Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Just a quick post before I head out for the weekend.

Why is it seen as a horrible thing if someone decides to root for a team for a reason other than geography?

Why can't a fan decide that a team is going about things the wrong way and they'll root for someone who does it right?

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

growing up my brother just arbitrarily decided to be a fan of the marlins, kings, senators, and raiders. it had to do with favorite players. we weren't on speaking terms after the snow game (pats-raiders brady tuck).

i really only love the celtics, and follow the pats and now the A's just because i cant stand the red sox or their fans. the bruins are a complete afterthought.

also, this is a good thread. is it okay for me to root for memphis in the playoffs because the celtics arent going to make it? (thus making the playoffs more fun for me)

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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Why is it seen as a horrible thing if someone decides to root for a team for a reason other than geography?

Why can't a fan decide that a team is going about things the wrong way and they'll root for someone who does it right?

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I don't think it is and they can. Most people just hate on bandwagoners. Pick a team and go with it.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

I think the problem is lack of connection with the team. People generally feel that you must have some real connection to the team whether that's through being from the city, having relatives there, going to that school or whatever.

Also, guys that always go for the top teams have never really suffered like the "true" fans. Part of this is just being surrounded by other fans and going through the pain of losing seasons. To emphasize this point, I brought up that Mebenhoe, unlike I believe Clarkmeister, had never actually suffered through terrible seasons as a Duke fan. He replied pointing out two or three seasons one of which was actually bad and another in which they made the NCAA tournament.

I am a Pittsburgh fan. I go to grad school here. I don't consider myself a bandwagoner (I have started cheering for the Pirates for example) but the last couple years I have been much more into the Steelers than my first year here. The reason for this IMO is that I feel much more connected the city and the area. My first year here I hated it, last year early on I didn't like it but found it acceptable and now actually like living here. None the less, I still don't feel I at anywhere near the same level as Iggy et al who are from here and have loved these teams forever, for the reasons I mention above.

Jared

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

The biggest problems are when people commit sports bigamy rooting for two teams, or if they do the following.

My favorite teams just happen to be the Cowboys, Yankees, Duke, Notre Dame, etc.

Or the other one that bothers me is when people go you know I always really liked the Spurs so I guess I can start rooting for them now.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Because that's not how cheering for a sports team works - that's an intellectual decision. Most fans can't help but root for the teams they chose when they were young, and feel some silly connection to the whole thing. Also, with the Internet and NFL Sunday Ticket, etc. it is much easier to keep up with a team from thousands of miles away.

You could do it, I guess, but it's basically like being a front-runner only getting in a year before all the bandwagoners - you'd be noticing through drafts and free agent pickups when a team was likely to be successful in the coming year(s). It's still being a front-runner - still, it feels a lot better when your team wins after you stuck it out through tough times than enduring that .500 season before the championship push.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

I dunno, I just don't see any point in being, like, a Pirates fan right now.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I dunno, I just don't see any point in being, like, a Pirates fan right now.

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That's part of the fun though. It makes the good seasons so much more enjoyable.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

I don't know. It kind of sucks, but I don't think I could get nearly as excited as I did when the Cubs were in the playoffs a few years ago if I just switched to Cleveland or Oakland right now (I just like Frank Thomas in case the avatar is confusing anyone).

I don't have a problem with rooting for another team though. I think there's a difference between being a fan of a team and wanting a team to do well. I couldn't explain it though.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Baseball of all the major sports seems to have the most hopeless franchises due to the awful CBA and the stranglehold the union has over the owners. Still, if you're a Pirates fan and they suck, you find another sport, or find some secondary teams that you kind of follow but not really. I mean, a die-hard fan has teams that he hates and teams that he doesn't really mind/likes - you see it on this board all the time. When the playoffs roll around they'll choose a team and root for them, but not with the same emotion - 'I want so-and-so to get a ring, I've always liked player X, etc.'

