How did you decide what your favorite teams are?

[The Jays]

I was listening to FAN while I was driving earlier today, and was bored again because they were talking about college football. I just can't get into paying attention to it, I get confused as to what bowl the national title game is decided in, about the polling and BCS system, and I just have a dislike for any organization that can't decide on a national champion on the football field. Anywho, I tried to pin down why I don't pay much attention, it's mostly attributed to the fact that I have no reason to be a fan of any particular college team unless I went to the college. Then I started thinking, well, how come some of these teams have like hugmongous fan bases? It's not just all alumni. Ok, so maybe those people became fans because the team won a championship once, they all became frontrunners, and then gained fans on the history of the team. And then I guess others are really into the sport, and follow the great players, or just follow teams that do really well.

Like, my cousin, he's a Notre Dame fan. Since he was a lil kid. Never went there, no relative or parent ever went there. So, how does he decide, one day, that he's gonna be a Notre Dame fan? Was he following all the college teams, then found the one that interested him the most, and stuck with that? Maybe it was his father's favorite, and if so, how did his father pick Notre Dame? Or is it just because they are called the Fightin Irish, since my cousin is Irish too?



Like, I'm a fan of the Yankees, Jets, and Knicks. When I was a lil tiny kid, I was a Met and Giant fan, but mostly because the same cousin told me I was a Met and Giant fan, or else I'd have to go back inside the suitcase. When I learned to read, I had like 10 teams in the locak area to follow; when it comes down to it, I support every New York team unless they play each other . I figure I was more partial to the Yankees a) because they weren't my cousin's favorite team b) because my father is a Yankee fan and c) because I'd never seen the Yankees win a championship. I chose the Knicks because they were NY's only basketball team, and I hadn't seen them win a championship. I chose the Jets because I'd never seen them win a championship.

If you're favorite teams aren't your hometown teams, then why those teams? Was it front running, did you read a book about them for a book report once, did they just have some really awesome player?

[Galt]

I never got into college sports. If I ever did get interested, it was a local team (UMass basketball, BC football/basketball, or BU Hockey)

I've been a fan of all local Boston fans my whole live. However in 1988, I started really following the Pirates. There seemed to always be quotes by Andy Van Slyke because he was such a cut-up, and they had Bonds and Bonilla, so I was really into them for a while. Even had a Pirates hate. After Bonilla left to the Mets, I didn't follow them as much, and when Bonds left, I just stopped caring altogether.

[The Jays]

I was a fan of the A's for a lil bit, but it was because I kept getting Jose Canseco rookie cards in like every pack of Topps cards I bought.

[The Sleeper]

I like the new york teams cause i'm from new york. any secondary teams that i root for are either always huge underdogs or have really cool jerseys (bengals, expos). for a while in high school i was really into georgia tech basketball and always wore their hat. I think it was because i thought the yellowjackets logo was cool

[GonzoStyle]

I'm with sleeper, root for your hometown teams good or bad. Yeah we have the yanks but we also have the knicks and rangers so it balances out.

[The Jays]

When Starter jackets were big, my brother had a UNLV jacket. Mother fucker never watched sports in his life, let alone college teams, he had a UNLV jacket.

[HedCold]

i always hated the knicks. dunno why, just did. i was one of those wooo jordan kids, then reggie miller did his thing and i just loved his attitude, and the way he could get all the knicks and their fans to hate him so easily. they're the only non ny team i'm a fan of.

[Keyser Soze]

my father is a yankees fan and a ny giants fan. he took me to see the giants play and even got some players to sign a banner when i was really little, like 8 years old. i was hooked from that moment on.

however i became a Mets fan despite being born in the Bronx and my father being one. my earliest memory was watching them play in 84, with Mookie and Wally, Doc, Straw and the rest of the nutcases who tore up New York City. I was actually more fortunate then, when the Yankees were perennial losers and the Mets were somewhat successful for that breif period. they should have won more but the team was too volitile. i was, and still am, a die hard fan. i watched a ton of games. i could still remember hojo hitting a bot of the ninth homer to win sometime in 88. the most amazing game i was lucky enough to attend was robin ventura's 16th inning grand slam to beat the braves in the 1999 NLCS. i was there with my father and we were in total shock. when they lost the next night, i actually shed a tear.

i was once a knicks fan, but after ewing left, i kind of lost interest. ive been following the nets since but i think the knicks are worth watching again since marbury joined.

im also a raiders fan, i started watching them when bo jackson was playing. i went to see them play in oakland last year and hung out with those lunatics in the black hole. it was amazing. im a giants fan first and foremost but the raiders are my AFC team, so long as they arent playing the giants, ill root for them.

i'm a die hard mets fan, no team comes before them in any sport.

