Is it considered bandwagon/fair weather if....

[FiddySicks]

Bucfan56 & Kramerica: I don't see much wrong with the Bucs beside the recent slump. That's not permanent. They've always seemed like the scrappy underdog with the cool stadium with the pirate ship:)

That's fine if you think that way, but I should warn you that, in 38 seasons of Buccaneers football, the only sustained period of success they have EVER had was between 1997-2002. Basically, in 32 of the other 38 seasons (84% of their time in the NFL), they've been generally terrible. When it comes to supporting terrible sports franchises, I genuinely believe it's something that has to begin when you're young and impressionable and when you don't know much better.

I mean, there's a reason why I support the Lightning and Bucs, but NOT the Rays. It's because the Rays came along just a little bit later than the Lightning did, and by the time they began play in 1998, my baseball allegiance had already been confirmed. If the Rays had come along in '93 (instead of the Marlins or something), then I probably would be a Rays fan. As it was, I enjoyed 1998-2007 far better when it came to baseball. They came along too late in the process and were nowhere near good enough as a team or a franchise to win me over. If the Lightning were a late '90s expansion team, odds are likely I would've never become a fan of their's, either.

Look, if you were to "choose" the Bucs, then all the power with you. Bucfan and I just feel a need to warn you of the danger of hitching your wagon to the Buccanners' ship.

Yeah because that wagon is made of lead and it'll drag your ship right to the bottom of the ocean.

Kramerica pretty much nailed it about finding teams when you're young and impressionable. That's what happened to me with the Bucs.

Look, I love that team, but they're downright hard to watch. It's to the point where me and CS85 act in a similar manner over our teams, but his emotion comes from actual games, while mine comes from seeing them change uniforms. There's really not been much else to root for since 03. Especially since the Glazers bought Manchester United. You think you're fed up with Jerry Jones? Try being a fan of a team who's owner has to put them on the back burner every year because of his involvement with a SOCCER team.

Just, don't pick the Bucs. Trust us on this one. It's more of a headache than it's worth. Leave that burden to us.

[BadSeed84]

I think it depends if your favorite team is also your hometown team.

Like I live in philadelphia, it feels messed up to me if the phillies aren't my favorite team, same with the flyers.

Eagles too I guess........we have a basketball team? oh yea the sixers.

[JRB14]

I don't want to threadjack, but same idea with me and my Lions, who I've rooted for my whole life. I don't like the teams attitude, Mayhew is a terrible GM, and my Dad works for Ford, but he's a terrible owner, too. I was glad when we got rid of Schwartz, and I thought I was relieved of my pain what with the Lions getting Whiz, until he went to Tennessee and the Lions picked up Caldwell. The players are worse. Ndamukong Suh stomping on Evan Dietrich-Smith's arm, kicking Schaub in the groin, Stafford not wanting a QB Coach when even Tom Brady should have a QB Coach, all of the drunk driving arrests in Alabama, it's not even funny how unacceptable the Lions overall behavior is, and it's not even funny how quick to accept this behavior that some Lions fans are. Listening to 97.1 in the car is absolutely ridiculous. The guys who call in with their 'educated' opinions... And like like Julius Seizure said, as quick as I am to defend some of these things, I'm 100% wrong and I know it. I don't defend Suh, by the way.

As far as the team that I would switch to... I'm going to tell you before I get labelled as a bandwagoner, I've been a fan of this team since I was able to follow football, always behind the Lions. I've been cheering for this team forever. My fandom wouldn't be newfound. Just because the Seahawks are finally World Champions has absolutely no impact on my decision to switch, but rather the overall poor attitude of the Lions. I would cheer for the Browns (keyword here: IF. They don't, they won't, they can't.) if they had good management and a team who put forth good attitude and effort, even if they also put forth sloppy play.

[daniel75]

There is a blowhard on WDAE in Tampa (I truly mean it when I call him a blowhard) who comes from Philly and is the staunchest believer that one should dump their previous city allegiances if they move elsewhere. This guy (Steve Duemig is his name, in case anyone really cares) can't imagine any reason in the world why anyone would ever root for the non-local team.

Now, needless to say from the tone of my writing, I completely disagree with him. If I ever moved out of Tampa, I'm not leaving the Bucs and Lightning behind. My baseball allegiance very narrowly pre-dates when the MLB (finally) came to the Tampa Bay area in 1998 (and it took a decade for the [Devil] Rays to become ANY good, at all) so I've already done the whole "rooting for a non-local team" thing for damn close to 20 years and that's not going away, so, I mean, it goes both ways.

The aspect of bandwagoning, or being fair-weather whatever is such a cliche' these days anyway. IMO, it's not when you become a fan of a team as much as it is you remain dedicated to their cause afterwards. Not to mention that, just based on how you wrote that, it would certainly seem as if your fandom towards those St. Louis teams is organic, which is really the biggest thing to consider when it comes to the teams you root for; whether you honestly feel a connection or not.

As far as unethical? Nah, I can't imagine it.

Your allegiance should be to the areas team that you now call home. If you've lived in Tampa since 98 you should be a Rays fan, they're your local team.

