Fandom of a Team doesn't match Fandom of a Sport

[Sykotyk]

On another topic of sports allegiances, it came to my mind that though I may like a particular team, the league or sport they play may not fit in the same hierarchy of the team.

 

For instance, these are my favorite major/profession teams (in order of how important it is I watch their games, or how important them winning is to me):

 

1. Cleveland Browns

2. Cleveland Indians

3. Ohio State Football

4. Columbus Crew

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

 

However, my favorite sports/leagues to watch or follow:

 

1. MLS (and CONCACAF/EPL/UEFACL/World Cup)

2. NHL

3. NCAA Football

4. NFL

5. MLB

 

It's strange that I'm a huge Indians fan and watch them regularly, yet I have very little interest in what is going on in MLB at any time other than the game they're playing. In years past, the Browns and NFL were both #1, however as the years have gone on, I still cheer for the Browns and was even a season ticket holder for years, but my interest in the NFL beyond the Super Bowl is quite meager. A random Monday or Sunday night game just doesn't intrigue me at all. I'd rather watch Ball State-Eastern Michigan than see Cowboys-Giants, for instance.

 

And on this list, the only two that really match up didn't even make the list: NBA/Cavaliers would easily be #6. There's so much more else that I care than NBA or the Cavaliers. Even though to someone who asks, I would say I'm a fan of the Cavaliers. But, my interest in even knowing when they're playing easily puts them at #6, but not worth listing.

 

Now, if you add minor league/secondary teams, then Youngstown Phantoms make a jump up high on the list. As would Butler BlueSox and Mahoning Valley Scrappers for baseball. Local area teams. I attend their games, following their schedule, their results, etc.

 

So, anyone else with a notable disparity in fandom of a particular team and the league they play in?

[Gothamite]

I'm still a huge Green Bay Packers fan. But I'm so turned off the NFL that I've given up football aside from my Packer games.  

 

I won't watch anything, don't read anything, will happily ignore the league exists except where my Green & Gold are concerned. 

[kroywen]

I think part of this is a function of the nature of the sports involved. It's incredibly difficult to consistently watch MLB games outside of your own team, since teams are a.) playing everyday and b.) usually at or around the same time. Obviously with the NFL (or virtually any soccer league, for that matter), it's the exact opposite - it's designed to be consumed via national TV by national audiences (or in the case of soccer, on international TV by worldwide audiences). The NBA and NHL probably fall somewhere in the middle, given the nature of their schedules.

 

I'd consider baseball far-and-away my first love. But I don't subscribe to MLB.tv or any additional cable or online baseball packages, since I live in the home market of my favorite team. It'd be a waste of money for me, since 95% of the time, the Yanks are playing on a weekday night or weekend afternoon, and I'll be watching them (and I have way better things to do on a Saturday night than sitting at home watching a ballgame involving two teams I don't even root for). But I watch Sunday Night Baseball most weeks (unless I have something else going on), and if the Yanks are off on a Monday or Thursday, I might have an ESPN game on in the background. But I keep up on baseball news from around the league, and religiously watch the postseason regardless of who's playing.

 

Compare that to the NFL or EPL. On Saturday mornings, I'll watch the EPL from the time I wake up, regardless of who is playing. (What else am I going to be watching on a Saturday morning?) Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, I'll watch if United are playing, or maybe if there's a matchup of major teams (otherwise, the Sunday morning talk shows trump sports... no pun intended ;)). And during football season, if I'm near a TV and the NFL is on, I'm watching (even if only as background noise).

 

So how does this align to my fandom? I'm definitely a baseball fan first, then soccer, then probably pro football, with hockey close behind. That said, I think I'm a bigger Rangers fan than a Jets fan, in part because the Jets have beaten me down over the years with stupid decisions and terribly play, and in part because it's easier to watch a broad array of NFL games.

[Sport]

48 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

I'm still a huge Green Bay Packers fan. But I'm so turned off the NFL that I've given up football aside from my Packer games.  

 

I won't watch anything, don't read anything, will happily ignore the league exists except where my Green & Gold are concerned. 

 

This is my relationship with football as well. The NFL is awful. I only watch my team's games and last season I skipped 5 or 6 and didn't miss it one bit. Then I watched in horror as the Patriots came back on the Falcons after not watching any of the postseason and thought there is just never any reward in watching this sport. 

 

Difference is you support a world class, competent organization and I am stuck with the Cincinnati Bengals. Then they drafted Joe Mixon, basically daring me to boycott, and I'm thinking about skipping this season entirely. 

 

 

[Gothamite]

Hey, I admit it - if the Packers weren't the Packers I'd be long gone.  

 

I'm also a little bit bound by fondness for my former home state; pro football is the most prominent area (only area?) where Wisconsin is the clear gold standard. The Packers' stadium is the sport's most sacred ground, our former coach is still the very platonic ideal.  If the NFL goes away, Wisconsin will be uniquely hurt by it. That keeps me tied in a way. 

[Sport]

33 minutes ago, kroywen said:

I think part of this is a function of the nature of the sports involved. It's incredibly difficult to consistently watch MLB games outside of your own team, since teams are a.) playing everyday and b.) usually at or around the same time. Obviously with the NFL (or virtually any soccer league, for that matter), it's the exact opposite - it's designed to be consumed via national TV by national audiences (or in the case of soccer, on international TV by worldwide audiences). The NBA and NHL probably fall somewhere in the middle, given the nature of their schedules.

