Arena Your Sports Loves

1. New York Giants.

My favorite team ever.

How did we fall in love? My father become a huge football fan when he moved to the United States and latched onto the Giants in particular when he came to New York. We apparently watched the Giants-Bills Super Bowl together when I was 2, and though I fell asleep for most of it, I was woken by his shouts of joy when Norwood missed. I don't remember when I actually became a fan but it was during the Dan Reeves years in the mid 90's. It was rough at first because we had the immortal Dave Brown as our quarterback but its certainly gone up since then, despite our maddening inconsistency.

Highlights of the relationship? Super Bowl XLII, Super Bowl XLVI, beating Tony Romo in the playoffs on my birthday. Those two Super Bowls aged me by about 5 years

Lowlights? 2002 Wild Card Game against the 49ers, the Miracle at the New Meadowlands. Let's just say I'm never comfortable with a Giants lead, no matter how big or how late in the game. The Super Bowl loss against the Ravens doesn't bother me that much because we just flat out got beat instead of blowing it (though that Keith Hamilton penalty is still bs)

Analogy/Comparison: A relationship with your one true love, through all the ups and downs, and who also happens to be slightly bipolar.

2. New York Knicks

How did we fall in love? Through my dad, same thing as with the Giants, though Space Jam made me a Michael Jordan fan for a few years

Highlights: The 1999 playoff run, especially Allen Houston's winner against the Heat and LJ's 4 point play. Also the 2012-13 season for making me think our terribleness was over

Lowlights: Everything else. And I mean everything. Dolan, Isiah, Larry Brown, Dolan, Marbury, Z-Bo, Dolan, Steve Francis, picking Frederic Weis over Ron Artest, Dolan, sex scandal, trading first round pick for half season of T-Mac, Dolan, this season in particular, J.R Smith's idiocy, D'Antoni ruining Stoudemire, Dolan

Analogy/Comparison: The marriage was good for the first few years and collapsed. It's been in ruins for years but even though a good looking Russian woman moved in next door you can't bring yourself to leave your wife for her.

3. New York Mets

How did we fall in love? I was actually a Braves fan for a few years as a kid. I used to watch Scooby Doo cartoons on TBS which of course then had Braves games soon after. They were great, but after a few years I got tired of them and switched to the Mets since I kind of followed their team more given they played the Braves. Also I never forgave the Yankees for the 1996 WS. So I became a Mets fan in 1998, right as the Yankees were in full swing, and of course the Braves faced them in a rematch in 99, making me wonder if I hadn't made the worst decision of my life in abandoning the Braves. Well the Braves lost again but I was a Mets fan by then. And then the next year came the Subway Series. I was so excited! Needless to say, I hate the Yankees, but they're second to the Phillies so I rooted for them in 2009

Highlights: 2000 playoff run, the 2006 season. That moment when Endy Chavez made the catch and I thought it was destiny we'd make the 2006 WS

Lowlights: Losing in 2000, Carlos Beltran not swinging at Wainwright's curveball (WHY DIDN'T YOU SWING), the 2007-08 collapses. Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler having Tommy John surgery in back to back years

Analogy: The girl who just can't get it together, even though you left your first girlfriend for her.

4. New York Rangers

How did we fall in love? I honestly can't remember. I was in New Jersey at the time when the Devils were supreme, but they never grabbed me. Part of me attributes it to the signing of Gretzky, but I had no idea how amazing he had been at that time, and he was at the tail-end of his career. It might be because my favorite color is blue, which is a trait that all four of my top teams share.

Highlights: The Stanley Cup run last year. Knocking out the Capitals in back to back years. Hank

Lowlights: Losing to the freaking Devils in 2012. Whenever the Capitals beat us in the playoffs. The late 90's - early 00's when the Rangers sucked and the Devils were winning and all my friends let me know it.

Analogy: A rocky start, but things are heating up. You're going to propose soon.

5. Arsenal

How did we fall in love? I got really into soccer during the 2006 World Cup and wanted to pick a EPL team so I decided to be the stereotypical American and pick Arsenal

Highlights: The...FA Cup?

Lowlights: Our annual swoon, except for this season where we just decided to play mediocre from the beginning. Losing RVP

Analogy: Ross/Emily

6. NYCFC


I imagine this will be above Arsenal soon.

