What are your "rules" & reasons for your sports team fan-ships?

[Don]

I disagree about "bandwagoning". I think that, the more people involved, the better the experience is as a fan.

I think its more about how the new fans act.

[Dexter Morgan]

My only rule is that once you start cheering for a team, you stick with them...

My dad, brother, and I all root for different teams and have had different reasons for cheering for them. Since I didn't grow up near any pro sports teams, I wasn't bound by the "must root for closest team" rule that some people have. My dad never encouraged us to root for his teams, saying that we needed to come up with our team loyalties for our own reasons, not for his...

For example, my dad is a Steelers fan because his best friend in basic training was a big Steelers fan and was killed in Vietnam, so my dad adopted the Steelers as his team and has been faithful for over 40 years now. I'm a Chargers fan because when I was just being introduced to football, I got my first football preview magazine and the cover headline said "Why Fouts is better than Bradshaw" so I figured I'd be rooting for a team better than my dad's Steelers. My brother is a 49ers fan because he enjoyed watching Ronnie Lott at USC and said whichever NFL team drafts him will be his favorite...

All different reasons, all legitimate and we've stuck with our teams. If my brother suddenly said he's a Tennessee Titans fan, there would be so much grief, might even kick him out of the family for his disloyalty...

And he discouraged us from rooting for a college team until we actually went to a college. I watched college football and enjoyed it, but had no rooting interest until I went to Washington and became a Huskies fan...

Man that is a great story. As simple as it is.. that is a great way to honor a fallen brother.

[Dexter Morgan]

I lived outside Toronto from ages 2-10. I slept in my Dougie Gilmour jersey every night. Maple Leafs were my team and always will be. I never really gravitated to baseball and the Blue Jays, even though they won World Series when I lived there, but when I moved to NY and eventually took root in Norhern NJ I started playing Little League Baseball because of friends in my neighborhood, and learned to love the game. This was 1995 and the first professional baseball game I went to was at Yankee Stadium. Yankees became my team from then on. And boy did I pick the right time to become a Yankees fan.

My one rule is. Once you pick a team, win or lose. Be loyal. Only time I ever rooted for a hockey team not named the Maple Leafs was when Doug Gilmour was traded from the Maple Leafs to my new local team, NJ Devils.

[Don]

I have only switched teams once. I grew up an Orioles fan all my life because DC never had a baseball team. Once the Expos moved to DC I dumped the Orioles and switched to be a Nationals fan for 3 reasons. 1, my loyalties lie with DC, I was born in Arlington, VA and never identified with Baltimore. 2, Peter Angelos' running the Orioles into the ground. 3, Angelos' singular effort to keep baseball out of the District for so long then bilking the Nats in a "shared" TV deal as a condition for DC getting a ballclub.

I also ditched my boyhood football team the Redskins, but that was mostly because the NFL no longer interests me and I never hopped to another team, I just replaced my love for football with a love for soccer.

[DaytonBlue]

I disagree about "bandwagoning". I think that, the more people involved, the better the experience is as a fan.

I think its more about how the new fans act.

I would agree with this if you replace "bandwagoning" with "fair-weather". It's great when a whole city is buzzing about a team doing well, even if many of those fans only care when the team is winning.

But this, below...don't be that guy.

[Td2025]

My situation is a little weird.

Always been a Broncos fan, long story short loved vortex footballs and John Elway was on the box. When I was little he was in the Super Bowl with the Packers, coincidentally the first NFL game I can remember actually watching and paying attention to as a little kid. Coincidentally Peyton Manning was always my favorite player until Clinton Portis was a Bronco.

I ALWAYS root for the Giants because my dad and brother are hardcore fans, and pre-lockout we went to training camp in Albany every single year. How could I not root for them after meeting half the team?

I wasn't into baseball until recently.

So here's where it gets tricky. I know a man very high up in the Nationals organization plus Ryan Zimmerman is my favorite player because his charitable work hits a soft spot in my heart. Plus he is a solid player, and loyal to his hometown. So you'd think I'm a Nats fan right?

Phillies are the hometown team, and I really enjoy going to games and rooting for the Phils.

I also intern for an MLB team, and worked in the minors in another system and happened to meet their star player and a hall of famer.

Then later this season I am working for an NFL team that I currently hate, but I will be working with them so how can I hate a team that I'll be working with everyday for a good while? I could grow to love them.

So my "rules" have changed recently.

