[Philosophy] WHY do you support YOUR team?

Like the title says, what makes you support your team?

Did you choose to support your team because of geographical proximity(i.e. ASG grew up/lived/currently lives in Dallas so she supports the Mavericks)?

Did you choose to root for your team because they were the most popular at the time you chose them?

Did you choose to be a fan for your team because they were the Winners/Champions in their sport when you chose them(i.e. Yankees bandwagon fans)?

Did you choose to be an athletic supporter of your team because they were the team doing the absolute worst at the time you chose them(i.e. 1962 Mets)?

Did you choose to follow your team because a parent/close relative/friend/person you admire chose that team to follow before you were interested/born?

Did you choose to be a fan for your team because you wanted to fit in with all the cool kids and picked the team they rooted for?

 

I only follow one sport and that is football. I am a 49ers fan because of my dad. I remember sitting next to him on the couch while he explained what the calls the refs were making meant. I also remember asking him which team we were cheering for and he told me the ones in the gold pants. I have cheered for them ever since. I have learned to appreciate a good game regardless of who is playing but I still cheer for my team even though they have been struggling for awhile. I would like to see them make it to a few more superbowls in my lifetime.

I also cheer on the Boise State Broncos and that is because I currently attend there. When I first went there I went to all of their home games but we weren't that good then (early 90's), the best part was the tickets were easy to get and cheap. Now we are good and tickets sell out so fast and are more expensive too so I didn't attend one of their games live this season. I yelled in my apartment a lot.

 

Back in the late 1980's, Everton were one of the biggest teams in English football. I was 8 years old, and my school friends at the time supported Everton. I wanted to be in the 'in crowd' (as kids do) and so I started supporting Everton. At first it was just a superficial thing, making sure I had the correct label. But very quickly, within twelve months or so infact, I became obsessed with Everton. And now, seventeen years later I couldn't stop passionately supporting Everton anymore than I could stop walking around and breathing.


EDIT: What I should add, then, is in my opinion there's naught wrong with starting to support a team because they're the current 'cool team' to support. That's not glory hunting... glory hunting would be then proceeding to change your alliegence a bit later to the next 'cool team'. If you pick a team to support, for whatever reason, and however successful they may currently be, provided you then stick with the side forever, then you're a proper supporter.

 

In my foolhardy youth days I was a Man Utd fan for 2 years because my mates were (Similar to Everton) I grew up in a little village in the Lake District and the closest big team we had was Carlisle or Preston and back in the 80's they were not really teams anyone would support.

When I was 12 I started playing football for local teams and ended up as a trainee with Barrow in Furness AFC (The team I now support) I flitted between Goalkeeper and Midfield as they could never figure out where I was best suited as I was good in nets but inconsistant and I was a big bruiser for midfield with a good turn of pace and a wicked shot (I was also accurate with free kicks)

I broke my leg when I was 16 and never trained with Barrow again as through the injury I lost my fitness, pace and confidence and as a result I never managed to find out where I was best suited (even to this day when I play with the works team I'm either in nets or midfield depending on what mood I'm in).

Since I started with Barrow though I've been a fan (so thats 14 years now) I watch the Premiership but have no alliegence to any specific club and there are definately no sentimental lingerings for Man U as I do often get a pleasure from seeing them crash and burn.


Barrow is a club in peril due to shakey financial footings (caused mainly by a scouser who bled us dry (Liverpool fan)) and inept management over the years intersperced with brilliance by short term measures (promotion into the conference was one of these)

It hurts to see Barrow lose.

 

I am a Crows/36ers/United fan because they are my hometown teams. I am a 49ers and Dallas fan because they're the only two NFL teams I knew of when I was a kid (early 90s ). I don't support anyone in the NBA or any international football league.

 

Ohio State - Because I am Columbus born and raised. I grew up on the history of OSU, and I remember the days of Woody Hayes and the Ten Year War personally, not as a part of that history. It's in my blood.