Being a Yankees, Giants, and Devils fan, I haven't experienced this kind of hopelessness and I'm not sure that I ever will.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Good example.

I grew up in Wisconsin, moved to Minnesota to work, and just last year moved to Arizona.

I grew up liking the Steelers, Chargers, Pirates, Padres, and Lakers for major sports. I liked Pittsburgh and Michigan for college sports.

Today I still like the Steelers and Chargers. I will root for both but the Steelers are by far my favorite if they play heads up. I no longer like the Pirates. I switched to San Francisco when Bonds was traded. I still like the Padres the same but SF is my top team. I loved Kareem, Johnson, Worthy....but now absolutely HATE the Lakers. Shaq and Kobe ruined it for me. I can't stand either of them. I no longer have a favorite team but I do root for players I like. I root for Pit in college now but could care less for Michigan.

Is this wrong? I think when you are a child you can root for different reasons than when you are an adult.

My biggest passion is obviously the Steelers. That will never change. As for the rest, I think having a baseball card / sports card business while in High School and College had a lot to do with me following players "moreso" than "teams". In my case that makes perfect sense but I doubt anyone would understand that.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I dunno, I just don't see any point in being, like, a Pirates fan right now.

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jack...im a celtics fan, i was 0 when the celtics won a championship. im convinced that in paul pierces contract year (2007-2008), which will also be al jeffersons fourth year---that the Celtics will win the NBA championship. is this delusional, yes. but will it be unbelievably more exciting for me when they make a good playoff run because i watched 75 out of this years 82 game abomination? yes.

im actually dreading them becoming popular if they start to win, because i feel it will drain my individuality.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

how many OSU basketball fans do you think there will be next year?

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

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But why? Let's stick with the Pirates, who make [censored] move after [censored] move. Why would you keep supporting that?

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

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But why? Let's stick with the Pirates, who make [censored] move after [censored] move. Why would you keep supporting that?

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Because over time you devolop a 'bond' with your team. You feel the agony of losses and the excitement of wins. To me switching the team I do that with would be like cheating them. People invest to much time in teams to just switch cause they are doing bad. Its about the connection between me and the team not their W-L record.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

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But why? Let's stick with the Pirates, who make [censored] move after [censored] move. Why would you keep supporting that?

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whether logical or not, most fans are able to reconcile supporting their team while despising its management. For example:

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/4494/billboard94gc.jpg

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

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But why? Let's stick with the Pirates, who make [censored] move after [censored] move. Why would you keep supporting that?

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Think of it as supporting the troops while protesting the war.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

I grew up in between Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. My family is all Sabres/Bills fans, so I naturally joined on board. Since there was no baseball team in Buffalo, and since I wouldn't root for a Pittsburgh or Cleveland teams(based on them being Bills rivals), I ended up following the Braves because they were on TV all the time, and it was the year they came from worst to first.

I don't think you should ever follow a team just because they are local. You need to have some emotional connection that keeps you around(easy in hockey and baseball because they play so often, you can see their highs and lows). I loathe people who only follow teams when they are going well(this happens alot in the Buffalo area). You don't get any satisfaction out of following a winner. It's building a winner which makes it so much fun(Braves, Sabres).

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

I follow the Leafs religiously. I grew up near Toronto, I now live in Toronto, and most people I know are Leafs fans, even the people who never watch hockey. I have a connection with the team, because I watch 80 games a year, I watch every move they make, and just want them to win. When they do finally win, it will be great.

I'm also a Blue Jays & Raptors fan, because they're the local teams. I'm not big fans of the sports at all, so I do only watch when they're winning. The only time I find those sports entertaining is when "my" team is doing well. Needless to say, I don't watch a lot of basketball, or baseball after July [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

As for football, I don't really have a team. I do enjoy watching the game a lot more than baseball or basketball, so I tend to just watch whatever is on. If given a choice, I watch a good team. Recently it's been the Colts, because they're fun to watch, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a Colts fan, because as soon as they start losing, I'll pick somebody else.

