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Sports fans of teams from other cities (that they aren't from)

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The Toronto media and fanbase do tend to get a little extreme. I can totally understand why a local would find this annoying and refuse to be one of the sheep.
It's not unlike non-Torontonians who dislike the team for the same reason. Excessive coverage, unrealistic expectations, and ridiculous amounts of hype can be a real turnoff, and that doesn't really matter where you live.

I'm not sure I understand the comparisons to Manchester United. The level of success is completely opposite. A crazy fanbase might be annoying, but at least it's somewhat justified for ManU.
 
Switch Back 9 said:
Yes and no. Obviously I'm a little bummed out about the way things went, but I think my question is based in curiosity and not a "fuck you" attitude. I don't think I've posted anything venomous, I'm just asking for reasons.
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You basically +1'd the post I responded to, which means you fall into that same sort of close-minded mentality of how people are 'supposed' to follow a sport. Implying that other people are doing it wrong.

In other words, not a genuinely curious, "How can other people support a different team?", but a very bitter, "HOW can other people support a different team? <rolls eyes>".
 
People love teams that win all the time because then they don't have to deal with the pesky part of Sports fandom where your team loses.
 
commish said:
Often it's because of a family member who is a big fan, e.g., a dad who is a fan and makes his son a fan. Or a wife/husband.

I've been a Phoenix Suns fan for the last 25 years,and I've only set foot in Phoenix once, at the airport. I started as a fan in the 1980s because of a videogame glitch (basically, Tom Chambers could dunk from super far away) and have been a diehard fan ever since.
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The first time I saw Dan Majerle play in the All-Star game was enough for me to become a Phoenix fan: I liked that "Major-ly" guy and was duly impressed by his skills (though mostly I just liked his name, especially after I learned how to pronounce it correctly).
 
Parch said:
The Toronto media and fanbase do tend to get a little extreme. I can totally understand why a local would find this annoying and refuse to be one of the sheep.
It's not unlike non-Torontonians who dislike the team for the same reason. Excessive coverage, unrealistic expectations, and ridiculous amounts of hype can be a real turnoff, and that doesn't really matter where you live.

I'm not sure I understand the comparisons to Manchester United. The level of success is completely opposite. A crazy fanbase might be annoying, but at least it's somewhat justified for ManU.
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:(


Seanspeed said:
You basically +1'd the post I responded to, which means you fall into that same sort of close-minded mentality of how people are 'supposed' to follow a sport. Implying that other people are doing it wrong.

In other words, not a genuinely curious, "How can other people support a different team?", but a very bitter, "HOW can other people support a different team? <rolls eyes>".
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Fair enough, but you're making me sound more bitter and angry than I really am. Ok, maybe not more bitter, because at the moment it's still fresh and I'm dealing with the posts/texts etc.. of my Boston fan friends.
 
Atlagev said:
Wow, they actually exist?? Do they wear those dumbass hats? Seems like a good way to get your ass kicked on the subway.
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I was in NYC back in the fall of 2000 when the subway WS was going to happen. There were some people supporting both teams.
 
DTLIONS1013 said:
I have a friend who is a fan of the Yankees, Cowboys, and Suns. Makes no sense to me, I'm Detroit all the way
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Yeah, I know there's no MLS team in Michigan/Detroit, but I know Michiganders who would rather kill themselves than root for a team from Ohio. ;-)
 
You tend to latch on to who is good or cool as a kid.

Always been in Indy.

Brother went with Bulls and Jordan. So I ended up with Lakers. Magic comeback for a min got me in to them. And after that they tended to be a high scoring fun team. I had the Van Exel shoes.

The Colts sucked. I latched onto Jerry Rice and the 49ers.

Baseball. No local team. Reds had AAA team here but no TV. Cubs are on TV but sucked and the day games are not really on a radar with a kid.
Braves were always on TBS at night. Became a fan.
 
This entire thread is kind of why I love sports, but I find it hard to call myself a "big sports fan", despite ESPN/TNT/Versus being practically the only reason I think I'll have to keep paying for a cable bill for the forseeable future.

I mean, this is all tribalism. I don't know what it is about me, but that sort of blind loyalty for extremely arbitrary reasons is incredibly offputting to me. I know for most people, it's just for fun, but for the really extreme ones, it really does seem like this horrible crime when someone is branded a "traitor".

I mean sure, I follow my home teams, but I just as often find myself following players. What I want to see is great performances, whatever the team, whatever the sport. I want to see athletes excel, because it's so unbelievably awesome and inspiring when they do.

And yet, because I can try to objectively talk about a rival team's excellent players, instead of get drunk and threaten to beat the shit out of anyone within 100 yards wearing their jersey, I'm seen by a lot of people as not a "real fan" of the team.
 
Part of the reasons team like the Yankees, Patriots, Lakers have a lot fans is also cause they get the most national media coverage. It's a continuous feedback loop--win, get more coverage, etc. Also they're in big media markets as well.
 