 

1. Chicago Cubs

The username and picture probably give this one away but I am a lifelong, die-hard Cubs fan. I was cursed blessed with becoming a Cubs fan because of my grandpa, who made sure that everyone in his family became Cubs fans, especially with me when I developed a love for baseball at an early age. Baseball is by far my favorite sport; I played it from the time I was old enough to join a league all the way through high school. I watch or listen to every Cubs game I am able to (and attend 2 or 3 games a year) no matter how good or bad the team is. I'm one of the crazy ones who rode the school bus home listening to games on my headphones as the Cubs started 0-14 in '97 and who always believes it just a little bit when I say "wait 'till next year". In a way, being a Cubs fan is a cruel fate for someone who loves the game as much as I do, but in another way, it's an amazing experience that only other Cubs fans can understand. When the Cubs do finally win it all, there are no other sports fans out there who will understand or be able to appreciate winning a championship the way we will.

2. Miami Dolphins

This is kind of the odd one out of my group because I've lived in central Illinois my entire life. My father, however, was a big time football fan who grew up in South Florida in the 1970's. When he moved back to Illinois (where he was born) he continued his love for the Miami Dolphins and passed that love on to me when I was born. Because Florida had no other sports teams when he was a kid he actually rooted for Chicago teams and encouraged me to do so as well with the exception of football. Growing up a Dolphins fan in the 80's and 90's was pretty easy, even though they never did win the Super Bowl. Still, they were almost always contenders and had Dan Marino, the best pure passer of all time playing for them so games were a lot of fun to watch. It's become more difficult in recent years to be a Dolphins fan but I still manage to make sure I watch every game every year and hopefully the team is moving in the right direction with Tannehill at QB.

3. Chicago Blackhawks

I started following the Blackhawks in 1992 after developing a love for the NHL Sega game and because the Blackhawks made the Stanley Cup Final that year. After a while it became difficult to be a Hawks fan due to games being difficult to watch because of how bad the team was and because ownership made it almost impossible to see games on TV. Still, I love hockey and continued to watch the playoffs every year and Hawks games when I could. Fortunately, ownership switched and games became easier for me to watch, and just in time for the team to turn it around and win 2 Stanley Cups. Right now being a Blackhawks fan is pretty easy and it's really hard to believe this is the same franchise that existed in the early 2000's.

4. Chicago Bulls

Growing up a Bulls fan in the 1990's was obviously awesome; 6 NBA championships and the pleasure to watch the greatest basketball player of all time do his thing was just amazing. It got a little harder after after Jordan left the team for good but fortunately the Bulls have been more fun to watch in recent years, even if Derrick Rose can't stay healthy.

College sports:

Illinois State University Basketball

My Alma mater and hometown school, I've been a fan of Redbird basketball for as long as I can remember. I've gone to the majority of home basketball games since I was in grade school and was able to see some great teams in the late 90's. The future is looking bright as the Missouri Valley Conference seems to be demanding more respect and the Redbirds have a young team that played well in the NIT this year and has a legitimate shot at making the NCAA Tournament in the next couple of years.

Duke Basketball

I've watched the NCAA tournament since the early 1990's, but outside of rooting for ISU I never really had a "major" college basketball team to root for. I decided to pick a big time school to root for at a time when the Cubs were still the Cubs, the Blackhawks were enjoying the longest Cup drought in NHL History, and the Bulls and Dolphins were on the decline. I decided to pick Duke for a few reasons; 1. They were good and every other team I rooted for was decidedly not at the time, 2. the Christian Laettener game was one of the first games I really remembered watching and always stuck with me, 3. One of my best friends was a Duke fan, and 4. Coach K. It's worked out for me as they have won a couple of NCAA Tournaments and been the only team that I root for who has been consistently good throughout me being a fan of the team.

Players:

1. Dan Marino
2. Michael Jordan
3. Mark Grace
4. Ryne Sandberg
5. Johnathan Toews

 

It's hard to rank, but I'll give it a go. When Wofford is playing, then I pay attention to none of these teams. Since they aren't playing a lot, here's my list:

1. New York Rangers
Hockey is the greatest game on the planet, that is an indisputable fact.

2. New York Yankees
Next to my dad, Paul O'Neill and Bernie Williams were my childhood heroes. I love the damn Yankees.

3. North Carolina Basketball
Been a Heels fan for as long as I can remember breathing. Ed Cota, my favorite player. JJ Reddick should not cross the street when I am controlling a motor vehicle in his vicinity.

4. Tennessee Football / Kansas City Football
My football allegiances are very, very weird. But consider that I grew up in Columbia, SC, when the Gamecocks were absolutely awful, and the Panthers didn't exist yet. So I gravitated to Joe Montana and the Chiefs in the early 90s, and Peyton Manning and the Vols in the mid-90s. I'll always have a soft spot for South Carolina athletics, and pull for them against anyone except Tennessee.

