Who Is Your Team (When You Leave Your Home Town)?

[Bucki1968]

Have had this conversation many times. I will use myself as an example. Moved to Florida years ago from the Midwest (Ohio and Michigan). Grew up as a Browns/Buckeyes/Indians/Red Wings fan. Have always got crap from friends and co-workers that I have lived here long enough to change alliances. So my question is, where does everyone else stand on this? I still am not a fan of the Tampa teams outside of the Lightening (we have had season tickets for last few years). Although, when they play the Red Wings, I still find myself secretly wanting the Wings to win. 

[iacas]

Your team is your team. You don't change it just because you move somewhere.

The only time it could change is when you like a college team, maybe your alma mater, and then your children go elsewhere. But even then you root for both teams.

[dennyjones]

Great question.

I've not moved from the land of perpetual cloudiness but here's what I believe I'd do.

I'm a UM fan, always have been, always will be (football, basketball, soccer and hockey).

I use to be a Lions fan but loathe them now.   If  I moved to another area I could cheer for a local team if they showed they had a desire to win.   

I'm a Red Wings fan but could see myself cheering for a local team whether pro or semi-pro.    We have a local OHL team called the Flint Firebirds that are very exciting to watch and are a lot cheaper to see than any NHL team.

I don't care for any NBA team.   I'll watch some playoffs and may catch the finals but would much rather watch the NCAA tournament.   I enjoy watching it, regardless of the team.  

I voted the second option.

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Your team is your team. You don't change it just because you move somewhere.

The only time it could change is when you like a college team, maybe your alma mater, and then your children go elsewhere. But even then you root for both teams.

Ever been a Lions fan?

[iacas]

9 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

Ever been a Lions fan?

Yes. We call them the Pirates around here.

[boogielicious]

I have my hometown teams, but have cheered for the local team when I lived elsewhere or when I go to a local game. I lived in Cincinnati for two years and cheered for the Bengals but not the Reds because they beat my Red Sox in 1975. I did meet Johnny Bench though, which was nice.

[Hohjoe]

7 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

Ever been a Lions fan?

No, but I know a few. My wife is from Holly, MI and has family in Davisburg and Flint. Of those that are sports fans there are Lions fans.

I would support my hometown team regardless. If I moved I may root\support the local team as long as it wasn't playing against my hometown team.

 

 

 

[ChetlovesMer]

I grew up in Chicago in the 1970's. In those days I was a Bears fan and White Sox fan. I also grew up a Steelers fan. 

Having said that I guess I'd still root for those teams. But in truth now-a-days, I cheer for the team I have money riding on. 

I follow the NFL and the NBA and even baseball a bit. But I really don't care. 

[Bucki1968]

38 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

We have a local OHL team called the Flint Firebirds that are very exciting to watch and are a lot cheaper to see than any NHL team.

I have been to a few Flint Generals games years ago.  Saw them play the Saginaw Gears and the Fort Wayne Comets.

[Double Mocha Man]

I grew up in St. Louis and was a fan of their teams for a long time.  Then, when I moved to Miami I became a fan of the Dolphins. Easy to do, they were winning at the time. Next stop, Colorado. Broncos and Nuggets fan. Finally, I ended up in Washington State but I remained a Broncos fan. About five years later I finally switched allegiances and cheered on the Seahawks and Mariners. But I still have a warm spot in my heart and I check the box scores of the St. Louis Cardinals. My nightmare scenario would be if the Cardinals and the Mariners ended up in the world series facing each other.

[ChetlovesMer]

8 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

My nightmare scenario would be if the Cardinals and the Mariners ended up in the world series facing each other.

Wouldn't that actually be a no lose situation for you?

 

[Double Mocha Man]

4 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Wouldn't that actually be a no lose situation for you?

 

Actually, it's a situation I don't have to worry about much. The Mariners are in a 21-year playoff drought.

[mcanadiens]

Despite the Canadiens miserable efforts this year, switching allegiances is a foreign concept to me. That said, I can understand warming up to the local team. 