[theSLVRBCK]

For me my reasons vary for each team/sport. I was born into the Florida Gators. I came home from the hospital wearing UF gear ... and was born at the old UF Medical Center here in Jacksonville which is now called Shands. I will bleed orange and blue for as long as I breath. My passion for them trumps every other team from every other sport.

With pro-football, I was a general fan of the sport. I liked the Raiders because of the bad guy persona the team had. I pulled for the Bills because I marked out for Bruce Smith. And then we got the Jags. I haven't looked back since. They are the only NFL team I actively cheer for and will be until they day they leave the city. When/if that eventually happens, I will probably go back to cheering for players instead of teams in the NFL.

For baseball, the nearest team was the Braves and they were just starting their run when I started getting into baseball so it all made since. I don't follow them nearly as much as I used to, but I that's because I don't follow baseball nearly as much anymore. Between the strike and the steroids, it just wore me out.

Other than that, I will pull for any home team that we get here in Jacksonville and will be loyal while they call it home. However, I will not drop a team to cheer for another. If Jacksonville were to get a major league baseball team, I would cheer for them and the Braves equally. I see no need to drop a team after supporting them for a couple decades.

I am one of those weird SEC fans that pulls for the SEC as a whole. If Florida can't win the SEC and the National Title, then I will openly cheer for whichever SEC team can get there. And I cheer for every SEC team in a bowl game ... even Georgia.

My other rule of fandom is actually for the teams I hate. I dislike cities. And as such will not pull for teams from those cities. Miami is the major one. I "pull" for any team playing the Dolphins, Marlins, Panthers or Hurricanes. Playing in Miami instantly strikes you from being a candidate for being "my team". Dallas, LA and NY are also cities that are in this club. If it weren't for a small inkling of enjoyment of the Bruins, Boston would be there as well.

[Quillz]

I'm mainly just a fan of the local teams. I was born and raised in L.A. so I've always been a fan of the Lakers, Kings and Dodgers as far as I can remember. I also like the Clippers, Angels and Ducks by association. Those latter three teams I don't like as much as the former, but I was still happy when the Angels won the World Series, for example.

[bosrs1]

My only rule is that once you start cheering for a team, you stick with them...

My dad, brother, and I all root for different teams and have had different reasons for cheering for them. Since I didn't grow up near any pro sports teams, I wasn't bound by the "must root for closest team" rule that some people have. My dad never encouraged us to root for his teams, saying that we needed to come up with our team loyalties for our own reasons, not for his...

For example, my dad is a Steelers fan because his best friend in basic training was a big Steelers fan and was killed in Vietnam, so my dad adopted the Steelers as his team and has been faithful for over 40 years now. I'm a Chargers fan because when I was just being introduced to football, I got my first football preview magazine and the cover headline said "Why Fouts is better than Bradshaw" so I figured I'd be rooting for a team better than my dad's Steelers. My brother is a 49ers fan because he enjoyed watching Ronnie Lott at USC and said whichever NFL team drafts him will be his favorite...

All different reasons, all legitimate and we've stuck with our teams. If my brother suddenly said he's a Tennessee Titans fan, there would be so much grief, might even kick him out of the family for his disloyalty...

And he discouraged us from rooting for a college team until we actually went to a college. I watched college football and enjoyed it, but had no rooting interest until I went to Washington and became a Huskies fan...

I'd agree with this unless a team moves. If they move all bets are off. For instance my beloved Kings are on the verge of moving from Sacramento. The second they make that announcement that they're heading out of town they're dead to me. Seattle, Anaheim, 10th Level of Hell, it doesn't matter, they'll no longer be the Sacramento Kings so I'll no longer give a damn. Hell if anything I'd start actively rooting against them.

[loogodude90]

Pretty much physical proximity to the team and an ability to watch all or most of their games on television, which are usually intertwined.

[DCDuck]

Physical proximity. Also mascots and colors play a big part of it when the former doesn't apply. For example, I liked the Dolphins, Jaguars, Marlins and Grizzlies(!) growing up because I loved the color teal. I liked the Coyotes' visual style during the '90s, so I kinda sorta rooted for them too.

