EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly column from former sports reporter and editor Mike Bass. Bass will be contributing to The Enquirer by offering advice for sports fans, athletes and youth sports parents and coaches through a weekly Q&A. You can reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter @SportsFanCoach1.
I could not believe the email I was reading. That team flag I was flying at my townhouse? Stop doing that.
That sign of joy that baseball had returned from the pandemic and my team had won? Take it down.
There were complaints. The flag violated Homeowners Association rules. Such a display in front of any unit was barred.
This was weeks after I had moved into the townhouse, summer of 2020, when so many of us were isolated by COVID-19 and divided by politics, and I figured the flag would help raise our spirits. Across our street, someone else flew an identical W flag after every Cubs victory, a tradition embraced for years across Chicagoland.
But not here.
Were these crosstown White Sox fans? Transplanted Reds fans? Was this a joke? No, no and no.
Was this Stepford? I smiled. I also was curious.
I decided to do what I ask my clients to do. I thought about how I wanted to handle this.
I did not want to come at this like a victim, because I was not. I did not want to be angry, and I never really was – more bewildered than anything. Instead, I tried to see through the eyes of those who objected.
I can acknowledge their desire for a clean and uniform look in the front porches and windows. But was a team flag hanging from my railing an eyesore? Even hanging it from a pole on a bracket would have been forbidden.
Others who oppose the rule told me horror stories. Did someone really complain that toys INSIDE one unit looked too cluttered from the OUTSIDE? Or that a wreath was too ugly? Had a rule designed with good intentions – or had residents enforcing it – gone too far?
Before leading any charge to alter HOA rules, I looked closer at them: The U.S. flag could be displayed in the front of a unit. Of course. There also was an exception for “seasonal or holiday decorations.” Aha!
Baseball is seasonal, right?
The rule was open to interpretation.
The HOA president and management company agreed. Before the issue came up in an HOA meeting, the residents decided to vote by email.
The verdict: Keep flying the W!
To be neighborly, I bought a smaller W lawn sign to hang on my front door the rest of the season. This year, I replaced it with the full-sized W flag. No objections.
Meanwhile, a new family in the complex put up a sign on the lawn to celebrate a “summer reader.” It was part of a library program. Who could object to that? One resident did, in a group email, citing the rule used against me. Down came the sign. This was too much.
I reminded the HOA president about the “seasonal” rule. He agreed. The HOA board wants change. It met and not only approved that sign, it announced that anyone with a seasonal decoration could seek board approval.
Energy was shifting.
Another neighbor quickly asked to display his Milwaukee, Green Bay and Wisconsin team flags, presumably on a pole. Approved. I suggested that my team flag also go on a pole, a better look than on a railing or door. Another yes.
Last weekend, I flew the W from a pole for the first time. The Cubs had not won, but a rainout seems worth celebrating during a slump. Besides, I decided to start a tradition, hanging the flag for the All-Star Break.
Making a difference felt great.
I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, and I am OK with that. The residents might eventually vote to loosen the HOA rules, which I would support, or to tighten them, which I would follow. This is not a First Amendment issue. I never flew a team flag while I was in the media. I can adapt.
My wife and I chose to live where we are living, we love the location, and I never dreamed a team flag would be an issue. If I did not read the HOA rules closely enough when we bought the place, that is on me.
So is looking for alternatives to be the fan and person I want to be. I still am getting to know my neighbors, who one-on-one seem nice, and I hope in time they will enjoy a little more creativity and individuality with how we present our building to the world.
For now, I am flying.
Remember to email Bass at [email protected] or reach out to him @SportsFanCoach1 on Twitter if you want to be included next week. His website is MikeBassCoaching.com.
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