What is the right reason and amount of teams to root for?

[Lights Out]

I noticed people liking the Nats because they used to be the Expos... well, I can top that: I actually rooted for the Expos and went to a game. Crappy stadium, crappy team, everything had to be said in English and French, but it was definitely a cool thing to check off my bucket list.

[OnWis97]

I noticed people liking the Nats because they used to be the Expos... well, I can top that: I actually rooted for the Expos and went to a game. Crappy stadium, crappy team, everything had to be said in English and French, but it was definitely a cool thing to check off my bucket list.

I wish I could have gone to 1) Tiger Stadium, 2) Old Comiskey Park, and 3) and Expos home game.

[Kramerica Industries]

We've got a raysfan12, and a raysfan24.

I feel like this is an old mathematical pattern game, but I'm not sure if the next one is supposed to be raysfan36, or raysfan48.

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Just to make this post pertinent to the thread at hand, I'm not about to be the authority about the number of teams one can root for from a given league. I will say in my case that I have definite favorites in MLB, NFL, and NHL, while I don't really have favorites all in the NBA, MLS, or European football (though I wish I watched that much more often - the final weeks of the Premier League season and the European championships are not enough). Problem with those leagues is I either don't watch (MLS), or I never latched on to a team early enough to care for them.

I mean, my allegiances to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buccaneers, and NY Yankees are all life-long. Of course, one sees the diversity right there, with the Yankees, who happen to be in the same division as the Tampa Bay baseball team that now exists (a team I have no love lost for, but at least they aren't Boston), and it instantly rayses the question as to why I'm not a Rays fan. The simple answer, of course, is because the Rays were not in existence when I became a Yankees fan, as well as the fact that my Father is also a Yankees fan. I could've had a cheap excuse to jump to the Rays ship circa 2008, but:

1) Yankees allegiances way too deeply rooted by then.

2) I refuse to look like a bandwagoner in such an obvious way.

That said, my Yankees allegiances have made me partial to the NY Giants and NY Rangers, but not at all to the point to where I would consider myself a hard and fast "fan" of those teams. I would never root for those teams over the Bucs or Bolts, except in the absolute rarest of circumstances, like if the Giants were fighting for a playoff spot in Week 16 or something, and the Bucs were long out of the playoff picture...both can happen, of course, as soon as this season in fact, but I doubt this will be determined for certain in Week 2! I can't see myself becoming an actual fan of those teams, unless I were to actually move into the Tri-state area and be in market of those teams. Even if I did, I would never surrender my current allegiances.

I guess, to get to the point and not bore any of you to death any further, one can be a fan of as many teams as they wish, provided:

1) There is pretty solid reasoning behind it. The boundaries of this vary from person to person, of course, so take from that what you wish, which may be nothing, at all.

2) One is not a fan of two teams that play in the same division, or, worse, are rivals of each other. I know that this can contradict in some ways with #1, but regardless of whatever reasoning one has, it's just really, really hard to buy someone being a fan of, say, the Lakers and Celtics, without some suspicion of bandwagoning. It can exist, theoretically, but there better be a strong story behind it. And even then...

3) If one wishes to be a bandwagoner, be it as it may. Just don't make it so obvious. That is to say, if one wishes to bandwagon on the Lakers, or Yankees, or Red Wings, or Cowboys. Whatever. To be a fan of three of those teams (or all four!), or any similar combination thereof* is just making it way too easy to strip oneself of any credibility they possess.

Even if anyone were to not buy my Yankee fandom as being good and pure, I can point to the fact that the Bucs and Bolts are perennially among the worst run teams in their respective sports. So it cancels itself out. The Lightning have had all of two solid playoff runs in their entire history (2004 and 2011 - next year is their 20th season!), and the Bucs haven't won a playoff game since 2002. Few teams have longer droughts than that**. In fairness to both teams, the Lightning made the 2004 playoff run count, and the last playoff game the Bucs won was Super Bowl XXXVII, so those weren't all bad. Just mostly bad ever since then.

*this is kind of where I grow to really hate Boston sports, more than I already do, since one is not a bandwagoner if they like the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots, and Bruins, and all four of those teams have had loads of success, either recently, historically, or both.

