Affinity Groups

Last spring, I worked corners at one of my club's events with a 20-something employee of Autobahn Country Club and a 30-something who was there to watch his father autocross.  They fell into a conversation about Jay Cutler.  The employee vouched for Cutler being a jerk.  The 30-something said "Yeah, I could understand that from what I see of his TV interviews."  They continued speculating about why Cutler dumps on his perceived inferiors, and I finally got the idea: he must be famous.

"So, who's Jay Cutler?"

"He's the quarterback for the Chicago Bears, man.  Where have you been?"

"Well, I did watch the Bulls when Jordan, Pippin, Rodman, and Kerr were playing..."

"Cubs or Sox?"

"Nope."

"So I guess we won't ask about the Blackhawks or soccer."

In my old neighborhood, I went for 20 years without a mailbox conversation about football.  Any stick-and-ball sport, come to think of it.  Nobody had logos on their cars (with the exception of my own discreet Tail of the Dragon sticker, which was not noticed or inquired about).  My former next-door-neighbor and local best friend is interested in history and farming.  (The guy across the street was teaching his kids baseball and basketball.)

In my new neighborhood, there's a pickup truck with a large Indianapolis Colts logo on the tailgate, and a classy-looking black late model Chevy Impala with a small "Dallas Cowboys Girl" sticker in the rear window.  A 20-something who lives across the way informs me that my cars are "Sick!  And I mean that in a good way, sir."  He works at Best Buy but doesn't know what a GoPro is.  So I'm wondering about across-the-decks conversations here next summer:

"How about those Sox!?!"

"How about that Fernando Alonso!?!"

"Who does he play for?"

"Ferrari."

"Ferrari has a baseball team?"