[Galt]

I used to wear hats ALL THE TIME. Typical fratboy college kid (though I wasn't in a frat). So because I liked their hats, I'd follow the teams.

It was usually minor league baseball teams. I remember the Ottawa Lynx (who I think were the AAA team of the Expos) because I thought their name was cool, and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Texas A I think) because that hat was awesome. I had a few others. Also had a 1912 Brookly Dodgers hat. That was pretty sweet as well. I bought an Ottawa Senators hat onces and I thought it was awesome, but then I found out they were going to be an NHL team the next year and I was upset. Awesome logo, but wasn't obscure enough. Then, for some unkown reason, that stopped being really really really important to me and so I stopped wearing hats altogether. I got rid of every hat I owned in college for some reason. Now I think I only own two or three hats. I used to have like 30

[fbd]

giants...my dad is a huge fan, and he's been taking me to games for as long as i can remember. if i have to watch baseball, he's also the reason i'd root for the yankees more than anyone else, but if the yankees moved or something i wouldnt care. my dad doesnt like basketball, though, so i chose the knicks on my own basically because the nets sucked and ewing was incredible (and they were local).

for secondary fan teams, i tend to attach myself to up and coming teams, or players/coaches i like. this year, i saw the chargers turn into a halfway decent team, and i was pulling for them. plus, i had brees, tomlinson, and gates on my fantasy teams. last year, before the season even started, i was rooting for the panthers because of john fox (greatest defensive coach in the league) and peppers, who i feel is a phenominal athelete.

[Goatweed]

I've been a Yankee fan since I was 5 - my dad took me to my first game at the stadium (vs. the A's), and I was an instant fan. As I got older, I tried to be a NY for both teams, but I could never really support the Mets because the organization just seemed to suck (and the Yankees were the Bronx Zoo).

When I was in middle school I started having a huge interest in football, and was a fan of both the Giants & the Jets, with no real bias to either team. When I went to high school, it was with the idea I'd be on the Football team (the Farrell Lions, which was pretty much THE high school fb team when I went to HS). Anyway, I managed to fuck up my right knee before I started my freshman year, and that basically closed the door on football - as well as any other competitive sport - career I had planned.

I got really depressed & didnt bother watching football, but I was always a baseball fan so I pretty much stuck with that until the present day. I never got into basketball or hockey, neither did anything for me. It wasnt until about 5 years ago or so that I started watching football again, mainly because my brother-in-law throws an amazing Super Bowl party.

And I agree, you should always support your local teams, unless they play each other (then you root for your fave). As much of a Yankee fan I am, I rooted for the Mets in 86. Yeah, you can say it was easy since they played Boston and I wouldn't ever root for Boston, but they could have been playing the Blue Jays & I still would have been rooting for them.

[Rooner]

I started liking the Redskins as a kid because it was one of the few places I saw Indians admired as a kid. And being partially Indian, I took pride in that. Now I like them for the class act players theyve had like Art Monk and Darrell Green.

I like the Sixers because Dr J is the first image I have of basketball as a kid. And they are my home team. And Barkley was a bad ass with a big mouth.

I dont watch baseball or hockey, but I always liked wearing a Yankee hat because the fitted hats were all blue with just the NY. Ive never had anything at all to do with hockey.

[GonzoStyle]

Kenspen was a redskins fan too...

[Rooner]

I miss Ken. We would often discuss the Skins and how we would rather they promote homegrown talent, like Betts and Pierce, rather than bring in high priced free agents. And he never asked me to lunch.

[GonzoStyle]

And he never asked me to lunch.

cause you don't have a vagina

[Rooner]

That YOU know of.

[GonzoStyle]

It would explain many things.

[Rooner]

I am enigmatic, I know.

[GonzoStyle]

ok shim

[Rooner]

Now Im lost.