How did you pick your favorite team? (any sport)
 

Scroll to the bottom if you just want to discuss the questions in the title, or if you're not one of the people being 'addressed' in the thread.

Alright douchebags. Since everyone insists on calling me a 'bandwagon jumper' for liking the Colts, I will make this thread. This is going to be the last and only thread I will address this 'issue' in, because honestly I am at the point where it's just annoying and is preventing actual discussion because every time I bring up a valid point someone calls me a bandwagon jumper and acts like my opinion doesn't matter. Other than this thread, I am just not going to respond to anyone who makes that comment, because it is childish and has pretty much been the sole reason for me suddenly disliking some posters on here that I didn't previously have any issue with.

The majority of you will continue to call me a bandwagon jumper because you are all whiny fags who don't like the fact that I didn't become a fan of a team based on the criteria that you became a fan of your favorite team. As if there is some golden set of rules to becoming a fan of a team. Hell, most of you probably won't even read everything, and I'll get replies back with comments about things that are already addressed here... because most of the people in question have done that consistently already.

I am not going to explain why I am a fan of the Colts. That has already been explained in the NFL thread several times.

First, people said I should follow a local team. Well, I have no interest in the Kansas City Chiefs. I have never been a fan of football, period, before last year's Super Bowl. I have heard locals talk about the Chiefs or the Rams growing up, and I discarded most of what was said because I didn't care.

Someone said it was logical to like your local team, so that you could get memoribilia and go to their games. I responded that I don't care about that, because I can easily shop online, and if I'm going to go to a football game, it will be an event that I don't mind traveling for. I also don't plan on living here forever, so what is the point of picking a local team for those reasons, if those reasons aren't going to be applicable for a long time? I'm not a Chargers fan just because I was born near San Diego.

In other words, I don't feel I should be obligated to like a team just because I am close to them, and in my opinion that is a stupid thing to solely base your decision on, because it has nothing to do with the team.

Now I have to ask... Is someone considered a bandwagon jumper if they live in a state that has no football team? What if you are in an area where the nearest team is 5 hours away and in a different state? Or even farther in some cases. When they decide what football team they like, what criteria do you expect them to use? If they didn't grow up around sports, and their family has no predisposition to a certain team already, what is supposed to be the deciding factor in the team they choose?

The reason I ask, is because the only difference in a situation like that, and my situation, is that my state has a football team. The theory is the same, though.

Are they forbidden by the die-hard fans to root for a team just because that team is good? How is a GOOD team supposed to get new permanent fans, when anyone who becomes a fan of them is labeled as a bandwagon jumper? If that were the case, a fanbase would never grow. It would remain 'in the family'.. people would like a team because their dad liked them. Or 'because they're local'. And neither of those reasons are bad reasons, by any means. They just don't apply to this hypothetical.

If I was a bandwagon jumper, that would imply that I am not a loyal fan of any team. That I become a fan of a team just because they are good.

However, I do not plan on being a fan of any other team than the Colts.

How would it look any different if I were to pick a shitty team (doesn't matter who), and then decide I don't like them and pick a different team? Should I root for a team I have no interest in just because a bunch of faggots on a wrestling forum think I am a bandwagon jumper because my team is good?

Simply put, I won't. Anyone who complains at this point is just complaining for the sake of picking a fight, or to change the subject from what was being discussed. It's quite transparent really, and some of you will probably give me shit just for typing this whole thing. (which I did while sitting here playing Madden like I would have been regardless of if I had been typing this thread)

Now for questions up for discussion - How did you pick your favorite team(s)? Are they good, or do they suck?

It's the internet dude. You care too much.

PS: tl;dr

First line says to scroll to the bottom for the discussion points.

In other words, fuck off if you didn't intend to read anything in the first place.

Can't believe I live in Kentucky and just started watching football and we're already in the Super Bowl.

49er fan because they were the team I grew up watching in the early 90s, now a Panther fan as well because they're here. So yeah, I like both?

I grew up in the Bay Area, so it was pretty easy to pick a favorite football and baseball team.

I intended to read it and it was just a wall of text that repeats the exact same things you've been crying about all season. Get over it. Live your fucking life, bro.

cause my pa supported them (manchester fuckin united).

mildly interested how the giants and redskins do in NFL since the giants stadium was probably the first landmark i saw on my plane to new york, and redskins since they were local to where i lived in VA, and i learnt about how NFL actually works while i was there.

For hockey I have a couple favorite teams usually based on players I really liked when I was younger playing on that team. Then over time you just grow to like these teams. My #1 fav hockey team is just my hometown's NHL team which I guess is most peoples default favorite team. I was a big fan of one of the players on mine because his style of playing was really close to mine. For the NBA I started following the Phoenix Suns because Steve Nash is on them and I'm a Canadian supremacist. MLB, NFL and other sports I'm probably just a bandwagoner or choose what team to cheer for based on their jersey colors.