 

I'd consider baseball far-and-away my first love. But I don't subscribe to MLB.tv or any additional cable or online baseball packages, since I live in the home market of my favorite team. It'd be a waste of money for me, since 95% of the time, the Yanks are playing on a weekday night or weekend afternoon, and I'll be watching them (and I have way better things to do on a Saturday night than sitting at home watching a ballgame involving two teams I don't even root for). But I watch Sunday Night Baseball most weeks (unless I have something else going on), and if the Yanks are off on a Monday or Thursday, I might have an ESPN game on in the background. But I keep up on baseball news from around the league, and religiously watch the postseason regardless of who's playing.

 

 

I leach off of a friend's MLB.tv subscription so I can watch late night Mariners games and I never thought I needed it, but I watch a lot of random baseball games I didn't know I'd watch. It's really nice if something is happening like a perfect game another interesting happening like the Pirates beat the Phillies 1-0 last night on bases loaded hit by pitch. It's fun to be able to have any game at the ready. 

[FGM13]

I'm really only a two-sport guy, but my hockey and baseball fandoms are pretty different. In hockey, I follow my Oilers pretty much exclusively, I don't pay a ton of attention to the rest of the league, at least relative to baseball. My MLB team is of course the Blue Jays but I'm more of a fan of the league and the sport, I pay a lot of attention to the league as a whole. I can't watch a non-Oilers NHL

regular season game but put any baseball game on in front of me and I will watch it, regardless of the teams.

[infrared41]

45 minutes ago, FGM13 said:

My MLB team is of course the Blue Jays but I'm more of a fan of the league and the sport, I pay a lot of attention to the league as a whole.

 

put any baseball game on in front of me and I will watch it, regardless of the teams.

 

Same here. There are MLB teams I follow more closely than others and I'll go out of my way to watch them - Indians, Angels, Pirates, and Dodgers - but I'm happy watching any game. Every season a team or two will break into my regular rotation. This year it's the Orioles and Astros. I just love baseball. 

 

57 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

I leach off of a friend's MLB.tv subscription so I can watch late night Mariners games and I never thought I needed it, but I watch a lot of random baseball games I didn't know I'd watch. It's really nice if something is happening like a perfect game another interesting happening like the Pirates beat the Phillies 1-0 last night on bases loaded hit by pitch. It's fun to be able to have any game at the ready. 

 

Welcome to the club. 

 

EDIT: Watching games I didn't know I'd watch is how I ended up with, as the guys on BASS like to say, "23 favorite baseball teams." 

[DTConcepts]

I could watch the Colorado Rapids most any time, but couldn't care less for soccer as a whole.

[FlyEaglesFly76]

I really don't have much of an interest in the MLB outside of the Phillies and the World Series (Not enough overlap ;()

 

NFL on the other hand, i'll watch any day any night. It's honestly more fun when i'm not invested in one of the teams playing. Eagles games are bit stressful.

[leopard88]

2 hours ago, infrared41 said:

Every season a team or two will break into my regular rotation. This year it's the Orioles and Astros. I just love baseball. 

 

[FinsUp1214]

This idea describes my fanship of the Jazz to a T. Love the Jazz more than any team in sports, but the NBA drives me up a wall. 

 

If if I had to rank my "hierarchy", it'd be something like:

 

Teams

1. Utah Jazz

2. RSL

3. Indianapolis Colts

4. Mariners/Dodgers/Braves/Astros

5. Ole Miss Football

 

Sports

1. MLB

2. NHL

3. NCAAF

4. MLS

5. NFL

6. NBA

[IceCap]

Hockey's my favourite sport, but the Blue Jays just edge out the Leafs as my favourite team.

[Discrim]

For me...my interest in basketball largely begins and ends with the Bucks.  The last time I actually watched a college game, intending to watch it was the UW-Duke national championship game, and I don't really make it a point to watch other NBA teams, though I do occasionally.  Granted, I'm largely the same way in baseball, in that I don't watch all that many MLB games that don't involve the Cubs (but I've been watching some Big Ten tourney games...and I'll say two things: Michigan-Indiana was a great game, a shame somebody had to lose; by contrast, Northwestern-Minnesota had some of the worst pitching I've ever seen, it's a shame one of NU's pitchers was credited with a win, none of them deserved it), though I remember changing the channel to TBS when Randy Johnson was in the middle of his perfect game against the Braves, so there's that.

[Dynasty]

I like my football team more than my baseball team, but I like baseball more than football.

[smzimbabwe]

I often say college football is my favorite sport, but unless the Washington Huskies are on, I won't watch a game.

[JTernup]

I have similar experience with differentially caring about teams and their respective sports. The difference between the Chiefs and the NFL is the largest but the Rockies have been so hopeless for so long that they have fallen down the list and MLB has remained. Maybe they can change that!

Teams

1 Chiefs

2 Rapids

3 CU football

4 Nuggets

5 Rockies

6 Purdue Basketball

Leagues

1 MLS

2 MLB

3 NCAAF

4 NBA

5 NCAAB

6 NFL

 

[FiddySicks]

I like the San Jose Sharks (even though I act like I don't a lot of the time) but mostly hate the sport of hockey. I find hockey damn near impossible to follow on TV. Also, I HATE that a sport that fast plays on such a small rink at the biggest level, and some of the stoppages in play are absolutely ridiculous.