How did you become a fan of your favorite team(s)?

[Joe]

Other recent threads prompted this question.. how did you happen to become a follower of the teams of your choice? Teams from your area, your parents were fans, bandwagon when they were actually good, etc.? How did it all happen for you?

[st.cronin]

I grew up in Mass, and root for all of the pro teams from Boston. I root for Wisconsin because my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all either attended or taught there.

[Eaglesfan27]

All of the Philadelphia Teams were closest to my hometown in Southern NJ, and my grandfather used to watch the games and I always wanted to be around him when I was little, so I started watching and came to appreciate the teams.

I never really followed USC until I went there in 92. I went to all of the home games and some of the road games during my 4 years there, and they replaced Penn State as my favorite team. Penn State was my grandfather's team which is why I rooted for them prior to USC taking over my favored spot.

[Greyroofoo]

I am Peyton Manning's love-child

[Izulde]

Football:
I was a little kid and I loved the team name Dolphins and their colours. I think it helped that it was during Marino's prime, too, so I had a superstar player I could idolize right off the bat.

Then Jimmy Johnson destroyed the team and wrecked Marino's autumnal years so I went without a fave team for a long time until McNabb and the Eagles. I always admired McNabb because of how he shrugged off the naysayers when he got booed and blossomed into a top talent anyway.

I returned to the Dolphins after they hired Sabin and finally booted out that fucktard Wannestadt and although it's been painful this season, I'm staying with them.

Baseball:
Growing up, it was the St. Louis Cardinals, again because I was little and picked team names then. The Wizard of Oz, Ozzie Smith, was my hero. Then I stopped liking them because they started wearing dark blue and that looked really stupid (again, I was just a kid).

So I drifted fave teamless until the winter of '97, when I went to Toronto, fell in love with a girl who still appears in my dreams now and again, and became attached to the Blue Jays as my new fave team.

That all changed a few years ago. I started feeling a kinship with the White Sox because like their lack of success since the 1917 championship, I too, felt myself fighting to get back from a long-ago fall after screwing up earlier in my life. They became my new fave baseball team and their World Series championship last season was the highlight of my sports fan life. I don't know if they'll stay my fave team, to be honest. Baseball is a sport I tend to be nomadic in.

Basketball
I followed the Bucks as a kid because they were the local team, but they weren't my favourite. I didn't have one until freshman year in high school, when they were tearing down the Garden in Boston. A girl in SkateTalk, a message board, figured into this equation as well and we had many intense, impassioned conversations back and forth about Boston sports teams, literature, music, us... And then one day, she disappeared. She ran away from home to go live with this 30something guy, also from the board, and I never heard from her again. Nothing's swayed me from the C's and I'll stay a Boston Celtics fan forever, particularly since green and white are also my fraternity's colours.

Hockey
As a kid, it was the Calgary Flames, again because of the name. Then, post-Toronto trip, the Maple Leafs. But a few years ago, I was in Nashville for a national competition and I greatly enjoyed the city. I really liked the team name Predators and they were having their miracle run in the playoffs then. Although I failed to get tickets, they became my new fave hockey team. They're also owned in part by a guy from my home county, and they'll probably stay my fave hockey team.

College
The Duke-UNLV game when Christian Laetner sank those clutch free throws turned me into a Blue Devils fan, so much so that I almost applied there for college. I'd have to say they're still my favourite elite college basketball program.

Otherwise, my favourite college teams are Wyoming, because I went there, and Princeton, because it's my dream school. Even if I don't make it to Princeton for grad school, I do hope to go to a D-1 school for my Masters, one that can become a new favourite college team.

Edit: I also cheer for all the Wisconsin schools, because of home state affiliations. Except the D-3 schools not named UW-L.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I never really followed USC until I went there in 92. I went to all of the home games and some of the road games during my 4 years there, and they replaced Penn State as my favorite team. Penn State was my grandfather's team which is why I rooted for them prior to USC taking over my favored spot.

I've always wondered why the USC dynasties. Now I know.

[gottimd]

I was born and raised in the Baltimore/Washington Metro area. My immediate family are all die hard skins fans. I was a Redskins fan up until 1984, the year they lost Superbowl 17 to the Raiders.

I think I was fed up with them and began my search for a new favorite team. I dabbled in a little favoritism to the Bengals and the Jets, but for some reason I was drawn to New Orleans. A lot of people find it odd that I am a Saints fan up here in DC. I rarely get to the see them at all on TV. When they do come into town, whether it be in Baltimore or DC, I go to see them (if tickets are available). But I have been following them now for almost 20 years, and I going to bars with a Saints Jersey on and cheer them on, Im the GM of the Saints in the NAFL, talk with others about the Saints.