I only like my local teams so I can buy merchandise and go to games, but with the advent of the internet you bring up some challenging questions


Honestly are you fucking kidding me?

You might not have specifically said "I'm going to pick the best team," but subconsciously that's what you did. You liked the players because they were winning. You liked to way the team played because they were winning.

It's not like it's just you that does this. Anyone who doesn't have some personal connection that makes them like a team is going to pick one of the best teams. It's common sense. But that still puts you into the category of bandwagon jumper. However, if you actually do develop that connection to the team and stay a fan when things go bad then you're a true fan.

It's not a personal attack, it's a natural progression.

Also became a Laker fan because Shaquille O'Neal was my idol growing up. :-\

Are YOU fucking kidding me Jeritron? Maybe you should read where I said someone ELSE made that point. It was Assman, actually, that made the point.

And that is the WHOLE point of this thread Jeritron.

If I don't agree with those reasons for picking a team, why should I use them to base my decision on?

The question I ask is, didn't you like football when you were younger, or do you have any relatives who like football?
This would solve the problem.

Or did this big decision come up in life a couple years ago?

I'm not as familiar with this as you think Requiem. Just heard about it. I honestly want to hear more.

I think it's hilarious how overthought it is. I'm so curious about why a decision had to be made in the first place.

I root for the football and baseball teams my dad raised me to root for. I root for my local hockey and basketball teams.

"faggots on a wrestling forum"

I'm failing to understand why you made this thread if you don't care what a bunch of faggots on a wrestling forum think.

Bloody hell you're still going on about this. It's your first season watching NFL and your team's in the Super Bowl. You haven't experienced your team properly lose a game yet. You're always going to be called a band wagon jumper, get over it. Making a huge ass thread defending yourself isn't helping yourself.

Yeah the thing is you analyzed all the NFL teams and then picked the best one because they "best fit your taste" or something. Yeah no shit, they have probably the best quarterback of all time and make the playoffs every year and just won a superbowl. You are a prime example of the bandwagon fan. No one is saying that you only root for the best teams and that you would abandon the Colts when they suck, but you went out and picked the best team in the NFL and now are trying to act like you are a die hard fan.

To answer your question I didn't pick my teams. I was born and raised in the Boston area and I've always liked them.
As I got older, I felt stronger about this and more independently, although that's obviously a result of my upbringing.

That's what I don't get. The "picking" and the "decision". If you had no interest in football, nor did your family when you were younger, why did you suddenly feel the need to go out and recruit a favorite team?
Was it so you could participate in sports discussion and rivalry? Or did you just want to watch a team with the hope of them winning so it could be a victory of sorts?
If so, seems convenient to pick one of the best teams of the decade.
Like Supreme says, it's not that it doesn't make sense. It's that it's obvious why it was done.

Your point about fanbases growing is broken. Fanbases are BASED in the area where they are the local team. That's the base. Those people are the fans, and there are exceptions who are from that area and move out.
The "growth" you speak of is bandwagon jumping. Plain and simple.
I'm a Patriots fan. Always have been.
If some kid from California decides one Tuesday to be a Patriots fan, that isn't "growth" of the fanbase or some natural thing in football. It's bandwagon jumping. It happens. It makes money. It's a part of football but that's what it is.

Where are you getting this notion that fanbases are supposed to grow and reproduce? They're supposed to make money, yes. But outside of the local support being rallied, I don't know where this athletic evangelist idea comes from.

It was an honor winning 3 superbowls in your face, anyhow. Best of luck next Sunday!

Did Madden games have anything to do with your choice?

I guess I can give you that first bit.. However, that's the first time you've put it in a way that wasn't a personal attack. Even so, your post makes a lot of sense and I see where you are coming from. What I don't like, is how people discard something I say that is perfectly valid, and call me a bandwagon jumper and completely derail the discussion.

But, I had already said, BEFORE they even made it to the Super Bowl, that I would always be a Colts fan. It's the way they play, not the outcome, that made me a fan of them. If they do horrible next year, and even if they lose the Super Bowl this year.. I am not going to start talking about how awesome 'X' team that made the playoffs is, and how I think they are the best team ever and are going to absolutely destroy 'Y' team.

The only thing that could make me not a fan of them, is if they started acting differently all-together. If they weren't humble about their wins, or if they talked trash between games.. The fact that they DON'T bite on goading whenever other teams talk themselves up big, is a major reason I like them.



