With the World series under way, we share thoughts from the son of our Faith Salie, who’s covering all the bases:
I’m Augustus Salie-Semel. I’m a 13-year-old boy, and most importantly, an avid baseball fan. I have been playing baseball for over six years now, and I have fond memories of watching games with my family.
A month ago, before the playoffs, I went to a New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals game with my dad. I wore a Mets jersey and a Nationals hat, even though they are rivals. I chanted and cheered for both teams!
But even crazier, I’m a Yankee fan … AND a Red Sox fan! Nobody can believe that I am on both sides of arguably the most famous sports rivalry of all time!
Get this: I also root for the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, and Tampa Bay Rays!
Augustus Salie-Semel 
People are incredulous, bordering on doubtful, that I can share my fandom with more than one franchise.
But here’s my secret to my fanship of many teams: tolerance. I believe that there is a way to appreciate one side (or in this case, team) and not hate the other.
While the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry is “just” a relationship between two sports teams, this beef reminds me of a problem we seem to have in our country today. Instead of being open-minded and embracing, we close our hearts and minds to people with different beliefs, making our population very polarized.
What if we learned to increase our curiosity — and maybe even kindness — towards folks we disagree with? What if we didn’t jeer at them?
I believe that if Americans learned not to hate the opposition, we could create a better and less extreme nation.
If you love baseball, you can embrace more than one team. And if you really love America, you don’t have to boo the other side.
Story produced by Young Kim. Editor: Lauren Barnello.
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