The Sporting Goods | Black man, Blackhawk fan

Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (88) controls the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009. The Blackhawks won 5-4. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Photo: Nam Y. Huh/AP

I’ve been a Chicago Blackhawks fan as long as I can remember. I’ve been black as long as I can remember, too.

Being black and a hockey fan are two things that do not usually go together, like Mitt Romney and beer pong. When I go to games, I get a few double takes, as I’m distinctly in the minority at the United Center. But when it comes down to it, I have always been treated like everyone else. No complaints.

The question, I think, as fans endure an autumn and possibly a winter without the NHL, is what compels us to love hockey in the first place. In my instance, how does a black kid who grew up by 71st Street become a hockey fan? My mother and father were teachers in the Chicago Public School system. Since both of them had summers off, we did a lot of traveling. So I got to step outside of familiar surroundings. I learned to think differently. They taught me to look beyond the obvious and immediate.

For more of this story and other Chicago sports essays, visit chicagosidesports.com.