**I was shocked when I realized just how many teams, actually. At first, I thought about the Bills and Browns. Then the Lions came to mind. Then the Chiefs. Then the Bengals. Then the Dolphins. Then the Raiders (by a week). The Browns, Chiefs, and Bengals haven't won a playoff game since the fricken' '80s, for cripes' sake!

[IceCap]

As a general rule, I keep the teams I root for down to two per league. There's my favourite team, and then there's my second team. I try to keep it limited to that. It gets a little out of hand when you claim three to five teams, in my opinion.

All of my favourite teams in the pro leagues, save one, are due to geography. I root for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Blue Jays because they are the local teams I grew up with. I root for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats because hey, why not support the "southern Ontario that's not Toronto" team in the one league where I have the option? I root for the San Diego Chargers because my dad does.

As for my "second teams," well I root for who I want to for a variety of reasons. The only real "rule" I try to keep in mind is the "other conference" rule.

Arizona Diamondbacks. They beat the Yankees in 2002 and it was glorious.

Arizona Cardinals. I was always a fan of Kurt Warner, and it was nice to see him go out on a high note. Also, as a historian, I have a soft spot in my heart for the "oldest team in the NFL."

Calgary Flames. I grew to love them during their 2003-2004 run. Shame they couldn't seal the deal. They overtook the Vancouver Canucks, who were my second NHL team until I was informed that Leafs and Canucks fans are supposed to hate each other. For some reason.

Utah Jazz/Phoenix Suns/Utah Jazz. As a kid everyone seemed to be a Michael Jordan/Bulls fan. I reacted to this obvious bandwagonning by being a little contrarian and rooting for the Jazz during their run in the late 90s. I drifted away from the team when Steve Nash became a big deal because hey, Canada. Then he went to the Lakers, and that's just not a line I'm willing to cross. So back to the Jazz.

Saskatchewan Roughriders. They always seemed fun to watch.

[crashcarson15]

I noticed people liking the Nats because they used to be the Expos... well, I can top that: I actually rooted for the Expos and went to a game. Crappy stadium, crappy team, everything had to be said in English and French, but it was definitely a cool thing to check off my bucket list.

I really didn't have a choice... I was 9 when they moved.

/I was somewhat disappointed, though when they didn't move after 2003 as I missed out on the chance to be the last ever Expos team in my little/rec league.

[tBBP]

Due to me having jumped all over the country (and globe, for that matter) during the past six or seven years, I ended up developing a passing interest on several different teams...though most never grew past that level and have since dissipated. My thing, though, is this: I don't see the problem in "liking" several different teams...but don't sit there and try to act like you been a hard-core diehard fanatic of all 35 of your favorite teams for 20-something years?that ain't even possible. Also, along that same line, if your list of favorite teams consist solely of perennial winners, you're probably going to be looked at as a frontrunner/ bandwagoner/phony no matter how you try to spin it. (And I've already come across people who count, on the same list, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallaa Cowboys, NY Yankees, L.A. Lakers, and Detroit Red Wings.)

All that said, here's mine:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Do I even need to explain this?

NFL Team B: Indianapolis Colts. Still trying to figure this one out?apparently it just manifested itself recently. I'm sure living in Indy has something to do with it...but in four years of living in Pittsburgh, try though they did, they never could convert me to Steelerism. (May also help that Steeler Nation ranks among the most annoying groups of people on planet Earth.)

Florida State Seminoles. Been in the blood since a young'n. Born and raised on the Panhandle; Tallahasse's three hours from Pensacola.

Philadelphia Union. I was living out between Baltimore and DC at the time the Union was born; instantly fell on love with their entire identity. Got to go their first home game in then-brand-spanking-new PPL Park...been hooked ever since (and have the fan gear to prove it). Now, that being said, if this Racing Indy movement picks up enough steam to eventually land a club in Indy, then O may end up having a new MLS #1...provided I'm even still in Indy if/when that happens.

Asociación del Fútbol Argentino. This happened during my first deployment..I used to catch a lot of international football during my downtime, and I'd always see the same squad wearing the same light blue-and-white jerseys. Eventually figured out it was the Argentine national team. Ended up meeting a pretty lil' Argentine chica while living in Maryland...pretty much only drove the fandom deeper.