DTLIONS1013 said:
I have a friend who is a fan of the Yankees, Cowboys, and Suns. Makes no sense to me, I'm Detroit all the way
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I'm pretty sure I don't know you, but that's me. :) My best friend growing up was a fan of the Mets so I picked the Yankees just to mess with him. The little league team I played for was called the Cowboys so that carried over into professional sports. And I already laid out why I like the Suns.
 
Switch Back 9 said:
Why does Vancouver hate Toronto so much? It's not like we've ever had a rivalry or crazy series.
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Same for a lot of Canadians. The amount of media coverage of the Leafs is excessive to the point where other teams are ignored. This is because the national sports media is based in Toronto. CBC, SN, TSN, and Score all focus on the Leafs.
 
only sports I care about are football and basketball to a lesser extent. My city has an NBA team but no NFL team so I cheer for Dallas and have been since I was a kid but at least its an in state team.
 
Fucking Steelers and Cowboys fans everywhere in America, even here in Philadelphia.

Lots of Steelers fans around the country because Pittsburgh experienced a bit of a mass exodus when the US steel industry collapsed, and now they've had time to raise families of black and yellow demon spawn all over.

Lots Cowboys fans because they were good in the early nineties and most Cowboys fans are soulless douchebag bandwagon cunts.
 
Man, GAF was acting up here for some reason.

Anyhoo, I was querying my friend Ben, a Vancouver native who is a huge Flyers fan. This was his response, and I have to say it makes a lot of sense.

"My dad was a Habs fan who hated the Flyers. I checked them out (around 93-94) to see why and that's when they had Lindros, Hextall, LeClair, Desjardins, Recchi, Renberg and the like and fell in love with their particular brand of high octane, blue collar, smash mouth hockey
Plus, Hextall fought people and goalie fights are sweet."

Especially the last line.
 
There's a shit load of steelers fans in Columbus, Ohio. Some have been jumping to the Bungles since theyve been getting better, but its annoying. Then you have the contrarian Michigan fans who only root for them because they know it pisses the locals off around here.
 
Atlagev said:
I'm sorry, you're either a Giants fan or an A's fan! Pick one and stick with it. You wouldn't see a Mets/Yankees cap in New York, would you?
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I think I can understand that logic. AL&NL. If you like MLB baseball, why only watch half the teams? If I had the choice, I'd like to watch the best teams from both leagues.

But now with interleague games becoming much more frequent, there is less division between the two leagues and you can see everybody.
 
BreakyBoy said:
This entire thread is kind of why I love sports, but I find it hard to call myself a "big sports fan", despite ESPN/TNT/Versus being practically the only reason I think I'll have to keep paying for a cable bill for the forseeable future.

I mean, this is all tribalism. I don't know what it is about me, but that sort of blind loyalty for extremely arbitrary reasons is incredibly offputting to me. I know for most people, it's just for fun, but for the really extreme ones, it really does seem like this horrible crime when someone is branded a "traitor".

I mean sure, I follow my home teams, but I just as often find myself following players. What I want to see is great performances, whatever the team, whatever the sport. I want to see athletes excel, because it's so unbelievably awesome and inspiring when they do.

And yet, because I can try to objectively talk about a rival team's excellent players, instead of get drunk and threaten to beat the shit out of anyone within 100 yards wearing their jersey, I'm seen by a lot of people as not a "real fan" of the team.
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Is this the point that's supposed to justify the rest of the post? Because it sounds like the people you know are assholes.
 
UberTag said:
I agree wholeheartedly with the above. But there is ONE exception to this rule.

Fantasy sports. I'm a Bills fan through and through and that loyalty will never change but I will cheer against the Bills when I want them to lose to get a better draft position and I will cheer against the Bills when I have fantasy football players on my fantasy team that are playing against them.

I was wearing NFL jerseys of a half-dozen teams last year. Was it because I had dumped the Bills as a supporter? Hardly. But I was supporting my fantasy players. And when you dabble in fantasy sports, you'll find yourself cheering for teams you've spent a lifetime detesting like the Cowboys just because you have Miles Austin on your fantasy team and you need him to get 100 yards and a touchdown.
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I get it I dont do fantasy league much but i do bet on games. If I have money on the line I am not stupid I'm going to root for the team I believe most likely to win. But I have to admit I have declined bet on a lot of Giants games if its for any other NFC east teams for some reason it sickens me to root for the Eagles, Cowboys, or Redskins.
 
Born in Oregon, live in Australia. So I picked an NFL team based on where my grandma was from.

My AFL team I inhereted from my father.
 
Deacan said:
Manchester United the thread.
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Everyone is going to abandon them soon for bayern munich.


I'm from Cali but love the Yankees. My dad's family is from the Bronx. Niners and Lakers love is mostly because I am was raised in Central Cali in the 80's and 90's. Although I love going to Dodgers games.
 
Not everyone has pro teams in their home area.

I'm from Wisconsin, and we don't have an NHL level team, so I am a huge NY Rangers fan. Mainly because I love NY.
 
