Pole on sports fandom (1 Viewer)

[Jayrod]

Just curious to know how many of you consider yourself fans of specific teams?

I have always limited my fandom for some reason.  I guess I find it more draining and limiting to feel tied to a team instead of just enjoying the games for what they are.

Do you prefer being attached to a team or just watching sports without a rooting interest?

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Michigan football is the only one I really care about anymore 

still watch every Lions game but more because it’s something to do, I don’t get excited when they win or lose anymore.  If they ever made an NFC championship game it would move the needle for me

Tigers...I’ll watch when I can but team is abysmal right now.  They gave me a good 10 year run.  I still follow them and I’m sure my interest will pick back up when they get some good players and compete again

Michigan  basketball I’ll tune in during tournament time and want them to do well, but even a finals loss got a  from me

i just don’t have time for the Wings and Pistons.

 

[Galileo]

Why are these mutually exclusive?  I don't think being a fan of specific teams prevents me from enjoying games when other teams are playing.   For example, I very specifically consider myself a fan of Texas Christian University and Ohio State football, but I still enjoyed watching the Buffalo vs. Miami (OH) game that was on TV last night.

NFL - Cleveland Browns

MLB - Cleveland Indians

NCAAF - OSU and TCU

 

[TheFanatic]

I still root hard for the Cardinals in baseball and Notre Dame in college football, but that's about it. Ever since the NFL ripped my team out of here and more importantly ripped this city, I still watch football, but can't bring myself to ever pay another nickel for anything from the NFL or to pick a team to root for. 

 

[hagmania]

Yes, several

NFL - 0
NCAAFB - Vandy, UK
NBA - 0
NCAABB - Vandy, UK
MLB - Cubs
NHL - Preds
Soccer - 0
Other - Tomohiro Ishii (pro wrestling  ), whatever team Universe is playing for (Dota2), Counter Logic Gaming (League of Legends), PinkKittyRose (ALTTP Randomizer Races)

For the most part, won't watch a regular season baseball, hockey or NCAA basketball game unless the team I cheer for is playing.

 

[El Floppo]

US men's national soccer team.... only team I genuinely care about. kids see ugly/bad or giddy/idiot daddy during these games.

NY Redbulls. a fan, but not live and die like the US.

if the SF Giants or Niners do anything, I'm interested, but not fanatical.

 

[worrierking]

New Orleans Saints

St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Blues

McNeese State University Football

 

[bro1ncos]

Broncos

Dodgers

Mizzou Tigers (football and basketball) 

Avalanche 

Spurs but much less so since Admiral and Duncan retirement 

 

[bigmarc27]

Clemson (alma mater)

Falcons (lived most of my life in ATL)

Braves (lived most of my life in ATL)

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Step down, but I follow ATL United

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Big step down for the Hawks - them ever being good just means local radio spends more time talking nba when I’d rather hear draft or mlb stuff. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

i'm a 3-sport guy. love to root for USA and Ireland (the auntie who sponsored us over from Ol Skibbereen left me a trust which allowed me to go to Ireland for 2-6wks each summer of my minority and i have dual citizenship) in international competitions, but have never developed a fanship in any but the big 3 sports. baseball/basketball, its always been Boston and didn't change in the 40 yrs i lived away from New England  (i would have tried to be a Rockies fan but they only ever televised one season in NM and that wasnt early on).

football was different. tho i was a big Patriots/Parilli/Cappaletti/Nance/BlackPowerDefense fan and my uncle took me to see the Pats in all of the first five venues they played when they were AFL, when i left town in '77, we were still saying "I'm from Boston - we don't have professional football". so, when i first moved to NM it was Orange Crush time in Denver and, in those days in the Land of Enchantment, anglos were Broncos fans and chicanos were Cowboy fans and i was all about mad respeto then and didnt cross the line (tho i made a furtive fortune on Da Boyz in the '78 Super Bowl). then when i moved to Reno in the early 80s it was all about Walsh/Montana/Niners and it was REAL ez to go there. my second go-round in NM in '96, Albq was a western city instead of a Mexican city, none of the old rules stood up, so i became just a football fan. when Belichick brought the Pats to prominence, i was not on board because of all the Johnny-come-latelys who werent aware or didn't care that, if the Giants hadnt objected to sharing the Connecticut TV market with another team, the Pats would have moved to New Haven in '75 but who all acted like OGs. i felt the same way after i moved back to New England earlier this decade, but they wore me down.