[Arts11]

Whereas I've been a big fan of baseball (Yankees), basketball (Knicks), and hockey [(Rangers) at least pre-lockout; I've been at arm's distance since they came back mainly because I don't get Versus, and they're rarely on the local channels] for as long as I could remember, football was never quite that big for me until much later. I tried following various teams, but they all lacked that decisive "hook" that could draw me in completely. I tended to root for the Giants by default, but since I didn't really care for the sport growing up, the fan-ship was never cemented. And as of right now, I'm sort of detached, and I just develop temporary rooting interests, game by game, while enjoying the sport in general (though I guess I root for the Giants more often, though I don't quite consider myself a fan).

Soccer falls into a similar situation as well. I played youth soccer for a couple years growing up, so I enjoyed the sport, but MLS hadn't started yet at that point, so I didn't have any teams to root for. However, growing up in New York, I would overhear the coaches and parents talk about Pele and the Cosmos so I became intrigued. Unfortunately, they were defunct at that point, and I soon transitioned to playing basketball and forgot about soccer for awhile. But now, with soccer finally making big strides in the US the last couple of years, I've started looking for a team to follow. However, I've run into the same problem I had with football in that none of the current teams really have that hook. The Red Bulls would seem like a natural fit given my other team loyalties, but I'm ambivalent about them (going back to their MetroStars days). That's why when I heard the Cosmos organization was re-established, I became excited. I really do hope they manage to secure a future MLS franchise, because I'm ready to "fan up" and dive in, but until then, I'm still on the outside looking in.

[wildwing64]

I was never raised to be a fan of any particular team. I have certain extended family members who are fans of their respective football teams, but there's never been any rooting interest for me as my parents were never really into it other than when England are playing. My younger brother claims to be a West Ham United fan, but his interest seems very casual and he doesn't appear to actively root for them. I was briefly a Tottenham Hotspur fan when I was little but it never stuck. Then I watched a certain cartoon, then a certain film, got NHL Hitz 20-02 for the GameCube, then ended up becoming a fan of an NHL team that's over 5,000 miles away from where I live. And now I'm as big a fan of the Anaheim Ducks as one this distance from them could possibly be, to the point that they never really feel that far away. I'm pretty hardcore, but I have my limits. I won't for example stay up until 3am just to catch the start of a game, or blow $375 on a blank authentic jersey the one time I visit the team store.

I've attempted to get into the NBA, NFL and MLB as well, and picked my teams, but I never felt the same "pull" from the Bulls, Texans or Angels as I did with the Ducks. Now I have no interest in the NBA whatsoever, but I remain a very casual fan of the Texans and Angels, despite barely paying attention to either of them.

I have (and have had) my local hockey team(s) to root for too. But I think here it's local proximity that actually matters to me more, as there is no other way to watch these teams play other than at the rink. I have two lower level teams that are both within a similar driving distance to me, the Romford Raiders and the Chelmsford Chieftains; I was initially a fan of the former as they play near my old hometown, but after only a year and then going to one home game of the latter, I found the overall fan experience to be better, and I've stuck with the Chieftains since.

I guess there's also that Elite Ice Hockey League. I had a favourite team, the London Racers, but they folded before I ever got the chance to go see them play. I never adopted another team as there was just nothing whatsoever drawing me to them. With no way to watch them at the time and with teams randomly coming in and out of the league, I just gave up. Maybe if they'll ever actually put another team in London, I might just become a fan again.

Side note: how the hell is it that a team 5,000 miles away from me is more accessible than 10 teams that are much nearer? Only in the bloody United Kingdom.

[youcan'tseeme]

I just look at it as your born into it. You cheer for the team closet to you. Obviously if you live in the middle of nowhere then you have a little more freedom. But for me I know if an NHL team wanted to set up shop in my town they'd be in Leafs territory. Therefore I approach it as myself being in Leafs territory as well.

[Chawls]

2. Don't be a closet fan until a team is good. Too many Lions fans have done this.

Interesting that you bring up this particular team. I'm a fairly new Lions fan, but believe it or not, it's actually because of their 0-16 season. See I was one of those people rooting for the "Imperfect Season", since no team had ever gone winless in the 16-game regular season. Once they achieved it, I had so much pity for them, that I actually became something of a fan of theirs. Now they're my #2 NFL team. Watching their playoff game sucked for me because they were going against the only other team I like more: the New Orleans Saints.

