HOUSTON – There are Astros fans, and then there’s John David.
The Houston man recently returned from a 16-month journey across the globe, and he didn’t go anywhere without his Houston Astros flag in hand.
“Win or lose, I am an Astros fan for life,” David said.
David visited more than 100 countries across six continents, snapping a photo with the flag at every stop. The trip sparked conversations in languages he didn’t even speak, proof, he says, that baseball is a universal language.
“Sports are a way to bring people from different places together, to celebrate something they love together,” he said.
To fund the adventure, David made a bold financial move.
“I took my 401K and turned it into a 401’M’… the ‘M’ is for memories,” he said.
Even more, David didn’t just document the journey in photos. He made it permanent.
“I decided to memorialize my entire trip by getting a tattoo of each country that I visited,” he said.
His body now serves as a full display of every country he visited, each one tied to that iconic Astros flag.
“It’s the story of a lifetime,” David said.
Now, David’s mission is to officially bring the flag home for good, and hand it off to the team that inspired it all.
For him, Astros pride isn’t something that stays inside the ballpark. It’s something you carry with you, no matter where in the world you are.
“It was just one of those experiences, so proud to be from Houston and representing my favorite baseball team. Just an unforgettable memory,” he said.
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