havent watched college sports for decades

 

[Tick]

Only college and US national teams.  I don't care about any specific pro sports teams, though I root for and against some players and coaches.  I grew up in Alaska, so I didn't have any automatic pro allegiance, and it has always felt artificial to try to invent one (looking at you, American EPL fans).

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Buffalo Bills 

Arsenal

I have a thing for underachieving football teams.

 

[NewlyRetired]

US National Team (soccer) for me is my only live and die for team.   (still trying to claw my way out of the 13 month grave here)

But I follow closely plenty of other teams across soccer and the Pats/Celts for local teams.

 

[IC FBGCav]

Born and raised in Pittsburgh,  PA.  

Steelers - NFL

Hurricanes - NHL

College - Still Pittsburgh mostly basketball.

I was a Pens fan growing up, I moved to Raleigh and was a Hurricanes season ticket holder.  So I had to pick a side.  I don't get any joy from the Pens anymore, actually the opposite.  Hurricanes are the team in any sport I follow the most.

 

[gopherit]

I was a Pens fan growing up, I moved to Raleigh and was a Hurricanes season ticket holder.  So I had to pick a side.  I don't get any joy from the Pens anymore, actually the opposite.  Hurricanes are the team in any sport I follow the most.

Nice to see that you came to your senses.

Now you just need to complete the cycle and dump the Steelers.

 

[Eephus]

San Francisco Giants - I'm a baseball fan but there's nothing like the daily grind of the long season to cement a relationship with a team

Green Bay Packers - More out of force of habit.  My support of the team goes back further than anything in my life except for family

AFC Wimbledon - My love for the other two teams was originally just a matter of geography.  The Dons were a conscious choice made during their previous incarnation as Wimbledon FC.  I suffered through the whole Franchise FC debacle from afar but the club's rebirth and rise has been like a fairy tale that embodies all that is good about sports.

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I still like my college teams (Wisconsin Badgers) more than yours but I don't live and die over them.

 

[IC FBGCav]

Nice to see that you came to your senses.

Now you just need to complete the cycle and dump the Steelers.

My dad died in late 2015. The Pirates were good for the first time since the early 90's at that point.  His quote "F them, they didn't give a s**t for 20 years, I am not giving one now, I hope they lose"

Gotta love Pops.

He always lived just outside Pitt.

 

[waiver wire]

nfl - giants
college football - wolverines
nhl - oilers 
soccer - arsenal and whitecaps 

mlb and nba lost me as they screwed over my teams (expos and grizzlies &  sonics) 

overall Im not invested into most of my teams anymore 

 

[Rirruto]

I'm a big Cubs fan, but I don't follow them nearly as closely since they won the World Series. I probably watched at least a couple of innings of 145 or so games in 2016, but I have to remind myself to watch a game or two a week now. I think I watched more when they were awful.

I'm a huge college basketball fan. Luckily of a team that's going to suck forever, so I'm not in any danger there.

I don't really follow any other sport, although I watch them when they're on and I don't have other stuff to do. I'm probably more invested in the NBA offseason than the actual games, which is weird. I could hit the big story lines in college and pro football, but that's about it. I won't even bet on football because I can't count on myself to actually watch the game.

 

[hagmania]

Buffalo Bills 

Arsenal

I have a thing for underachieving football teams.

If I have my terminology correct, the Bills pull an Arsenal in the AFC East quite often.

 

[Guest]

Nebraska Football
Detroit Lions Football
Atlanta Braves

I was a 76ers fan in the Dr J era, but lost interest in the NBA in general.  The Jordan era Bulls were fun to watch though.

I enjoy watching NCAA football games even when I'm not a fan of either team.