I think geography is a good reason to cheer for a team, because that way you can enjoy it with your friends who also like that team. It gives you someone to complain with when they do something stupid, and someone to be happy with when they win.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

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But why? Let's stick with the Pirates, who make [censored] move after [censored] move. Why would you keep supporting that?

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Because, for most people, it's not a conscious choice, and it has nothing to do with rooting for the front office (well, it does, but only by extension).

For example, I'm a New York Giants fan and will be for life. It's not because I think they're somehow a 'better' organization than the other 31 teams -- rather, I think they're a better organization because I have a fan's connection.

I grew up with them. They made me cry when they lost to the Rams in the '89 playoffs. They made me, an atheist, pray to God before Scott Norwood's kick sailed wide right. I sufferred with them and the rest of the fan base through the brutal Dave Brown/Danny Kannel era. You just can't replace that kind of history or develop a similar emotional bond with some new, more successful team. Yeah, I'd have gotten more satisfaction if I had become a Patriots fan five years ago, but it's not possible for the large majority of people. The closest I could come would be to pretend to root for the Pats, which isn't as satisfying. It's like, I know I'd be better off if I preferred the taste of Budweiser ($6 for a six-pack, available everywhere) to that of Hoegaarden ($13-$15, limited availability), but I can't decide to make Budweiser taste good. Similarly, I can't make the Patriots taste good.

Makes sense?

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

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But why? Let's stick with the Pirates, who make [censored] move after [censored] move. Why would you keep supporting that?

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If this is the case then you should just forget about having a team for that sport for awhile. For instance, I'm from Minneapolis and basketball is my favorite sport but I've given up on the T-wolves at this point. They literally have no hope for the foreseeable future. But I'm not going to just start following another team cuz I think they're good.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

J-rod,

I lost your number. Wish I would have had it because work gave me 4 free tickets and I had an extra one that went to waste. Good seats too, like 5 rows behind the Bucco's dugout.

---------

Anyways, the problem I have are with the people who change teams frequently. I could care less if you're a Yankees fan, but I can't respect you if you're a Yankees fan the year they win it all, then a Marlin fan the year they win it all... and so on.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

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But why? Let's stick with the Pirates, who make [censored] move after [censored] move. Why would you keep supporting that?

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My show of support is more towards the city, the team and the sport itself than the owners. I love baseball, grew up surrounded by baseball and love the game in general. Just because I like the Pirates doesn't mean I agree with what they are doing/did in the past.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't know. It kind of sucks, but I don't think I could get nearly as excited as I did when the Cubs were in the playoffs a few years ago if I just switched to Cleveland or Oakland right now (I just like Frank Thomas in case the avatar is confusing anyone).

I don't have a problem with rooting for another team though. I think there's a difference between being a fan of a team and wanting a team to do well. I couldn't explain it though.

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this is me. i decided a couple of years ago (ironically, around the same time the cubs made a few of their best trades ever) that it's more logical to root for a team that makes smart decisions than one who happened to be on tv when i was a kid. i want the A's to do well, but i still can't get emotionally invested watching one of their games. it's funny how that works.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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I don't really think it matters who you root for as long as you stick with them and don't jump around from team to team if "your" team is sucking at the moment.

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But why? Let's stick with the Pirates, who make [censored] move after [censored] move. Why would you keep supporting that?

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I agree with you completely.

I lived in Cleveland for awhile, and everyone has Browns fever. [censored] you and [censored] the Browns. The Browns are a piece of [censored] organization run by a bunch of ass-slapping monkeys and I refuse to support them.

You shouldn't support a failing business with [censored] products and service just because it happens to be down the street from you. Why the [censored] is it any different with sports teams?

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

You don't have to support the Browns just b/c you live there. Most people support teams that are close to them for the obvious reasons (can go to lots of games, easier to follow on TV etc) but with the internet and sports packages that are available now it much easier to follow a team from abroad.

