The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

One of the inherent traits that comes with being a sports fan is a certain air of self-righteousness.

You become so immersed in your team or your sport that it is inconceivable for any right-thinking person to share a differing opinion.

This pomposity isn’t exclusive to sports, of course; the level of political discourse in this country tells us that. But it is a rite of being a fan.

For example, we don’t understand how any self-respecting person could be a Los Angeles Lakers fan or a New York Yankees fan. Wouldn’t that cause all the mirrors in your house to crack from the ugliness of your soul?

For another example, soccer people tend to dismiss any arguments against the game with the rejoinder, “You just don’t understand the sport.” Yet some of us do understand it quite well, and simply find nil-nil games to be rather dreadful.

But that’s just us. And the important thing is that we would never insist that our opinion means you shouldn’t like it.

To each his own, and all that, which presumably disqualifies us from joining a political party.

All of this brings us, in a verbose and roundabout way, to the Vancouver Volcanoes.

Clark County’s own semi-pro basketball team played its home opener Friday night, defeating the Yamhill HighFlyers, 135-110.

And in the process, they delivered an entertaining and affordable evening of basketball. There’s face-painting for the kids; there are drawings for prizes; there’s an upbeat atmosphere and some pretty good basketball.

Adults get in for $5; students and seniors can watch for free. And we dare you to try doing that at a Trail Blazers game.

To be sure, the International Basketball League is not the NBA. It’s not even the Pac-10 or any other Division I-level basketball. It’s probably the equivalent of Division II or Division III college basketball. Many of the athletes are former Division I players; others competed at NAIA schools.

And while the nature of the IBL could easily lead to the breakout of a glorified pickup game, the Volcanoes manage to put a cohesive unit on the floor. They share the ball. They set screens. They work for good shots.

Let’s put it this way: The Volcanoes’ offense often seems more sophisticated and intricate than the Blazers’ stand-and-watch approach. But that’s a column for another time.

So while the Volcanoes deliver a fan-friendly — and family-friendly — product, it has us thinking about the nature of sports.

Because for me, personally, the competition is the addictive part of the games. If an athlete or a team plays hard and smart and with passion, the sport or the level of competition doesn’t really matter.

I have covered world-class golf and figure skating and track, and have found them all to be compelling. Those might not be your favorite sports, but if you can appreciate highly trained athletes putting themselves on the line and risking failure, then you’re my kind of sports fan.

So when the World Cup begins next month, I will be riveted. Not because I’m a soccer fan, but because I love passionate competition.

But I digress.

The point, I guess, is that the joy of sports sometimes can be found in the darnedest places. And all we need to do is keep our minds and our eyes open.

Greg Jayne is Sports editor of The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jayne@columbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/weblogs/GregJayne

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