I was born and raised in California, but I was brought up a Chicago Sports fan. Don't really follow any teams anymore, though.

Cystm said:
Watching the Cubs game 6 of the NLCS. Then watching Cubs fans degenerate into drunken, awful pieces of shit.

My Dad had just passed away earlier that year and was a life long Cubs fan. I was born and raised in California, but had a room full of Chicago sport memorabilia at birth. I was so indoctrinated that I assumed I was born in Chicago until I finally asked my parents at the age of five when I was finally going to be back home in Chicago. Watching the Cubs was mine and my father's means of bonding. We were otherwise on opposite ends of the spectrum in every other facet of our lives.

He died having watched every game he could, every season before they could actually win the series.

When they were finally once again close to making it, I felt like they could not be stopped. That it was going to happen.

Going into that inning, I was crying because they were finally going to do it and because my dad wasn't there to share in that moment with me.

Then the Marlins got a few hits and the fans in that stadium threw in the towel and started acting as if the series was already over.

Boo Hoo, they scored a few runs.

I was so disgusted with the behavior. I felt betrayed by the people that should have been rallying behind our team.

Then The Bartman Ball incident Happened. The people in that Stadium are/were the worst fans in all of sports.

I have not watched a Chicago Cubs game since that game.
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I have always done this. I grew up in Michigan, was a Lions fan, but rooted for the Dolphins just as much. Hockey, grew up a Montreal fan, maybe because we got the CBC on TV.

Now maybe my biggest sports team I follow is Arsenal. And I can tell you more about the EPL than any US sports league...go figure. I got into soccer and the EPL when I took up coaching the game and getting the Fox Sports soccer channel years ago.
 
Football: My dad, having grown up near the Bay Area, raised me as a Niners fan even though we lived in Arizona. I latched on during the Montana/Young years, so it was an easy job on his part. I'm sorry, but there's absolutely nothing that could get me to root for the Cardinals. Even when they were in the Super Bowl, I actively cheered for the Steelers.

Baseball: Dad's influence again, but I went the opposite direction. He was a Giants fan, but I jumped across the bay and decided to root for the A's. However, unlike the AZ Cardinals, I found it very easy to accept the Diamondbacks as a team to root for since I was able to see them from their inception. I sort of split my fandom between both teams now.

Guess it all depends on what your home team options are, really.
 
Burt said:
Fucking Steelers and Cowboys fans everywhere in America, even here in Philadelphia.

Lotta Steelers fans because Pittsburgh experienced an exodus after the American steel industry collapsed and their fans dispersed around the nations.

Lotta Cowboys fans because they were good in the early nineties and most Cowboys fans are soulless douchebag bandwagon cunts.
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mmm salty eagles tears, I need to make my way back to the NFL thread
 
I'm from Detroit but root for the Pacers and 49ers. The reason is easy -- I was a huge fan of Reggie Miller and Steve Young growing up. That's all there is to it. I've never really understood the mentality of rooting for a team just because you live there. I've moved from Detroit to Chicago to San Francisco. Should I have been changing my allegiances every time I moved?
 
DonasaurusRex said:
i feel like no one here in philly likes the Feagles , i just dont know how they are all Cowboys fans in its place.
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My home team would be the Eagles, but I never liked them. I didn't like watching them growing up (maybe because my father wasn't a fan either because he grew up in NY). I didn't want to root for my father's team either, since I liked to pick the team against him for fun. Eagle fans are assholes more than other fan bases I have seen in and around my area. Also, I remember going to a home game as a kid and it was an awful experience where I was sitting with all the surrounding Eagle fans.

I grew up taking a liking to Steve Smith and Jake Delhomme. An odd choice for sure, but I just loved watching Steve Smith play. There were a relatively new team in the league (about 7-8 years by the time I got into football). So I gradually started to follow and root for the Panthers. It was painful to watch them play without Delhomme, but now Cam is a pretty exciting player. It is going to suck when Smitty retires though.
 
Picked my favorite teams as an impressionable youth, haven't left them. That includes my only truly local team, the Kings.

I take offense being called a bandwagon out of state Cowboys fan when the team hasn't done better than a wildcard win nearly 20 years. Tell me, how is this front-running at this point? 90's Cowboys fans have more than paid their dues.
 
I'm English, never left Europe, but I'm a diehard New York Red Bulls fan. Call it an unexpected evolution of my love of football.
 
Im a Patriots fan but dont live in or am from Boston.I watched them play the Packers in the Super Bowl when I was like 7 and theyve been my team ever since.
 
I live in sactown and am a Sacramento Kings fan.

If they move to Seattle, I'll be a Sonics fan.

So yeah, I can see how people like teams that aren't in their city.
 
I am from Michigan originally, everyone who is a Lions fan loves them but we all have a team 1B we follow since the Lions have been so bad for so long. For a lot of us its the Steelers. The team we wish the Lions were.
 
Live in Europe, never been to the States, but I'm a huge Cleveland sports fan and follow all 3 franchises. Several people have called me nuts.
 
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