When determining fandom, one of my general rules is never rooting for a team with a successful history. So no Yankees, Lakers, Cowboys, Packers, Patriots or LSU. I tried rooting for the Celtics, but my spite for the Lakers wasn't strong enough to maintain my fandom with the Celtics. I like cheering for perennial losers because once they win, the glory tastes so much sweeter. Even though I've only been a Saints fan since 2004, at the time, they were going through a mediocre phase with Jim Haslett. A couple of 8-8s, 9-7, 7-9. My fandom was never tested more than in the lost season of 2005. Despite everything, I made sure to stay committed to those Bless You Boys and I've been a fan ever since. That's why when I'm looking for new teams to root for, I look at teams with less-than-fortunate pasts.

Oh yeah...and Roll Wave!

[tBBP]

When determining fandom, one of my general rules is never rooting for a team with a successful history....

...Even though I've only been a Saints fan since 2004, at the time, they were going through a mediocre phase with Jim Haslett. A couple of 8-8s, 9-7, 7-9. My fandom was never tested more than in the lost season of 2005. Despite everything, I made sure to stay committed to those Bless You Boys and I've been a fan ever since.

Okay, help me connect the syllogism here....

...I can understand rooting for the hapless underdog, i.e. your logic behind being a Lions fan, and yet you've only been a Saints fan, the team right in your backyard, and that had all those hapless seasons, since '04?

What'd I miss?

[Rockstar Matt]

I'm mainly just a fan of the local teams. I was born and raised in L.A. so I've always been a fan of the Lakers, Kings and Dodgers as far as I can remember. I also like the Clippers, Angels and Ducks by association. Those latter three teams I don't like as much as the former, but I was still happy when the Angels won the World Series, for example.

This. I've always been like this. Since there is no NFL in LA, I began to cheer for my dad's favorite team and my fanhood for the Dallas Cowboys has never wavered since. Example, since 2004 (when my family first got DirecTV), I've watched every single Cowboys game. But for the other major sports, I root for the LA area teams.

The only "rules" I like to have are that I don't care how you began to root for your team, just as long as you don't switch teams when the team you were rooting for becomes bad. And I hate it when fans who bandwagon start to trash talk to other fans. That irritates me to no end.

Also, before the MLB and NHL seasons began, I switched my allegiance from the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Dodgers (I did this when Magic's group bought the Dodgers and before anyone knew the Dodgers were going to be good. In fact, people were telling I was stupid for doing so because the Angels just got supposedly better) and from the Anaheim Ducks to the Los Angeles Kings (Stupidly, I did this because I loved the Kings switch to Black and Silver and I think their new uniforms are the best in the NHL. However I really didn't pay attention to them until this Playoff run. I dub myself as bandwagon fan... for now).

However, I'm not talking smack to any opposing fans and I'm keeping my mouth shut because I feel like I'm partially bandwagoning for the Dodgers, but I plan to keep on being a fan and going to a few games next season regardless of this season's outcome. Plus it helps that one of my best friends is a huge Dodgers fan and has been trying to get me to convert for a while. So yeah, I'm not going to lie, I'm on the Kings bandwagon, but I'm going to keep on being a fan after this season and onward. I still don't feel it's right for me to give my opinion on anything Kings/Dodgers related nor do I feel okay with trash talking with opposing fans.

[sc49erfan15]

The only thing I'd like to add is that it's perfectly acceptable to be a bandwagon fan before you hit teenage years. After that, it's pick a team and stick with 'em.

[Mr. Aware Eagle]

I don't think the way you pick a sports team matters all that much, so long as you plan on sticking with the team. Jumping on a bandwagon is kind of lame, but not so bad if you plan on riding it when the good times are over.

Auburn sports have basically run through my blood all my life. My parents (both AU grads) have had football season tickets since the early 80's and have been taking me and my sister along all of our lives. Now my sister is an AU graduate and I'll have my degree in a year.

Professional sports, on the other hand, have been more or less selected by me. I grew up in central Alabama, a professional sports wasteland, of sorts. The closest pro sports teams were a few hours away in Atlanta and Nashville. It wasn't until high school that I really cared about any professional sports teams. Some of those (Falcons and Hawks) were picked based off of location and simply what I'm able to see on my television at home. Others (Penguins and Cardinals) were kind of thrown onto me through friendships/relationships.

So, I guess in the end it doesn't matter how you end up being a fan of a team, so long as you stick with them.

[charger77]

1. Don't be a fan just because of a big signing. (Prince Fielder and Peyton Manning)

2. Don't be a closet fan until a team is good. Too many Lions fans have done this.

Tigers too in this area.