Indiana Pacers. I've not ever really had a "favorite" NBA team, but I've paid real close attention to the Pacers over the past two years, and found myself all caught up in their playoff run this past season. (I guess the quasi-Hoosierdom is really starting to show through by now.) This isn't really anything new, though...even as most of the NBA fandom was all caught ip in the Chicago Bulls' three-peat and subsequent repeat three-peat, I still have vivid memories of watching Reggie Miller, one of my favorite players of the time, do his thing?but also Detlef Schrempf for the short time he was there with Reggie, along with the likes of Rik Smits, Mark Jackson, Travis Best, and later on Jalen Rose and Ron Artest. And those FloJo sets still rank among my favorite sports uniforms of all time.

[Gary]

Being born in Michigan and being raised in the Phoenix area, I usually have 2 per sport. Pistons and Suns, Coyotes and Red Wings, Arizona State(my alma mater) and Michigan, Diamondbacks and Tigers etc.

Just infused of who I am. I love the Detroit teams so much more as I was raised to love the teams. But didn't really have any other sport to root for other than the Cardinals and the Suns til 1997. We were either forced with the Dodgers, Angels, Giants, LA Kings, Cowboys or Raiders. So figuring out who to root for was difficult. There are more people in the Phoenix area that will root for the Cowboys than the Cardinals.

[Rockstar Matt]

My favorite teams consists of a mixture of local teams, teams my parents liked, and what uniforms/logos I think are cool.

NFL

1. Dallas Cowboys. This team falls in "teams my parents liked" area. I'm a die-hard Cowboys fan. Probably the biggest Cowboys fan most of you will ever meet. Cowboys are my number one team of all sports. One of my dreams is to one day have the money to attend every single Cowboys game in one season. I've rooted for them for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Los Angeles, in the 90's and especially with LA losing the Rams and Raiders, LA kids had pretty much the whole league to choose from. I would watch Cowboys games with my dad when I was very young and now it's become a fall tradition. My dad and I sit on the couch every Sunday, watching football and Cowboy games.

2. Oakland Raiders. Again, this falls in "teams my parents liked". I root for the Raiders and I will watch almost every one of their games, as long as they aren't playing the Cowboys or there isn't a Cowboys game at the same time.

NBA

1. Los Angeles Lakers. My fanhood of the Lakers falls in all three categories. Local team. My parents liked them (they use to have season tickets for the Showtime Lakers). I think the Lakers have the best looking logo and uniforms in the NBA. I would rank the Lakers as my number 2 team for all sports.

2. Any team playing Boston, and I'm not even kidding.

NHL

1. LA Kings. They fall into the categories of local team and I think their logos/uniforms are cool. I'll admit, I only really began to root during their Stanley Cup run, but I can assure you guys that I'm not a bandwagoner in that I'll root for a different team next year. I'm a LA Kings fan for life now.

EPL/International Soccer

In the EPL, I root for Newcastle United. I love their uniforms and I would use them in FIFA video games and that started my fandom. In International Soccer, it's the United States. And that's for National Pride.

MLB

1. LA Dodgers. They fall into all three categories. And what made me switch from the Angels to the Dodgers was Magic Johnson's group buying them.

[winghaz]

As the Beach Boys once sang, "Be true to your school."

So a huge criteria for cheering for someone, especially in college or high school, is if you went there or go there. And if you aren't true to your school, you're a real rat ... unless, of course, your son or daughter plays for the arch-rival.

Geography should also play a huge part in why you cheer for someone. My favorite teams in pro sports are the closest ones to me, and those teams just happen to be in Minnesota.

(Although I did root for any NBA team Phil Jackson coached, and there again, for good reason. Phil Jackson is from North Dakota, and I will cheer for teams coached by North Dakotans. Thus, I liked Arizona under Lute Olson and LSU under Dale Brown, as I also like Northern Iowa under Ben Jacobson.)

The LOUSIEST reason for cheering for a team is because that team was good when you were a kid. I know some here in North Dakota who are Mets fans because they were kids when the Mets were hot in the 1980s. It's a silly sort of bandwagoning.

[ElwoodCuse]

All reasons for liking sports teams are illogical unless you are one of the very few who actually has a personal stake in their success. Root for whoever you want.

