The Band-Wagoners and the Fan
After the Saints vs. Panthers
playoff game where the Saints lost their chance to go to the Super bowl, a group
of friends who formerly claimed to be Saints fanatics were degrading and
condemning the team of Cajun decent with great contempt.
“What a team of horribly
disappointing players,” one of them blurted as he took off his Saints foam
finger and threw it to the ground.
“Yeah, Brees didn’t even take his
head out of the ground long enough to throw the ball farther than his nose,” another
so rudely declared, throwing his hands in the air.
“I knew I should have been a
Panther’s fan from the start. I’m getting rid of all my black and gold clothes
as soon as I can. Goodwill can deal with them now,” scoffed the third. The
conversation had been going on like this for quite a while and continued until
a devoted Panther fan happened to hear the derogatory dialogue. The committed fan
shook his head in disdain and decided he couldn't bite his tongue any longer.
He stopped to interrupt the obvious band-wagoners to say,
"If those Saints had turned
the odds in their favor and won that game, you all would be having a very
different conversation." The group turned to look at the fan with ashamed
faces and the fan continued with his hands placed firmly on his hips and a
scowl on his face, "That team deserves your praise no matter the outcome;
win or lose." The shame grew on the band-wagoners’ faces and they
attempted to defend themselves,
“Well we just-,“ but before they
could finish, the fan added,
“And the Panthers don’t need your
support, so don’t think of jumping wagons.”
The ease of which one can add insult to injury and chose the
better option is baffling.
Author's Note: The above story is based on a story from Aesop's Fables: The Dogs and the Fox. In this fable a fox finds a pack of dogs feasting on a lion's corpse. The fox tells the dogs that if the lion had not been dead, they would have had to face the ferocity of the lion and not have had a feast. The moral being that it is extremely easy to kick someone while they are already down.
Bibliography:
Story: "The Dogs and the Fox" by Aesop, from Aesop's Fables (2006). Web Source: Aesop's Fables
Image: The Dogs and the Fox. Source: Fox and Dogs
I think you did a great job retelling this story. I was very impressed by your story and I loved that you made the story about football. I thought it was very clever to use modern football to retell the story. I think you did an excellent job retelling the story and I love the moral of the story.
ReplyDeleteGood Job!
I love these Aesop's fables, they're so concise and easily translated into more modern situations. Plus the lessons are really great! I think you used this one in a really nice way. I could see there being a children's book with a story like this, actually. Like modernized stories for specific interests. I'd buy that. Anyway, I'm rambling now. But I really like the way you went about retelling this story. It's easy to relate to even as someone who isn't a huge football fan.
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ReplyDeleteI liked your retelling of Aesop's fable, Hannah. I think a football analogy was PERFECT!!! I'm a huge football fan. The 49ers are MY team, but having lived in Chicago for so long, I MUST be a devoted Chicago Bears fan. Now, let's face it...the Bears haven't been a good team in quite some time, but if you're a fan, you must love them even when they SUCK!! The moral of the story is spot on too, it's very easy to switch "teams," so to speak, when your team is doing so well. But, once you've jumped wagons, you can't really go back. Again, I thought this was a brilliant way to retell the story and still have the same meaning and moral as the end result!! Nice Job, Hannah!
ReplyDeleteSince we get to comment on any storytelling post this week, I picked the title that stuck out to me the most. I love what you did with this fable! This such such a unique and fun way to teach this moral and we all know that there are plenty of football fans like this around! On a side not, I liked your rhyming too: "cajun decent with great contempt..." was too good to not comment on.
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