How Obsessed is Too Obsessed?

4.%09U.S.+History+teacher+Gordon+Berta+poses+in+front+of+his+collection+of+Dynamo+gear.+This+collection+includes+bobble+heads%2C+posters%2C+scarves%2C+a+mug+and+the+jersey+he+is+wearing.+I+like+the+pictures+I+have+from+attending+away+matches+because+those+are+games+I+got+to+attend+with+my+friends+and+family%2C+Berta+said.

Taylor Confer

4. U.S. History teacher Gordon Berta poses in front of his collection of Dynamo gear. This collection includes bobble heads, posters, scarves, a mug and the jersey he is wearing. “I like the pictures I have from attending away matches because those are games I got to attend with my friends and family,” Berta said.

He arrives at the stadium, covered head to toe in orange and white, ready to cheer on his favorite team. He sits in his seat, cheering on The Houston Dynamo and his favorite player, Ricardo Clarke.

U.S History teacher Gordon Berta has been going to the Dynamo games since 2006 after Barcelona competed against Tokyo in the FIFA world cup.

“[At] my first Dynamo game, I didn’t even care about the Dynamo,” Berta said. “I went to go see Barcelona play against Club América at the Reliant Stadium. Because I wanted to see Ronald Donno and Lionel Messi. The Dynamo played a doubleheader against the Galaxy right before that and Brian Ching scored with a hand ball. He took the goal back and we were all really upset about it.”

Berta now holds season tickets and has not missed a Dynamo game since 2010.

“My Favorite game would mostly be summed up by certain moments,” Berta said. “My sister came down and went to a game with me two years ago. It was just really cool having my sister there. [At the game,] Mark Sherrod scored against Real Salt Lake a rug burner ran across the grass. It was a lot of fun because she was there.”

Berta also makes an effort to travel just to see the Dynamo play and has even collected souvenirs from each game he has been to from a different state or country.

“The furthest I have traveled is Canada,” Berta said. “I have been to both Vancouver and Toronto and the most recent was Vancouver which was last summer.”

Senior Tyler Spillman found out about Berta’s Dynamo fandom he was in Berta’s U.S history class.

“Some of the kids in our class would discuss how much he really obsessed with the team,” Spillman said. “He would wear an orange tie every game day and remind the class it was game day.”

According to Spillman, Berta is a die-hard fan and has a plethora of Dynamo souvenirs in his classroom, from free shirts that have been given to him to scarves from all of the places he has visited watching the team play.

“He’s in love with the team, he is always talking about them, he even goes to all the home games,” junior Elisa Acevedo said.” He decorates his classroom and brings it up in class.”

Berta will always be a Dynamo fan and keeps the team spirit going every year and never giving up on his team. Berta will always have memories of each game he has been to.

“I have six shirts, a bunch of scarves that I have collected from games that i have traveled to and a plethora of other things,” Berta said. “I put them around the classroom and I had a game schedule last year to remind everyone of the game days.”