[omnivore]

I tend to find the whole root for more than one team in the same sport a bit wacky. I make fun of one of my friends who consistently talks about the Phillies and the Red Sox, even though they're in different leagues because I'm like "you get one primary team. You don't get to be happy twice."

Of course this year that doesn't matter. For me...I have some primary teams and then some secondary teams that I root for/care about.

MLB: Toronto Blue Jays It doesn't make sense, really. I grew up in New Jersey. But I liked their players and I was young enough that it was okay to pick a team for whatever reason you wanted. Luckily, they haven't been good since I was about 13 so...it's not like anyone thinks "gee, what a bandwagon fan you are." I don't have a 2nd MLB team, but I've lived in St. Louis in the past and Colorado long enough to claim either of those teams (Specifically the latter since I live in Rockies country now) but I never felt comfortable having a second team. If they do well, it's fine...and I'd go to a playoff or regular season game out of proximity. Helps that Coors Field is nice, but...I just can't ever call myself a real fan.

NHL: New Jersey Devils Home state team. First team besides the Jays I really rooted for. It helps when they're good and can cement that fandom, but even if they started to suck forever they've given me plenty of memories for a lifetime.

NBA: No team. Never cared for the Nets even when they were good briefly. It was cool seeing "New Jersey" unis everywhere, but now that they're in Brooklyn couldn't care less (though I'm happy for Brooklyn, just wish it wasn't that team.) But yeah, I don't have an NBA team. Wish I did. But I don't.

NFL: New York Jets Parcells made into a Jets fan. I never felt comfortable rooting for the Giants, though all of my family does. I don't mind seeing them do well so long as it doesn't hurt the Jets, but they're my team even if they can't ever get over the hump.

MLS: Portland Timbers Mostly a casual fan, but...I lived in Portland for a brief bit and always found myself struck by their fans. Drew me in during the USL days and so, it was a no-brainer when they jumped up that I'd go with them.

There are the only teams I truly care about. From there, it's just a matter of picking path of least harm in the postseason.

[Funky Bunky]

This is how my rooting interests go:

NHL

1 Anaheim

-Sort of like Boston and New Jersey too

NFL

1 San Diego

2 Arizona

3 Houston

MLB

1 Angels

-Sort of like the Giants and Diamondbacks too.

[It Needs A Bow]

I've never gotten the idea of falling in love with a team strictly because they're local. It's probably because my family weren't huge sports fans. I used to catch Yankees-Red Sox games on TV, so at 8 I decided to be a Red Sox fan. Then, at 15 I fell in love with the Royals, so for a while they were my second team.

Now, I can't even bear to associate with the Red Sox, and stopped rooting for them in 2006 to focus on my last-place KC darlings.

I'm also a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and I didn't really start rooting for the Bruins until I watched them lose a heart wrenching Game 7 (curse you, Flyers!) I have tons of teams I like in the NFL or feel a soft-spot for, but since I'm a born-and-raised Rhode Islander, they have no backing based on my past or connections. I simply like who I like.

And in the age of 1000+ channels, you can really follow almost any team from wherever you are.

[Funky Bunky]

What made you a Royals fan?

[sportstar1212]

Here are the teams I support:

MLB

Boston Red Sox- Funny story here: when I first visited Boston in 2009, I was actually a Yankee fan and Alex Rodriguez was my favorite player. I hated the Red Sox with a passion and I wasn't happy about being in Red Sox Nation. Once I was in the city, everything was centered around the Red Sox. The Red Sox seemed really interesting. I was then faced with a decision: stay with the Yanks, or go over to the Sox. I completely ditched the Yankees after I went to see them play in Toronto and I got snubbed by A-Roid trying to get an autograph. After that, I switched allegiances and I began supporting the Red Sox for the rest of the season.

Toronto Blue Jays- The Jays used to always be my favorite team, until 2008 when I gave up on them (just like I did on the Leafs, Raptors, and Argos) and hopped on the Yankee bandwagon. Come last year, I started to take interest in the Jays again as they had so many young and exciting players. They are now my second favorite team, and I fully support them unless they're playing Boston.

I also casually cheer for the Cubs and Dodgers.

NHL

I'll start off with saying I gave up on the Leafs a few years ago, for obvious reasons. They used to be my favorite team until they became so painful to watch.