Pittsburgh Steelers - My grandma was a Steelers fan, so I've always had a part of me that leaned toward them. It helps that I can't stand the entire city of Cincinnati, and to this day contend that it's only in Ohio because we lost the war with Indiana and Kentucky and were forced to keep it.

New England Patriots - Someone (I can't recall who) gave me a bunch of Pats stuff years and years ago. I was probably 7 or 8 at the time. And since they were the heavy underdogs then, it was a love that stuck with me. This also applies to the Buccaneers, because I have a love of the underdog teams... with the exception of underdog teams playing against the ones I like.

 

Well, first and foremost, I support my home teams. I was born, have lived all my life, and continue to live in Dallas. So it's Mavs/Cowboys/Stars/Rangers/FC Dallas, etc. for me. Sports is a very big part of life in Texas, and fan spirit is alive and kicking in Dallas. It's hard not to get caught up in it.

As I've gotten older, I've learned to appreciate event as a whole, thus it's easier for me to feel admiration, and actually cheer for other teams, as long as my team isn't involved either directly, or indirectly.

 

South Carolina - Born and raised in Columbia, now attending USC, I'm a Gamecock through and through.

Duke - I had family who were Duke fans before me, and when I started watching them myself, I really enjoyed the style of play and just liked watching them (plus its one of the classiest programs out there, definitelty a plus), and that somewhat had a snowball effect over the years.

EDIT: I should probably add this one

Atlanta Braves - I didn't care at all about baseball for years, but when I started, they are the closest team geographically and my roommate is a diehard Braves fan, and thats bled over into me over 3 years of rooming with him.

 

I pretty much hit the entire spectrum of reasons to cheer for a team.

I've been a life-long Indians fan. This stems from growing up in inner-city Cleveland, and the fact that for about 8 bucks, me, my dad, and my brother could take in a game in person, and that 8 bucks included bus fare. That was a big deal to a family that didn't exactly have a large bank account for pleasure spending. Being an Indians fan in the 80's was also something of a badge of honor ... that i would admit my pride and fandom and declare that one day we'd be playing in the World Series to my friends was something I did with a giant grin on my face.

Yet, despite being from Cleveland, I am not a Browns fan. My parents grew up very close to the Pennsylvania borders and were Steelers fans, and they raised their children that way. It was a struggle going to school in the fall in my Steelers gear, especially during the cardiac kids/Bernie Kosar years when the Browns were kicking the Stillers butts on a regular basis. It all seems to have worked out for the best though.

I became a big Cavaliers fan out of a desire to cheer for a local team with an actual shot at winning something during my formative years. Let's face it: in the 80's, I had as much a chance to win the World Series as the Indians. But Larry Nance, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty ... they gave me hope, and they contended. And, through thick-and-thin (the thick probably being Shawn Kemp), I've stuck with my Cavs, and their my current best hope to see a championship.

Cleveland doesn't have a major league hockey team, and the minor league teams have come and gone, so I was left to discover the NHL on my own. But when I did, one player caputured my imagination and attention like no other: Patrick Roy. Hence, I became an immediate Montreal Canadiens fan, and remained as such until they traded Roy to the Avs. I transfered my fandom to the Avs, and it has remained there.

 

This is pretty much my reason.

 

I support the Packers/Giants/Lakers because those are the teams that have always been supported in my household. We live in Reno, so no major teams here, and I guess my dad likes those teams from his childhood. I don't know, it's sort of lame, but I can't just change it...it's hard to explain. But I just always want those teams to win. Even if I try to not want them to win, I can't do it.

 

I don't know how "philosophical" this is, but anyway...

Toronto Blue Jays: I grew up watching them, and they were always a fun team to watch back in the 80s, from expansion times through the division championships (and heartbreaking near-misses) to the World Series victories of 1992 and 1993. The years since then have had ups and downs, but they seem to be on the upswing. They are the reason I love baseball and they are my all-time favourite team.