To the rest of you - Isn't watching football supposed to be FUN? I will admit that the reasons a lot of them act the way they do, is probably because of the fact that they are talented. To me, it was FUN to watch the Colts play all year. Their ability to comeback from deficits when it matters... just watching Peyton Manning throw the ball, and watching some of the fantastic performances by their rookie players this season, was FUN to me. Even just seeing how calm Caldwell was on the sidelines all the time made me appreciate them even more. That is why I started watching football, and why I like watching the Colts. My first NFL purchase is going to be a Garcon jersey when I have the money.

This is great

Req stop worrying about what people think. Hell, when I started watching, the Bulls and the 49ers were the best teams going. I was like.. 6. Since they were the best thing going, they were the teams I had most exposure to so I became a fan. So I was a "bandwagon" jumper then, I've followed them ever since though so no one would ever say that I'm a bandwagon fan. I support the Panthers cause they're here and I love them, but the love is still there for the 49ers too.

Just like who you like and say fuck it.

Not liking a team anymore due to the players not playing with respect is pretty much band wagon jumping. You root for the name "on the front of the jersey" no matter what. You know how many times Papelbon, Schilling, and Larry Lucchino said stuff that made me sick to my stomach?

Mostly because Paul McGrath put 11 Italians in his back pocket one sunny day in Giants Stadium, New York 1994.

Baseball: Grew up in the Bay Area in the 90's but hated all local teams. I loved the Mariners because of Griffey/ARod/Buhner/RJ/Edgar/etcetcetc. I hated the A's when I was there. Then that whole Mariners core blew up and so I wasn't interested anymore. Then I moved out here and missed the A's so I started rooting for them. And the D-Backs had RJ so I didn't mind rooting for them either. So I guess tha'ts how my love for them grew.

Football: Grandfather rooted for Dallas, Mom roots for Dallas, and growing up that's who I rooted for. Moved out here and it was "lol Cards" mostly. I think 02 or 03 was when I started rooting for them. Like around the last year of McGinnis. And I remeber vividly the Nate Poole catch and not watching it because the game was blacked out so we watched the Green Bay game where they were chanting "Let's Go Cardinals". And then Making of Alphabean. And then telling everyone here the would win the West and it finally happened.

Basketball: Grew up in the Jordan era so DUHHH loved the Bulls and only them. I guess I liked the Raptors too during their first year. Loved the Peja/Bibby/Webber Kings. But now it's all Suns. And some love for the Warriors.

Hockey: who cares. I might go to a Coyotes game every now and then but I'm not really invested in anyone.


People will call you a bandwagoner for a very long time until you experience the lows of your team. Brush it off. Get over it. IMO, you're not a bandwagoner unless you jump ship when they're terrible.

lol Schilling says shit that makes me sick all the time. It would make you sicker if you lived here. He's involved in local politics and stuff.

Papelbon is a steakhead. Don't like him at all.

I will always remember my first "choice"

Part of me wants to see them trade Papelbon right now, but I know that Bard isn't totally ready to close.

Just to be sure are you a Red Sox fan to?

Req, when you say you were a fan of them before they made the superbowl. Do you mean this year? or pre-2006?

Yes, I explained my reasons above.

I did not like any sports when I was younger. I grew up on NASCAR (which is IMO, a sport), because my dad was a big fan. He raced sports cars in California for a while when he was younger, and his brother has season tickets to a couple tracks out there.

I am not an athletic person, so I never played sports and my family never cared for sports. No baseball, football, etc.. In fact, I still can not stand to watch baseball. I can tolerate hockey or soccer, but have no interest in them. Baseball however, I think is boring as shit.

Was not generalizing an entire forum as faggots. Was just pointing out THE faggots on a wrestling forum.

DS and I wanted a team to root for. We wanted to take part in the rivalry and discussion, and watch games every week and cheer for one team. MOST of my friends who watch football are Chiefs fans, with the exception of one Steelers fan. However, none of them really get together and watch football or anything.. some of them are REALLY into sports, and others just watch it from time to time and are 'fans' of their team. We wanted a team to root for TOGETHER. It honestly came down to a few teams. The Colts happened to be the one we both agreed on.

Since the pre-season began, DS and I have watched football every week. He was given a Donald Brown jersey for Christmas, and The NFL Redzone channel has been pretty much amazing for us. Let's us watch parts of ALL the games, which is pretty awesome.

I had never owned a Madden game before I got my 360 a couple months ago, so no.

Sounds like you and DS should decide which rings to wear for the rest of your lives too.

Who were the other finalists in the hunt for a team?

Yes watching football is supposed to be fun. That's why you can watch more than one game. I like watching the Colts, but just because they are awesome doesn't mean I am going to go and make them my favorite team. My team has sucked dicked for most of my life up until the last couple of years, and when that happens, it is more fun to watch other teams. I would never change teams though.

new jersey