The point is that whichever team you decide to support, you should stick with them even through the down years.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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it's more logical to root for a team that makes smart decisions

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And this is what pushed you to the Cubs? Musta been the Baker signing [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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You shouldn't support a failing business with [censored] products and service just because it happens to be down the street from you. Why the [censored] is it any different with sports teams?

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Probably because many people watch sports because they think it's fun, and aren't that concerned about this voting with your dollars exercise that you seem to be interested in. A lot of people find it fun to have a team, and having a team near you means you can see them often. In this day and age you can see a lot of other teams, too, but historically I think that's 90% of the reason.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Maybe in the free agency era we're supposed to jump around like the players do. I'm a Jays fan, but when they were thrty games out it was hard to not get swept up by Red Sox fever. For the record, I'd be willing to sell my baseball fandom for three years at $2500/year, since there are former Jays on every team in baseball. The team in question provides all needed tickets, clothing, face paint, paraphernalia, airfare, hotel and rental car.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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it's more logical to root for a team that makes smart decisions

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And this is what pushed you to the Cubs? Musta been the Baker signing [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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sorry if i didn't make it clear that the cubs are the team i grew up on, not the one i'm switching to. although their front office is a lot better now than in the "let's sign sandberg and let maddux walk" days.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

What most people hate are, as said before, the bandwagon jumpers. The guys who were 49ers fans in the 80s, then switched to the Cowboys in the 90s, and switched to the Pats in the 2000s. Rooting for a team because they make good decisions is just code words for rooting for the good teams. Because the Pats, by defition, will no longer be making good decisions if they have a couple of 5 win seasons in a row, making it safe to leave them.

Personally, I'd always liked particular styles of football, so never had a favorite team growing up, switching between, e.g., the 80s Chargers and the 90s Bills. But when I moved to Arizona, I decided to stick to a team, the Cardinals. After I moved away from Arizona, I started studying other teams, but realized that I still liked the Cards and could't root for another team.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Jack - Sports teams are part of a community. Civic leaders mention this all the time when lobbying for a state sponsored sporting venue. We feel like community when we go in person to a sporting event and share in the jubilation and heartbreak of our team's fortunes. Rooting for a team outside of your geography is like rooting for France just because you don't like George Bush.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

people who readily change their favorite teams are untrustworthy.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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Jack - Sports teams are part of a community. Civic leaders mention this all the time when lobbying for a state sponsored sporting venue. We feel like community when we go in person to a sporting event and share in the jubilation and heartbreak of our team's fortunes. Rooting for a team outside of your geography is like rooting for France just because you don't like George Bush.

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So it's a patriotic issue, then? Oooooookay. Thanks for introducing politics into the issue.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

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Jack - Sports teams are part of a community. Civic leaders mention this all the time when lobbying for a state sponsored sporting venue. We feel like community when we go in person to a sporting event and share in the jubilation and heartbreak of our team's fortunes. Rooting for a team outside of your geography is like rooting for France just because you don't like George Bush.

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So it's a patriotic issue, then? Oooooookay. Thanks for introducing politics into the issue.

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wow, that is not what boris is saying at all.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

I'm not a fan of political analogies, especially when they're suspect ones.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Say you are from pittsburgh, and you don't like the pirates FO and manager. Do you now ditch the pirates and root for some team you think is "well run" (code for actually going to win something this year, as someone said) like boston or st louis or the yankees? no, you dont. that is the analogy he is making, and it does hold. he is right about the community aspect.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Apparently you aren't a fan of analogies at all. His point was that rooting for a sports teams falls into one's connection to a community or society. Pretty obvious, and didn't require an annoying troll response.

Re: Undying fan loyalty? Why?
 

Jack -

You asked for a reason and I gave you one. A feeling very much similiar to patriotism is one huge reason why fans are loyal to their home team, despite bad management.

BTW - I never introduced politics into the issue.