Montreal Canadiens: I didn't so much start as a Hab fan as a Maple Leafs hater. The Leafs were usually between bad and dreadful in the 80s, and I couldn't stand them or their evil owner, Harold Ballard. Ballard took a once-proud organization with a beautiful arena (Maple Leaf Gardens) and turned them into a bastion of hockey mediocrity. By the late 80s I decided to cheer for Montreal, The Leafs' most hated and longest-standing rival, as it seemed like a natural choice. In the early 90s the Leafs were contenders again, but it was too late. Bleu-Blanc-Rouge forever!

Toronto Rock: I had never watched a lacrosse game until I went to see the 2000 NLL final, and with the intense action and the last-second Rock victory, I was hooked. They have been a high-quality organization bent on winning, with 5 championships since 1999. They are a joy to watch.

Toronto Argonauts: They're my hometown football team, and thought they've had ups and downs, they still manage to produce excitement from mid-summer to late fall. Also, they do win the Grey Cup from time to time, which helps. And, Canadian-rules football is more exciting. Sorry, NFL.

 

It's all just geographical proximety for me. Although in '89 I was forced to choose between the A's and the Giants. I chose the Giants, mainly because thats who my friends were rooting for. When my family moved to the Bay Area the Niners were the only football team in the area since the Raiders were off in la-la-land. And I've been a fan of the Sharks since day one.

 

My favorite teams-


San Francisco 49ers: They were the first team I really started rooting for. I was around 6 or 7, and lived in Sacramento, at the time. My dad and all our neighbors were Raiders fans. I figured I'd give some love to the other team. Plus, I thought Joe Montana was cute.

San Francisco Giants: As with the Niners, most people I knew were A's fans and I guess I just wanted to be different. Heh.

New Jersey Devils: I started watching hockey around 1990. Since I lived in Portland, there was no local team and the closest US based one (at the time) was the LA Kings, so I didn't really have a favorite for awhile. A few years later, I started dating a Rangers fan, who hated the Devils. It started out as a joke, but I started rooting for them to irritate my bf. It wasn't until the Rangers and Devils series in the '94 playoffs that I really fell in love with them. Most of the credit there goes to Claude Lemieux, who really got under their skin, and Scott Stevens who just plain rules.


Other teams I support-


Seattle Seahawks: After moving to Seattle in 1986, I slowly became a fan and eventually, a season ticket holder. I'm still not happy about the move to the NFC West - let me tell you, it's sucks trying to support two teams in the same division... though my true loyalties will always lie with SF.

Green Bay Packers: My friends are basically responsible for this. I hated GB, especially when they were owning the Niners in the late 90s. But a few years back, I started joining friends at a local Packers bar every Sunday, mostly for the social aspect. After following the team over the course of that first season, I became a fan.

Detroit Red Wings: Pretty much the same as above, though I had always liked the Wings, but had never considered myself a fan until a few years ago.

Chicago Cubs: When I lived in Portland, the only teams that were shown with any regularity were the Cubbies and the Braves. And I sure as hell wasn't going to root for the latter.

Seattle Mariners: Back in the 80s, my school gave M's tickets to students on the honor roll. I wound up going to a game once a month.

 

It's interesting that people have multiple teams they support - even if they are in different sports. For me, supporting Everton is so very all encompassing, I couldn't possibly have emotional room for any other team.

 

Colts - Back when the Packers were really good, growing up in Wisconsin it was all Packers. I didn't really like football but people told me I had to have a team. I picked the Colts because of their name (I'm a horse person). They weren't good back then, but I dutifully cheered them on anyways. Now its much more fun because the Packers are struggling and the Colts are fairly good. I've also become a huge Manning fan and also cheer for the other Manning as well on the Giants.