5. Chelsea FC
In contrast to my pal halibut, I am an awful Chelsea fan. I only started to follow them after a) they got Russian oil money, and b) I decided I could not be like the rest of the dorm, who all supported Man U. But I do love the club, and one day hope to make it to London to see them.

6. NYCFC
My newest club. Can't wait to see what they do.

In addition, I love motorsports (F1/Nascar), tennis, boxing/mma, and golf. It's an illness, I can get hooked on nearly any sport. I'm trying to learn cricket, I have never been an NBA fan, and I don't like horse racing due to the treatment of the animals. But that's all.

 

1. west ham united.

how i fell in love - victim of geography

the hammers are perpetual underdogs, but have generally played attractive attacking football. you'll see a lot of goals at a west ham match (for and usually against). we play in the premier league, and are always flirting (and occasionally achieving) relegation from it, but we are actually one of only eight teams in english football who have never in their history fallen below the second tier of our football leagues. we are a team with a good tradition of creating top level footballers - the core of the 1966 england world cup winning team were west ham players (bobby moore, martin peters, and the bloke who scored a hat-trick in the final against ze germans, geoff hurst). in more recent times, our youth academy has produced players such as joe cole, rio ferdinand, and frank lampard. our problem is, as soon as they show potential, we sell them on.

we had a billionaire sugar daddy for a brief period, but as per our luck, he went skint in the credit crunch. in recent times, things are looking up. in two seasons time we move from upton park - our current home in east london, a few miles across town, into the 2012 olympic stadium, this should bring in more revenue, and attract quality players.

it's a great club, but don't take my word for it. notable hammers fans are ray winstone (see my avatar), the queen, barry obama, and before he shuffled off, alfred hitchcock.

 

1. North Carolina Tarheels

How we fell in love: my father threatened to disinherit me if I ever pull against them.

No, really, I grew up on the Heels. I'm almost the only one in a (large) family who did not get a degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. My Dad's favorite bumper sticker, on his Carolina blue Toyota that he drove at the time, was "If God is not a Tarheel, why is the sky Carolina blue?"

Highlights of the relationship: there are many, but here goes a couple.

The 1982 NCAA championship: I was in 5th grade and there were many of us wearing Carolina blue to school with footprints painted on our cheeks the next day. Michael Jordan was a freshman, and had hair. I remember being impressed with him the first time I watched him make a free throw.

Just Michael Jordan, overall.

And Tyler Hansbrough. My nephew learned how to say his name as soon as he learned to talk.

Bad times for the relationship: Matt Doherty. Let's not go there.

2. Carolina Panthers

I've still got the original Charlotte Observer from 1993 with TOUCHDOWN!!! and the Bank of America building lit up with "NFL" on it. Went to a few games when they were playing at Clemson, watched the stadium change from Carolinas Stadium to Ericcson Stadium to Bank of America Stadium.

I actually went to more games before I moved to Charlotte than I've been to since I moved here but I digress.

Highlights of the relationship: Kicking Falcon ass to get to the playoffs last year, and getting there again this year.

Super Bowl 2004, although I call that a bit of a mixed bag, given Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's antics ruining the halftime show and diverting all attention from the game, plus the Patriots win.

Charlotte Hornets: Been a fan since 1988. I kind of miss Muggsy Bogues and Alonzo Mourning.

But this season has been decent, especially after the Bobcats were a national joke.

Highlights: beating the Bulls in December 1988 when Jordan was still playing for them. Getting the team name back from New Orleans.

 

this picture

 

HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS READING THIS THREAD?!?!

 

Aww I was just about a year and a half away from the weirdness, nerves, agony and then unbelievable joy that was Game 7 of the 2016 World Series - which is my ultimate sports love now:



(sorry Inty)

 

cubman, i can't imagine what that must have felt like. i'll never forget where i was when that final out was recorded, and that's as a fan of another team.

the closest for me in sports was probably phil's first masters. i essentially grew up expecting the yankees to win series, carolina to win in march, and tennessee to compete for titles (roflcopter). it would be great to see kc win a super bowl in my lifetime, but lefty winning at augusta was a bit unexpected, and the nature of the win was so remarkable. chelsea winning the champions league is probably a close second, aaron boone's walk off (even though the eventual ws loss blunts it) third.

 

you gotta replace the text on the jr smith card with his last comment to lloyd on draft day