Pittsburgh Penguins- Yes, I became a fan of them when Crosby got drafted by them. I always took from kids at school, who were all Ovechkin fans, but I stayed true to Sid and the Pens. These days, I don't find I'm as big a fan as I used to be. Maybe it's because of Crosby's absence, I don't know.

Boston Bruins- I kind of fell into them, since they were Boston and I support every other Boston team. I became a serious fan during the 2011 cup run, but I still cheer for them now.

Chicago Blackhawks- I took interest in Chicago because I liked their logo and uniforms, and I like all their players. Pretty simple.

I also like the Kings, Leafs, and Oilers a bit.

NFL

I became a Patriots fan when I was 7 during the 04 Super Bowl because I was just starting to get into football, and my dad was cheering for the Pats, so I decided to cheer for them too. After that, I decided to stick with them. I also pull for the Packers, because my dad cheers for them and I like the franchise. Oddly enough, I also like the Dolphins a bit, because my first ever football jersey was a Junior Seau (RIP) jersey.

NBA

First of all, I don't watch much basketball, so I'm kind of a bandwagon fan. I used to sort of like the Raptors but I gave up on them, like every other Toronto team. I now support the Celtics, because I like the franchise. I also used to like Cleveland a bit, because of LeBron, but now I couldn't care less about either of them.

[It Needs A Bow]

What made you a Royals fan?

They caught my eye in a series with the Red Sox, and then I gradually started following them online and on games shown in my area. Within six months, I'd bitten the bullet and signed up for MLB TV so I could keep up with them. Something about the underdog gets me every time.

...And really, what bigger underdog than the Royals?

[sportstar1212]

What made you a Royals fan?

They caught my eye in a series with the Red Sox, and then I gradually started following them online and on games shown in my area. Within six months, I'd bitten the bullet and signed up for MLB TV so I could keep up with them. Something about the underdog gets me every time.

...And really, what bigger underdog than the Royals?

The Cubs

[nash61]

I would say two teams per league max, and they can't be rivals. One team because they're "your team", the other team because that team has your favourite player.

I'm a Leafs fan ("my team") and a Blue Jackets fan (used to be Rick Nash)

[sportstar1212]

I would say two teams per league max, and they can't be rivals. One team because they're "your team", the other team because that team has your favourite player.

I'm a Leafs fan ("my team") and a Blue Jackets fan (used to be Rick Nash)

So are you a Rangers fan now?

[RedSox44]

MLB:

American League team: Boston Red Sox. Reason: local team, bred into it.

National League team: Washington Nationals. Reason: was a huge Expos fans because I loved their uniforms.

NHL:

No. 1 team: Boston Bruins. Reason: local team, bred into it.

No. 2 team: none until the Nordiques come back.

NBA: No. 1 team: Boston Celtics. Reason: local team, bred into it.

No. 2 team: Seattle SuperSonics (NOT the Thunder). Reason: Loved the Sonics uniforms.

NFL: No. 1 team: New England Patriots. Reason: local team, bred into it.

No. 2 team: Oakland Raiders. Reason: bred into it. My maternal and paternal families are constantly at war about the Raiders and Patriots. I liked the Patriots because they were New England, but after my father died in 2005 I took up the mantle to cheer for the Raiders just as hard as I do for the Patriots. To some of you this seems like "cheering for both the Red Sox and the Yankees", but I assure you the Raiders' real rivals are the Chiefs, Chargers and Niners, and the Patriots' real rivals are the New York teams and Miami.

World football:

No. 1 team: Celtic FC. Reason: Irish heritage, awesome kits, rich histoy.

No. 2 team: St. Pauli FC. Reason: Leftist club constitution.

No. 3 team: Manchester United. Reason: rich history, long string of success recently, Rooney.

No. 4 team: FC Barcelona. Reason: awesome kits, rich history, Messi.

No. 5 team: AS Livorno Calcio. Reason: Leftist club constitution.

National team (all sports)

No. 1: United States. Reason: c'mon. Do you really need a reason?

No. 2: Republic of Ireland. Reason: Irish heritage.

No. 3: Germany. Reason: German heritage.

No. 4: France. Reason: Love the French language. I know, pretty stupid reason.