RedsArmy presents Fan Friday #35: “The Graduate”

23 year old Ryan is a die-hard Celtics fan and loyal reader of RedsArmy. When I received an email saying that he was interested in participating in Fan Friday, I was thrilled.

Ryan is close friends with last week’s featured fan, Timmy:

 I have been a Celtics fan since the year 2000 when i was 11 and decided to turn on a game on the tv one night. No one in my family was a sports fan or followed any teams, but I had always played sports and once I started watching the games I came to love the team and the game of basketball more and more. I met Timmy through my sister who had gone to school with him back in 2006 and through basketball and the Celtics, we had that instant connection as friends. He has taught me well with his Halftime Pizza and Greatest Bar tradition before every game.

When it comes to all-time favorite Celtics, Ryan’s choice might surprise you. I’ll give you a hint-heart, grit & grind:

  All-Time favorite has to be TA. As you can see I am a big fan of the underdog/hustle players who most games won’t do much, but always come out with 100% effort and sometimes make the game-changing plays that won’t show up in the box score. I love the way TA plays the game and the passion he had with a Celtic uniform on. In 2006-07 when Paul Pierce was out with an injury for a long stretch, TA came out of the gates and took over as the offensive and defensive leader and really showed what he was capable of doing on the court.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSYN4DbituA

Ryan gets to the Garden for games whenever he can. To him, watching the Celtics play is not only enjoyable, but it’s also a stress-reliever of sorts. I certainly can relate to him:

The Celtics are important to me because they get my mind off of everything else going on in my life and give me something to look foreword to each night they are playing. I graduated college just over a year ago and haven’t been able to find a job in the event’s field of work or even get an interview from anyone. Because of this, I have to live paycheck to paycheck at a dead end job, barely able to pay my bills/loans, applying to jobs every week with no response. This is where the Celtics come in. I need the game experience every so often to keep my head clear and get rid of the stresses. Nothing compares to the energy you feel when you walk into the Garden, the chills you get when you watch the opening video and they are getting ready for the opening tip. The games put me in a whole different state of mind and being a fan in Boston compares to no other

I want to thank Ryan for participating, and you can follow him on Twitter here. 

Thank you all for reading, and Happy Holidays from all of us at Red’sArmy! UBUNTU.