How do you justify being a die hard fan of a team who's city you've never lived in?

[kamspy]

I honestly don't understand how people can get behind a team is located no where near them. More so when there is a pro team in the same sport in your hometown.


How do you do it? I can barely get an interest in teams that aren't from my area, and my area is pretty damn dry of championships in any sport. Here around Cincy, we have tons of die-hard Steelers, Cowboys, Lakers, Red Sox etc. fans who have never even been to the mentioned cities. They irk me.


I'm not really flaming people with this thread, just trying to understand the psychology behind it.


People who moved to a different city or have spent long parts of their lives in other cites I can understand.

[SOBAY310]

Well, for me it's easy. I'm a St. Louis Rams fan because the Rams were in Los Angeles as I was growing up and they are the only NFL team I've ever had a passion for.

My brother, who has lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Luis Obispo his whole life is a hardcore Tampa Bay Bucs fan. He was a huge fan of Keyshawn Johnson, and when Keyshawn joined the Bucs in 2000 he became a Bucs fan and has been weathering the ups and down of Tampa Bay ever since.

People latch on to teams because something strikes a chord within them.

[gwhoughton]

My 1st love in football as a kid was the Minnisota Vikings~

I honestly don't remember if I liked them because they were "sort-of" close to me (grew up in Montana), or because of all those cool Viking movies when I was a kid~ PLUS, they were the PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS back then, and were BAD-ASS for their time...

(Remember that one where they found that big bell disguised as a building?!?!? There was also this "death-slide" thing in the movie that the "queen" asked one of her soldiers to "show he loved his queen" by sacraficing himself and "sliding" down the razor-blade slide to his death...!!!)

Anyway, like Sobay said, sometimes it's just a random "weird" connection that happens & you get attached to a team~

[eck979]

I was the first sports fan in my family. At the time when I started watching sports I didn't know about hometown pride etc. I just started following the teams taht I took a liking to. Like I said, I never had anyone to influence me on who to root for and such in sports.. That said, I do like the home squads now, I just can't justify jumping ship completely from my original loves from each sport.
Although since the Sonics jumped ship I stopped following them adn I'm now a fan of one sole NBA team.

[Loves2Watch]

I too am a Minnesota Vikings fan since I was a child. After watching the greatest Quarterback that ever lived play one time (Fran Tarkenton), I was hooked for life.

[kamspy]

I guess I can relate. I've always rooted for Michigan in the yearly OSU game because as a kid I really liked their helmets.

I think my brain's fried because I live in Cincinnati. Crazy amount of Bengal hate and Steeler love here.

I have to add that the company I work for has a black and yellow logo/marketing theme, and everything in the freaking plant in black and yellow. It's everywhere I look.


Heat's gettin to me boys!

/thread

[drbrosco]

My teams

NFL-Pittsburgh Steelers...I am a fan because in I think 1976 my dad turned the Bengals on to watch them & they were playing the Steelers. There was lots of snow so I wanted to watch it. During the game wich was very close I decided that whoever won that game was gonna be "my team". Well Franco Harris scored a go ahead TD late & PITT won the game. And I have been a die hard steelers fan ever since. Even stuck with them during the Bubby Brister days & the Bengals had a decent team then but I never jumped ship. And I am proud to be a 30+ year Steeler fan. It's funny when you go to Bengal games & there are more Steeler fans than Bengal fans.

MLB-Reds...hometown...what kid around here didn't beg for Pete Rose's uniform # in little league.
NBA-Cavs...Cause Lebron is my favorite player & I will root for whoever he plays for.
NCAA Football-Ohio St....home state
NCAA Hoops-Kentucky....cause you would have been disowned by my family if you dared root against UK Basketball

And I love to root for all the local colleges & see them do well.

[Loves2Watch]

Originally Posted by kamspy

I guess I can relate. I've always rooted for Michigan in the yearly OSU game because as a kid I really liked their helmets.

I think my brain's fried because I live in Cincinnati. Crazy amount of Bengal hate and Steeler love here.

I have to add that the company I work for has a black and yellow logo/marketing theme, and everything in the freaking plant in black and yellow. It's everywhere I look.


Heat's gettin to me boys!

/thread

At least you're not a Browns fan...

[F91]

Dolphins- Grew up in Florida.
Giants- Lived in SF a few years.
I don't have an answer to your question.

[bgirard]

I grew up and live in Arkansas - we have no pro teams in any sport.

When I was a kid, I used to watch reruns of the old Batman show and some cartoons on WGN after school. After rushing home only to be disappointed because the Cubs were on instead a few times, I decided to join 'em. Been a die-hard, bleed-blue ever since... over 20 years!

Just made my first trip to Chicago 2 years ago and my second last summer on business. Doesn't matter. That's my team, even if I live no where near Chicago.

[drbrosco]

Originally Posted by Loves2Watch

At least you're not a Browns fan...

My brother who is alot older than me (he's 56) is a die hard Browns fan because most people here rooted for the Browns before the Bengals became a team in 1968. My brother never changed over to Bengaals & you couldn't pay him too.

[shooter2977]

Is this thread about me?!?!?!?!?!? I live in MA, and i do not like any team from new england...Since i lived on the boarder of NY growing up when i was young we always got the yankees on TV as much as the redsox...i grew up loving don mattingly and the yanks...

i grew up loving the lakers and magic johnson..never took a liking to the celts, and while i like the pats my fave team is the LOWLY RAIDERS...some day they will turn it around, watching Bo jackson grwoing up was awesome and he is the sole rason i got hooked on the raiders...

college hoops is syracuse loved watching derick coleman, sherm douglas, john wallace, and melo who brought home the championship, NO ONE IN MA LIKES BC.

College Fb is Notre Dame (Absolute die hard fan), grandfather went there and i'm irish.

could care less about hockey


and through the years i have come to realize that it's the fans that i end up hating more then the team, listenign to fans that talk shit and know absolutely nothing about their team furiates me...

[gwhoughton]

Originally Posted by shooter2977

...could care less about hockey

BLASPHEMY!!!

[JP_2684]

Most of my teams are all over the place and I always have my reasons for liking them. Besides for the Nets and Rangers, I don't really give a shit to root for NJ/NY area teams. But anyways, let's take the A's for example. I developed a huge mancrush for Nick Swisher (makes me fucking sick to see him in a NYY uniform, btw) and then fell in love with the A's. Despite the A's being on the other side of the country and them sucking ass this season, I have watched a huge majority of their games this season. That's loyalty, right there.

[jusHD]

Always been a diehard cowboys fan since I am in texas plus the same reason I love the lakers. They who were winning when I was starting to love sports. Never jumped ship and follow those teams every year and I always dreamed of being in the NBA more than NFL so being a laker and hitting some laker girls, signers, and famous actresses wouldnt hurt.