Being in Ohio, we get the Blue Jackets on tv and we usually get out to Nationwide Arena once a year for a game. Naturally, I like to see the local team do well as long as it doesn't come at my team's expense like it did in the Habs' latest loss. Well, hell, what's another L anyway?   

 

 

 

[phillyk]

49 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I grew up in Chicago in the 1970's. In those days I was a Bears fan and White Sox fan. I also grew up a Steelers fan. 

Having said that I guess I'd still root for those teams. But in truth now-a-days, I cheer for the team I have money riding on. 

I follow the NFL and the NBA and even baseball a bit. But I really don't care. 

I grew up on north side, but for some reason I always liked the White Sox more. I actually got “let go” from a job when I was a kid because I didn’t appropriately root for the Cubs. I root for both White Sox and Mariners now. I enjoy going to the games in Seattle. 

I will forever be a Blackhawks fan. But, with the Kraken having entered the league, I feel I have to go see them. So I’ll probably develop some liking. 

Everyone around here seems to be 12th man hardcore fans for the Seahawks but I don’t care that much about NFL these days. 

[The Flush]

Born and raised in Alabama, graduated from Auburn. I will always just be an Auburn fan, period.

With no pro sports in Alabama, I tended to root for the Braves and the Falcons even though they always sucked when I lived down south. My Dad grew up up in Boston and used to sell concessions at Fenway and Braves Field, so that also tended to make me root for the Red Sox and Braves as well as the Celtics, Bruins, and pre-Brady Patriots. When I moved to Ohio, I started sort of rooting for the Bengals because they seemed like they had a bunch of good Auburn players over the years (James Brooks, Willie Anderson, Takeo Spikes, Rudi Johnson, and now CJ Uzomah ). And the Reds for no particular reason. I don't really have any loyalty to any pro team though. I am glad to see the Bengals not suck this year.

[bwdial]

I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida.  I was four years old when the Buccaneers were formed in 1976, and became a fan at that point.  I remained a fan through the lean years, the first Super Bowl, and until the 2015 NFL Draft.  When they drafted Jameis Winston, I was done.  My fandom had begun to wane during the Gruden era when he ran Rich McKay off and got Bruce Allen installed as his rubber stamp of a General Manager.  Not only did he run off the architect of the team that he steered to the win in Super Bowl XXXVII, but he also ran off the core of the team full of players who could have won the Walter Payton Man of the Year for a bunch of dudes with lots of emotional and legal baggage. 

Now that I live in Atlanta, I root for the Falcons, but I am no where near the die-hard I once was for the Buccaneers.  Since I am an Alabama grad, they get most of my support, and I tend to simply root for players that played for Alabama in the NFL.  As for my other professional fandom, I am a supporter of Atlanta United, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Tampa Bay Rays.  I am also a supporter of West Ham United in the English Premier League, and I tend to follow the progress of USMNT players in leagues around the world.

[KMP]

We really need a third choice between 1 and 2. 

8 hours ago, iacas said:

Your team is your team. You don't change it just because you move somewhere.

The only time it could change is when you like a college team, maybe your alma mater, and then your children go elsewhere. But even then you root for both teams.

Agreed. Colleges can include grad schools but undergrad wins my support when they play each other. I have lived in a few other places and started to like one or more of the teams in that location, although I still favor my home teams.  Just as often I don't like one or more of the pro teams; for example and of the Dallas teams...no thank you. Now I like the Seahawks and Mariners, and there is no NBA team here (a plus in my view). I want to like the Kraken, but apparently it's not ok to offer criticism of their play, the expansion draft picks, their outrageously high ticket prices, or their announcing team. So for now I will ignore them and their team (emotional support) dog. 

[mcanadiens]

Just saw this today.

Some clever people on Long Island are apparently rooting for the refs. My guess is a lot of alcohol is involved.

[dennyjones]

I went to a local basketball game last week and one student dressed as a referee with dark sun glasses and a white cane.    Everyone laughed including the referees.