbacks’ pool. My absolute dream would be to see my Steelers play, especially at Heinz Field. I have never seen them play live and it would be so awesome! However, because of the pandemic, I really miss going to baseball games. My mom still has season tickets, and I usually go with her to several games, but not since COVID hit.

OER: What's the best food (or drink) you've had at a sporting event?

RS: I am a simple girl. Give me a cold beer and a hotdog, and add in some popcorn or nachos. I will not eat a hotdog at home, I cannot stand them, but a ballpark hotdog with onions and mustard is amazing.

OER: What are some similarities between sports and teaching?

RS: There are so many similarities, except, of course, the pay. Teachers are the coaches. We have people above us telling us how they want us to do our jobs, we have people below us that we are just trying to help be the best possible [versions of] themselves. We give them the pep talks at the half, hoping that some of what we say will inspire them. If we do not do a good job, we could be fired. If we are not satisfied with our current team, we may look for greener pastures. I could go on and on, but you all get it! :)

Want to get in on the fun? Join us in the OER Project Community to talk teaching tips, ask a question, or share your own moments of peace and calm.

Cover image: Composite image left to right: baseball by Chris Chow on Unsplash, basketball by Markus Spiske on Unsplash, hockey by Jerry Yu on Unsplash. All CC0.