Favorite NFL Team

[RonTheSavage]

Originally Posted by bwdial

I am curious... how many of you root for your favorite teams based solely on where you grew up?

I grew up in a Niner family, my mom would take me to games back in the 80's. The Raiders were always closer geographically to our town but I have nothing but hate for that entire franchise.

[tiger187126]

Originally Posted by bwdial

I am curious... how many of you root for your favorite teams based solely on where you grew up?

i grew up in maryland after the colts had bolted and before the ravens really go going so it was always the redskins. some of my family are browns fans because they lived up in cleveland, and it's a big reason i went to ohio state.

i liked the raiders as kind of my AFC team because rich gannon was amazing to watch with tim brown and jerry rice. i rooted for them the last two years because i like jason campbell and never felt like he got a fair shake, but i feel that about most players who were in washington pre-shanny era, except the over-paid under-acheivers.

[Shindig]

I am curious... how many of you root for your favorite teams based solely on where you grew up?

The primary team I root for is based on where my family's from, although it isn't where I grew up. The second team I root for is based on a good childhood memory, although isn't anywhere I've ever lived. The teams I root against are more in the second category: they're associated with bad memories (a city I visited a few times as a kid and didn't like and the former Los Angeles teams). As a kid, I tried to root for local teams (family moved a few times), with mixed success. One thing I did notice recently, and it relates to your question: with team sports, rooting for a team you can associate with good family memories is a great cure for homesickness. Or at least it was for me (I spent most of the past year living about a thousand miles from the nearest family, and too exhausted from work to do anything other than sit on the couch on Sundays, not that the weather would have cooperated otherwise). I noticed that the amount I care about how well a favored team does (in any team sport) is typically inversely proportional to how homesick I feel. Maybe that's just me. By contrast, I felt really "at home" when I was in college (undergraduate, despite being 1-2 hours from family) and one of the baseball teams I grew up rooting for won the World Series; I didn't even care (still don't, for that matter). Now, if I were picking a team today, I'd select based on where I want to live long-term, or where I want to retire to, since that's something I can somewhat control (whereas birth and ancestry aren't). No idea how this fits into my above theory.

[jamo]

I am curious... how many of you root for your favorite teams based solely on where you grew up?

My primary teams are almost entire based on where I grew up (outside of Boston). (I say almost because I did live in New York for a few years when I was a kid, and I consider the Mets and the Knicks sort of secondary teams.) Some of the other teams I like (OKC Thunder, Florida Marlins, Carolina Panthers, etc.) were picked for various (dumb) reasons.

[meenman]

Originally Posted by bwdial

I am curious... how many of you root for your favorite teams based solely on where you grew up?

Kind of - I grew up in New England when they didnt really have a football team (I still curse Parcells for saving that franchise) - One of my friends growing up was the product of divorced parents from SW Connecticut and was a Giants fan, which is why I became one (along with being a Yankees fan.)

I still root for the NY teams except the Rangers, I became a Lightning fan because I could not get over the Rangers acquiring that pansy Jagr.

[RPMPIRE]

Growing up on Guam, most people I would say pick and chose their favorite teams. Some of my friends were fans of whoever their dad or family was a fan of. Others would be bandwagon hoppers and went for whoever was good. My dad was just a sports fan and whenever there was a playoff, he would pick a team as if he were betting on them. Basically, he didn't have a favorite sports team until any playoffs

After high school, I moved to San Francisco for college in 2002 and automatically became an SF Giants (when they went to the World Series) & 49ers fan. I guess became a fan where I first settled in the mainland.

[ZigZag]

I didn't grow up in the USA.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by bwdial

Hahahahaha.  Your stand up comedy fandom serves you well my friend.

Did you hear that?  No... it wasn't the sound of a ball hit by the group behind you going over your head.

No, I know who Rooney Mara is and what she was in, it just isn't my kind of movie.  Saw Ted today.  Turned out it wasn't my kind of movie either.

[PLAYHOUSE]

Vikings Baby! 3rd sorriest team in the NFL last year. One of the few proud fans in So Cal let alone the West Coast.

[tiger187126]

Originally Posted by PLAYHOUSE

Vikings Baby! 3rd sorriest team in the NFL last year. One of the few proud fans in So Cal let alone the West Coast.

i moved up here to minnesota and i see more and more green bay gear with each passing season.

[RPMPIRE]

Bandwagoners? Do you see them do the "discount double check"?

Originally Posted by tiger187126

i moved up here to minnesota and i see more and more green bay gear with each passing season.

[reedf]

I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan living in Wisconsin! It's been hell living with these cheeseheads since losing that damn superbowl!

[tiger187126]

Originally Posted by RPMPIRE

Bandwagoners? Do you see them do the "discount double check"?

i don't think it's as much bandwagoners as it is vikings fans just aren't representing as much as they would if they had a team comparable to the packers. they still loathe the packers, but don't have much of a leg to stand on since favre got killed in that NFC Champ game.

[onesome]

Raiders fan here, and I can see I'm alone after reading this thread but that's okay. The team is finaly being ran like a team in the 21st century with the passing of AD and the hiring of GM Reggie McKenzie. The scholarship program has ended and the FO is actually able to sign average players to average one year contracts until they prove themselves otherwise. Dennis Allen is the first defensive minded HC we have had since John Madden so that of course is a welcome change no more 70's defensive schemes that Al insisted we use even though modern offenses have been exposing the mismatches for 20+ years. I think the raiders are gonna surprise a lot of people in a few years with solid drafts and sound FA signings as far as this year is concerned I think the team may do really well if McFadden can stay healthy but that's a very big "if" at this time.

[anthony]

Originally Posted by iacas

My favorite team has six Super Bowls but sucked in the 1930s when part-time football players played.

That is the correct answer sir.

[clubchamp]

Originally Posted by onesome

Raiders fan here, and I can see I'm alone after reading this thread but that's okay. The team is finaly being ran like a team in the 21st century with the passing of AD and the hiring of GM Reggie McKenzie. The scholarship program has ended and the FO is actually able to sign average players to average one year contracts until they prove themselves otherwise. Dennis Allen is the first defensive minded HC we have had since John Madden so that of course is a welcome change no more 70's defensive schemes that Al insisted we use even though modern offenses have been exposing the mismatches for 20+ years. I think the raiders are gonna surprise a lot of people in a few years with solid drafts and sound FA signings as far as this year is concerned I think the team may do really well if McFadden can stay healthy but that's a very big "if" at this time.

You are no longer alone I've been a Raiders fan my whole life through all the ups and downs. I grew up in PA but my dad is huge Raiders fan so the first football game I ever attended was a Raiders game. I agree with your assessment of the team I don't think they will be 5-11 like media seems to think but I think 8-8 or 9-7 will be possible if the offense lives up to it's potential. The D has to be better because it can't get any worse.

[Kapanda]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82a59f38/article/amani-toomer-tony-romo-is-better-than-eli-manning

Toomer on Romo and Eli

[meenman]

Originally Posted by Kapanda

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82a59f38/article/amani-toomer-tony-romo-is-better-than-eli-manning

Toomer on Romo and Eli

Toomer needs to be drug tested - there are a few QBs out there that were great without a title - but they managed to win one later in their careers (elway comes to mind even though i always disliked him)

Romo is an average QB at best until he does something to prove otherwise - and with Jerry Jones as him GM, he is not likely to get that opportunity.