[Sport]

There is a blowhard on WDAE in Tampa (I truly mean it when I call him a blowhard) who comes from Philly and is the staunchest believer that one should dump their previous city allegiances if they move elsewhere. This guy (Steve Duemig is his name, in case anyone really cares) can't imagine any reason in the world why anyone would ever root for the non-local team.

Now, needless to say from the tone of my writing, I completely disagree with him. If I ever moved out of Tampa, I'm not leaving the Bucs and Lightning behind. My baseball allegiance very narrowly pre-dates when the MLB (finally) came to the Tampa Bay area in 1998 (and it took a decade for the [Devil] Rays to become ANY good, at all) so I've already done the whole "rooting for a non-local team" thing for damn close to 20 years and that's not going away, so, I mean, it goes both ways.

The aspect of bandwagoning, or being fair-weather whatever is such a cliche' these days anyway. IMO, it's not when you become a fan of a team as much as it is you remain dedicated to their cause afterwards. Not to mention that, just based on how you wrote that, it would certainly seem as if your fandom towards those St. Louis teams is organic, which is really the biggest thing to consider when it comes to the teams you root for; whether you honestly feel a connection or not.

As far as unethical? Nah, I can't imagine it.

Your allegiance should be to the areas team that you now call home. If you've lived in Tampa since 98 you should be a Rays fan, they're your local team.

That's really dumb.

I almost moved to Seattle in 2010. If I had I would've started following and supporting the local Seattle teams, but there's no chance in hell I'd abandon the Reds, Blue Jackets, and Bengals as my number 1 teams. It would've been hard not to jump all in on the Seahawks this past season, but it wouldn't have felt true to myself. I'm a Bengals fan.

Those are my teams and where I live won't change that.

[daniel75]

There is a blowhard on WDAE in Tampa (I truly mean it when I call him a blowhard) who comes from Philly and is the staunchest believer that one should dump their previous city allegiances if they move elsewhere. This guy (Steve Duemig is his name, in case anyone really cares) can't imagine any reason in the world why anyone would ever root for the non-local team.

Now, needless to say from the tone of my writing, I completely disagree with him. If I ever moved out of Tampa, I'm not leaving the Bucs and Lightning behind. My baseball allegiance very narrowly pre-dates when the MLB (finally) came to the Tampa Bay area in 1998 (and it took a decade for the [Devil] Rays to become ANY good, at all) so I've already done the whole "rooting for a non-local team" thing for damn close to 20 years and that's not going away, so, I mean, it goes both ways.

The aspect of bandwagoning, or being fair-weather whatever is such a cliche' these days anyway. IMO, it's not when you become a fan of a team as much as it is you remain dedicated to their cause afterwards. Not to mention that, just based on how you wrote that, it would certainly seem as if your fandom towards those St. Louis teams is organic, which is really the biggest thing to consider when it comes to the teams you root for; whether you honestly feel a connection or not.

As far as unethical? Nah, I can't imagine it.

Your allegiance should be to the areas team that you now call home. If you've lived in Tampa since 98 you should be a Rays fan, they're your local team.

That's really dumb.

I almost moved to Seattle in 2010. If I had I would've started following and supporting the local Seattle teams, but there's no chance in hell I'd abandon the Reds, Blue Jackets, and Bengals as my number 1 teams. It would've been hard not to jump all in on the Seahawks this past season, but it wouldn't have felt true to myself. I'm a Bengals fan.

Those are my teams and where I live won't change that.

Understood I just think that if you move somewhere that you now call home knowing that your likely going to spend most of the rest of your life their than that areas team should become your number one team. This obviously doesn't happen overnight.

[-kj]

No. No no no no no. No.

I've lived in Minneapolis since 1997. While I pay a little attention to the teams here (moreso the Wild, since it's been fun to watch from inception), my ties are still elsewhere... well, except in the case of Minnesota United, since my serious soccer fandom started here and was heavily tied to the Minnesota Thunder (RIP).

[tBBP]

Wait hold up--I thought you were a Minnesota homebred.

Where are your roots, then, if you don't mind my asking?

[-kj]

I grew up in the St. Louis area.

[tBBP]

Ah, ok.

So what's your take on the Rams?

[-kj]

Eh, I moved not long after they were on the scene. Plus I'm just not a big fan of the NFL these days.

[Nyk33]

I kind of understand the OP.

The New York Knickerbockers have been giving me nothing but headaches and are ran by one of the worst owners in sports. I am essentially rooting for the Cubs of the NBA. With that being said I can't easily ditch them because I've been rooting for them since the late 90's. Sprewell, Houston, Ewing, Van Gundy, etc are still names that I remember fondly.

In case anyone asks me why I don't jump to the Nets, it's because I can't root for them since they only rep a borough that I rarely ever visit and I've pretty much hated them since the Kendall Gill days.

[JayMac]

I voted no on the poll. I am a Seahawks fan and have been since the late 80s. I liked rooting for an underdog. That being said, they have become a trendy team. I hate that I support a trendy team but I have to always stick by them. Another thing is that I am not in love with the coach and some of the players are arrogant as hell but I root for the TEAM above all else.