Sports is a big part of American life. And many pick their favorite teams at very young age. What’s your story?

37 comments

  1. I chose the ones in the area. I don’t follow the NBA much, but I went with the DC ones for the others. Two out of three isn’t bad.

  2. Baseball and football teams from where I grew up. Got into the NBA later in life when I was living in a new city, so that’s the team I started following.

  3. From Cleveland. It takes a special kind of masochism to support our teams, and I’m here for it

  4. The only sports I follow are Swimming and Football. And with Swimming, outside of the Olympics, I’m not really rooting for anyone, I’m just fascinated by the times.

    For football, Bills are my #1 team because of where I grew up, and Buccs are my #2 because my family now lives in Tampa and I spend a lot of time there.

    Outside of those two teams, I have a passing interest in the Lions (mainly because of their new coach, and my hopes theyll finally be able to have a great season soon), and I follow a few other players scattered around, but thats about it. I may find myself rooting or hating other teams at different times, but I’ll never stop being a Bills fan. Though, that’s largely because my family/friends are Bills fans, and they’re the team I grew up with.

  5. I’m from Boston and I root for Boston teams. That’s it.

    If I had been born and raised in another city I’d probably be a fan of those teams.

  6. I have cheered for the same teams ever since I was young. Braves, Packers, and Red Wings. I have moved many different places, but my team alliances dont change.

  7. I moved to NYC at a young age, from a state that had no pro franchises. Blank slate. I could have been a Giants and Yankees fan. I could have been happy. I could have watched a team I love win a championship in my lifetime.

    Instead, I went with the Jets and the Mets.

    The Mets are, at least, loveable.

    Do you know what it’s like being a fan of a franchise like the New York Jets? It’s like having a fuckup relative that you really care about and love and every now and again you think “wow, they’re really moving in the right direction! Maybe now things will be different”, only for you to catch them stealing your catalytic converter one morning.

    This franchise shouldn’t exist. Can you imagine pitching the Jets today? “okay, so you know how New York City already has a franchise associated with it? One with a storied history and general overall success? Well, what if we added another team that would compete for fans and merchandise sales and ratings, but be complete fucking garbage and a blight upon the football landscape”? You’d be laughed out of the room.

    I skipped thanksgiving dinner with my family so I could take 90 minutes to travel 10 miles to watch what turned out to be the fucking goddamn butt fumble game.

    We used a first round draft pick on DEE MILLINER.

    Our best season in the last decade was entirely the result of a practice squad player punching our starting QB in the face and breaking his jaw. We still missed the playoffs.

    Our stadium looks like a Bose Speaker, but not a good one.

    I once had my sexuality questioned by a grown man in a Joe Namath throwback jersey for using hand sanitizer.

    Our owner’s first and last name are both slang for penis.

    DEE FUCKING MILLINER

    Why haven’t I just given up, watched something else? I don’t know. I don’t fucking know.

    I’m also a Knicks fan.

    I don’t like to think about that.

  8. I was never big into sports, it doesn’t help that Alaska may as well not exist as far at national sports go lol

  9. 1. they stay in the town. there isn’t any BS threats to move away (byeee chargers, and for where I live now byeeeee Raiders)
    2. they don’t take themselves too seriously.
    3. Their GOAT is most likely the most sportsmanlike man to play the sport (RIP 19)
    4. they didn’t move there from somewhere else (only California team that actually came from the PCL)

    so yeah I am only loyal to the Padres

    fair-weather fans are a thing, but when its 70 degrees and sunny when your team looses, its hard to be too bummed out.

    ​

    none of this is actual criteria. I am just buzzed and watching baseball

  10. Twins – My dad was huge into baseball and grew up just down the road from the Met, so I didn’t have much of a choice.

    Nats – Twins were the former Senators, and one or our all time greats in Harmon Killebrew came from there. Plus, who bandwagons them, hard to say you’re not a fan. So it just made sense for a National League team.

    Packers – Grandpa was from Milwaukee and there was a period growing up that we lived with our grandparents, so naturally I gravitated to that side since the Vikings were verboten.

    Bills – Much like Green Bay, they have a diehard fanbase in a non major market, so just seemed to make sense for an AFC team.

    Outside of that I don’t follow any other sports, so those 4 teams are enough for me.

  11. Royals, Packers and Suns are my pro teams, due to a combination of location and inheritance. They have been since I was a kid and I don’t plan to change any of them. Unless they move or something, but I don’t see that happening.

  12. Sports may be a big part of American culture, but it’s a mistake to assume it’s universal. Please don’t underestimate the number of Americans who may be aware of local sports, even watching on occasion, without picking sides or necessarily cheering for any team.

  13. It’s something you are born into. Start watching sports at 7 or 8 and wherever you live then that’s your team.

  16. I mostly grew up in St. Louis, but really didn’t start following sports until I started college. Hockey I picked up senior year of high school, after a player from the St. Louis Blues practically singlehandedly won team USA a game in the Socchi Olympics. For baseball, I follow the Cardinals, in addition to a minor league team in Illinois that was close to where I grew up.

