My Four-Year-Old Son Is Cheering for the Team I Hate the Most… What Do I Do?

The Yankees. My son is cheering for the Yankees.

Now, I didn’t ask for much when I became a parent. All I wanted was a healthy kid and a mutual love for the same sports team…

IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?

On the one hand, he has his health, which I am grateful for and yada yada yada, but when I heard a "GO YANKEES" pour out of my son’s mouth yesterday, my health immediately started to decline. It left a pit in my stomach that made me want to puke or cry. Maybe both.

How did we get here? Did I fail as a fan? No. I was sideswiped. I was bamboozled. I was screwed from the second we signed him up for daycare.

If you live in Tampa and you are a baseball fan, there are really only two ways to go: Yankees or Rays. I, of course, chose the latter.

The Yankees have had a stranglehold on this town from the beginning since they set up their Spring Training shop right in the heart of the city. It’s a stranglehold that I’ve been fighting publicly and privately for years. The Rays are our team; this is not New York.

Little did I know, while I was fighting the good fight, my son was being brainwashed by his little friends whose dads happen to work for the Evil Empire. I DIDN’T EVEN SEE IT COMING.

So now I'm stuck. While of course, I want to support his individuality and freedom to express himself, I now have a son who is a Yankees fan. What do I do?

I want to be a good dad above everything else, but I’m worried that he may want me to purchase some form of Yankees gear at some point. So, not only am I supporting his love for my enemy, but now I am giving my hard-earned money to the Evil Empire.

Any help from more experienced dads would be appreciated because I am at a crossroads. I can either support my son’s newfound love of the pinstripes or disown him… Not really. But you get the idea.

HELP!