Team Appreciation.

[Gary]

I think Team Appreciation all comes down to how loyal you are to your team, I am a Tigers and Lions Loyalist and I will stick by my team no matter how sucky they are, when the Tigers lost 119 games I stuck by them. I will never understand Raider, Cowboy or any other bandwagoner. Why because they look cool to wear or they have a player that just found god? Or is it they are winning, next year they suck and you jump on the hottest team the next year. I'll never get it I never will, I guess that is apart of life

[Korkie]

The only time I will root for someone else in the playoffs is when my favorite team is out of it. Most of the time I will cheer for the underdog, surprise team or new kid on the block. But I have a few ground rules, the main one being I will not root for a team in my favorite team's division or conference. I don't sit down and pick one, but the rooting interest just kinda grows based the frames above. For example, I am a Philly fan first and foremost, and this year since the Eagles are not going to the playoffs I find myself rooting for the Bengals since they are the fun, upstart team from the AFC. Other examples of this would be the 2005 White Sox, 2004 Calgary Flames, 1994-95 Houston Rockets (plus Hakeem was my favorite player), 2002 Anaheim Angels and the 1996 NE Patriots (lost to GB in the SB). The lone exception was the '99 Rams since they came from absolutely no where and were so damn fun to watch.

[Phil]

I'm kind of like that, bucfan. I cheer for different teams in different games, and I've stopped feeling guilty about it.

I'm a Broncos fan, who has a liking for the Rams as well (as a result of the Kurt Warner era). I'm a Blue Bomber hardcore fan, but Pinball Clemons, either as a player or the coach, always puts a smile on my face. I'm a Colorado Avalanche fan, but I don't have any problem cheering for any number of Canadian teams (except Toronto, where the "Canadian" designation is blurred at best).

I don't think there's anything wrong with having an appreciation for excellence. You want to see exciting games, you want to enjoy cheering for a team, and in some cases, that team isn't "your team".

That's why I cheered for Illinois throughout most of last year's Road to the Final Four. They were exciting to watch, played an entertaining style of ball. I had to draw the line when it came to the finals (can't cheer against MJ's alma mater), but up until then, I didn't see anything wrong with it.

[winters in buffalo]

If I'm watching a game that doesn't involve my favorite team, I'll usually favor one team over the other. But I'm not about to jump on anybody's bandwagon.

Some seasons, I'll favor a team more than I do in others, but more often than not, it's not one of the bandwagon teams. In fact, I usually find myself cheering for a team that's trying to squeak into the playoffs rather than the season's runaway winner.

Teams that aren't my favorite, but that I've thrown a little support behind in the past few years include the Titans, the Ravens and this year, the Chargers (although I was against them when they played the Bills and the Colts.) The Panthers are slowly growing on me.

Teams on my perma-hate list never get a shred of love. Namely, the Steelers, Cowboys and Dolphins.

Must be a football thing... I don't get that way about other hockey teams.

[black_gold_capone]

Steelers and Browns I think have the least bandwagon fans.....

after the Steelers I root for Atlanta because I lived there for 5 years and also Carolina because I just have liked them since there 1-15 season oddly enough

[Cyclopsis Joe]

How did the Rams cheat the win? They have 12 men on the field or something?

They paid off the refs.

(of course you know I'm kidding)

[lost_limey]

While I am dirst and foremost a Reskins fan, I wil root for other teams in the play-offs (assuming the Skins don't make it) I'd say my usual playoff team these past few years has been the Steelers because they play the type of smashmouth running football that Gibbs does with the Skins. And of course I'll always root against Dallas in every game. The next best thing to a Redskins super bowl would be an 0-16 Cowboys season.

[Seadragon76]

I've always been a Seahawks, Sonics, U-Dub, and Mariners fan because that is where I came from, and to me, I would never betray my roots in the Northwest.

Being in Iowa now, I now like the T-Wolves and Iowa State only because it would help locally. But, make no mistake, my heart will always be for those teams in the northwest.

[infrared41]

Steelers and Browns I think have the least bandwagon fans.....

You are half right. You want to see Steelers bandwagon fans by the truckload? Just come to any part of Ohio when the Steelers are winning. There is Steelers gear everywhere. The minute they are out of the playoffs the gear disappears. It's like it was never there.

Browns fans don't see a lot of bandwagon fans and that's fine by me.

[sc49erfan15]

I don't think it's too bad. I will never, EVER root against my Niners...or for any of my hated teams: Cowboys, Panthers, and Rams. (Case in point, one of my friends, an Eagles fan, started cheering AGAINST his Eagles at a recent MNF game, I think it was Eagles-Cowboys. I wanted to smack him. Reason? "I picked the Cowboys in my football pool. I need that $100"...I never choose against my Niners, ever. Colts-Niners? Don't care.)

However...I do have a "second-favorite" team...the Steelers. Their starting safety, Chris Hope, went to my high school, and they're in the AFC, so that helps. I also developed an affinity for the Lions recently, I liked Mariucci as a coach, and Garcia as a QB. But...Mooch is gone already, and Garcia might as well be.

I, like others, when watching a game, usually pick one team that "I want to win." Usually the underdog, or whichever outcome will help the Niners (which I haven't used in a few years...except this year, when it's not "Lose, Rams!," it's "Win, Texans!")

But yeah, I don't think it's horrible. It's natural.