Whatever-team-Bret-Hull-is-currently-on - Which I believe is the Coyotes right now. He's been moving around a lot lately. I was an avid St. Louis Blues fan for years while he was there. I also started liking other players on the Stars while Hull was with them and thus have continued to cheer for the Stars.

Texas A&M - I've been brainwashed. That isn't an option in your philosphy, but it really should be. Aggie parents (and I'm sure other schools as well) brain wash their kids from a young age. My parents didn't do this, but since coming to A&M my blood now runs maroon and forever will I be an Aggie and cheer for all Aggie teams. WHOOP!

Horseracing- I'm a big fan of the underdogs in horse racing. I was excited when Barbaro won the Derby because his trainer used to be on the show-jumping side of horses (closer to where I am).

USA - Its my country so I will always support the USA in the Olympics.

 

He retired in 2005.

He's currently the "Ambassador of Fun" in Dallas.

 

What?!? Is there another player with his name? I was looking at a roster a couple of months ago and saw his name on it!

Edit: Interesting...I just checked their roster and its not there. I wonder why it was a couple of months ago. Thanks for telling me! I'll just go back to rooting for the Stars then!
Edit2: Hull is now a studio host for NBC. Wow...I've been out of touch!!

 

He would have played in 2005, but because of the lockout, he decided that it was time to retire.

 

well, for my two favorite teams. I don't really like to follow a lot of sports, as I think it would take too much out of me and I couldn't keep track of all the stats...rules...etc, of whatever other sport I'd be watching.

(NHL) New Jersey Devils: I didn't start to follow hockey until I moved to New Jersey around 1999/2000. I was just watching random games with my dad as we are both sports buffs and we came across the Devils playing and I noticed how incredible Martin Brodeur was in goal and how Scott Stevens hurt anyone within a few feet of him. It wasn't until the 2003 playoffs that I really loved the team. Their run through those rounds was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Just watching them raise the cup was awesome. I didn't know much about hockey then and as I watched more games I started to learn the rules and what goes on. I started following them ever since and was disappointed when the lockout came the next year.

(MLB) New York Yankees: Didn't become a fan till I moved to Jersey as before I was a big fan of the Atlanta Braves back when I used to live in North Carolina, since there wasn't really a baseball team to root for around that area. When we moved up north, I wasn't into the Braves as much and started to like the Yankees because of the atmosphere of Yankee stadium and the way the team played. I'll have to admit that I started liking them because they had great players and seemed to always win, what really got me into them was the 2001 World Series. I've followed them ever since.

 

This story breaks my heart.

 

I don't support any team because I know the 'passion' will die out once the team stops winning. I'll be a gloryhunter.

The sports that are famous in my country(cricket, etc) don't interest me. I cheer my country(India) on IF I watch a match.

I love football.

 

Like most people born in Kentucky, I never had much choice. My mother made me a ceramic Wildcat when she was pregnant with me, and so I've been a supporter of the Kentucky Wildcats pretty much from birth.

 

You're lucky you're a chick, dork, because being sympathetic to three football teams & two hockey teams is a bit much (and theoretically, aren't the Canucks closer to Portland than the Kings?-unless the Kings were the only team you could watch).

Of course, I'm a New York guy, but my choices of teams tend to lean more towards underdogs.
Mets: The big factor is that my brother and most of his friends were Mets fans (we were originally from Queens anyway, but it was actually when the team hit rock bottom in 2003: sure they sucked, but they were my losers).
Jets: Another team that plays second fiddle, though the Giants really don't deserve all the press they get.
Rangers: This is the exception, as it is the king of the three local teams, but hey, they're a few miles away from me.
Nets: With Knicks tickets impossible to get in the late 90s, my family went to Nets games for cheap, and were eventually treated to the team's renaissance with the arrival of Kidd. When Ratner bought the team and rumors started swirling that the team was moving to Brooklyn, that made me even more excited for the team (I go to school in Brooklyn, so I'm looking forward to the growth of the borough).