    For football, the Rams left town right about when I started enjoying football. Because of the way that situation happened, I pretty well boycott the NFL. I still follow my college football team (4 years of marching band will probably get you to like football). When the XFL put a team in St. Louis, I became a big Battlehawks fan. I’ll watch the Tampa USFL team, as they drafted the Battlehawks quarterback

  17. Though I no longer live there, I spent the entirety of my formative years living in various portions of the DFW media market. So it’s no surprise that my favorite pro sports teams are Rangers, Mavs, Stars, Cowboys, & FC Dallas.

  19. I’m probably going to cheer for my college teams for the rest of my life. Alaska teams always come first for me but the problem is that there really aren’t any, outside the universities. The Aces left several years ago, and it feels weird cheering for a high school team, even when it’s my former high school. Outside of American sports I cheer for team Canada in hockey (My great grandmother was a proud Canadian and one of my favorite memories of her was watching hockey on the cbc together.)

  20. I was never into sports. I even get confused when people use the city name instead of the team names.

    I do enjoy dog sports, agility, long jump, flyball. And I enjoy watching sumo wrestling.

  21. I just like the teams I grew up liking from my childhood. Tennessee vols because of peyton manning, dallas cowboys because fuck all my teams, and warriors because the we believe and Steph’s 2008 Davidson run. I’m starting to get into hockey and I’m passively a lightning fan because they won the last 2 cups and it was right when I moved here so it’s been crazy here

  22. There are no pro teams and only one university in my state (and my alma mater). I am a broncos fan and obviously a fan of UW. I’ll always root for both of them.

  23. I think it all depends. Personally I cheer for local teams, although the only one I follow is the Avalanche, as hockey is the only sport I watch. But I cheer for the others.

    I know lots of other people who do the same, but also others who cheer for teams from other places. Sometimes it stems from having parents from elsewhere, or just liking another team for whatever reason.

    In Denver we have many fans of other teams since there are so many transplants here.

  25. I like the teams for major sports in other states I’ve lived in that we don’t have in my home state, e.g. baseball, hockey, soccer.

    The home NFL team is set in stone

  26. I got all of my teams from my parents. They’re from different parts of the country, so I got the best(or in this case worst cause most of them suck) of both worlds.

  27. If you are a child and have a local team you should support it. Unless the owner is a total asshole or you have strong family allegiance to another team.

    You always root for your school team whether they are local or not.

    I didn’t have local teams growing up. A friend of the family rooted hard for the Browns so I rooted for them until the team moved from Cleveland (asshole owner) and switched allegiance to the local Colts who moved in after I already had a rooting interest

    No local baseball teams, but WGN had nation wide cable so I watched a ton of Cubs games as a kid and adopted them.

    As a kid from small town Indiana you rooted for Larry Bird and the Celtics. Then he retired and the Pacers got good. Then Larry joined the Pacer front office. So go Pacers…at least if the NBA isn’t as rigged as I think it is.

    No local hockey teams at the NHL level but my college roommate and current best friend is a Red Wings fan so so am I

    My parents went to Purdue, so I rooted for the Boilers until I went to Notre Dame and switched to be true to my school and am now die hard.

  28. When I was little I decided I loved the broncos because they had a horse mascot and I never changed opinion lmfao

  29. I strictly support Oakland sports, as a guy who grew up here. I have yet to set foot inside the Chase Center (the Warriors’ new arena), I didn’t follow the Raiders to Vegas, and I won’t follow the A’s either, if they move (they’re working on a site at Howard Terminal, but have made relocation threats for decades). Even the Oakland Roots, a USL club, have shown more loyalty and commitment to this city than either of those 3 teams ever have. I was never into soccer, but I’m strongly considering going to at least one of their games this year. That’s an organization that deserves more support.

  30. Local teams. I don’t follow basketball, baseball, or football, but if I did I’d support the local teams.

  31. I know it’s cliche but I have a soft spot for any “underdog” team, even though I know it’s a little silly for any pro team to be called that. ie. The Mets, The Timberwolves, The Longhorns

  32. I’m from Oregon, and so I’m a big fan of the Trail Blazers.

    We’ve had some great teams that have just fell short and been in the right place at the wrong time.

  33. Grew up in South Jersey.

    Die-hard Fan of all Philadelphia Teams and Rutgers for college sports.

  35. for me it’s the teams local to where I grew up. I’m gonna be a pirates fan for the rest of my life, god help me

  36. I give absolutely 0 shits about any and all sports.

    That said, i root for the dallas cowboys just because my mom hates them.

  37. Born and raised in Atlanta, where college is king. Your college team is usually one you have a familial tie too: parents went there, relatives went there, etc. That’s how I became a Georgia Tech fan. I’m also a Braves fan, but that is our local team. Same with Atlanta United. I am not a falcons or Hawks fan though. Don’t really have a team for those sports.

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