For my 16th birthday, my father bought tickets to a Saints game that fell on or pretty close to my birthday. Problem was, is that it was in Cleveland. What he did, I'll never forget. He bought plane tickets and made all of the arrangements and we left MD at the butt crack of dawn and flew to Cleveland, and went to the game there that day. It was FREEZING, and it was one of the most miserable offensive games ever (combined total of like 150 yards). I framed the program and tickets. I can't even remember who won now, but looking back on that day, that was probably the least important thing.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Denver Broncos - I was a John Elway fan while he was still in college, so when he got traded to Denver, I became a Broncos fan instantly.

St. Louis Cardinals - I enjoyed the way the team played back in 1982 when I became a fan. They didn't strike out, they stole tons of bases, and they seemed to never make a mistake in the field. There was practically no power on that team, but that was fine with me. I loved that team, and I was glad that they won the World Series in my first year as a fan.

New Jersey Devils - I didn't start watching hockey until the late '80s, and I discovered that I loved watching Sean Burke play. At the time, he was with the Devils, and I stuck with them. Not long after that, Scott Stevens went to New Jersey, and I knew I'd be a Devils fan for life.

Utah Jazz - I grew up wanting to play like John Stockton. He's my all-time favorite NBA player. Through the '80s and '90s, the team brought in quite a few players I liked, so that made it easier. Once Stockton retired, though, I lost my allegiance to them. I still try to follow them, but they're not my favorite team anymore. They were for a long time, though.

Memphis Grizzlies - This is almost entirely for my wife. She's from Memphis, and she was excited to see her hometown finally get its own major-league team. She had already left Memphis, but she was still happy about it. The Grizzlies became my #2 team, and then after Stockton's retirement, I called myself a Grizzlies fan first. I've enjoyed watching the team mature into a consistent playoff team, although I'm still obviously waiting for them to win a playoff game.

New Orleans VooDoo - I know it's "only" Arena Football, but this is the first pro team I ever got to see regularly. I went to almost all of their home games in their first two years, and that's when I became a big VooDoo and AFL fan. As far as pro sports go, if I'm watching a game on TV, I only prefer the NHL and NFL over the AFL. Yeah, I'd rather watch the Rattlers and Gladiators over an MLB playoff game, for instance.

Colleges are pretty easy for me. I graduated from New Orleans, so they're my #1 team. My wife graduated from Memphis and Tulane, so they're #2 and #3. I'm occasionally an LSU fan, but that's only if my top 3 schools give me nothing to hope for. I was ecstatic at the success of Memphis and LSU in last season's basketball tournament, but Memphis > LSU for me, even though LSU got deeper into the tournament.

UNO's going all the way in 2006-2007, by the way. Watch for the Privateers!

[Cringer]

Green Bay Packers - Lived in eastern Washington, but never really could get into the 'home state team' Seattle. When I was 11 or 12 I read Jerry Kramer's diary of the 1967 Packers season. I loved it. Read more Packer history and was hooked. Next thing I know I am cheering on Don Majkowski.

Houston Astros - Was a borderline Mariners fan when I moved down here to Texas. But started to get slowly interested in the Astros. Four years ago started making the 5 hour drive up there a few times a year to see games and am hooked.

College Basketball - Gonzaga - My hometown school I guess, and my sister went there for a bit.

No real favorite for NHL, NBA, or college football.

[Toddzilla]

Chicago Cubs - I started off as a small-time Oakland A's fan stemming from a cap I picked out when I was 5. in 1982, we got cable tv, which included WGN, WTBS, and WOR. Everyone in Richmond was already a Braves fan, and I wasn't going to conform, so I settled on WGN with Harry and Steve and became a Cubs fan. The magical 1984 season kind of sealed the deal, and now my love for the Cubbies is terminal.

Miami Dolphins - My mom was a Dolphins fan and she bought me a t-shirt when I was 4 or 5. That's all it took. I was a big Bob Griese fan which gave way to Dan Marino idolization.

Hockey? Basketball? I could care less if both leagues disappeared forever.

College - Virginia Tech. Honestly I couldn't have even told you where the college was or what their colors were before my senior year in high school. I applied and was accepted to UNC but the tuition was too high to afford. UVA offered me a partial scholarship based on a huge admissions snafu, but I chose to go to Tech, since the cooler of my classmates wer going there. I got degrees in Math in 1992 and 1994, and I'd move back to Blacksburg tomorrow if I could get a job there.

[JS19]

Not sure why I am a Mets and Giants fan. I used to live about 10 minutes away from Shea but only until I was 5. My grandfather, who I am very close to and spent much time with when I was younger, is a huge Yankees fan as well as most of my family. My other grandfather was a huge Mets fan but he died before I was born so he had no influence on me. I suppose it was just the rebel in me going against the family.

My dad is a Giants fan so i'm assuming thats what got me going on them.

[bulletsponge]

Minnesota Vikings- right when i started watching football and playing Techmobowl. i liked thier uniforms and thier players. never lived near minnesota. funny the only pro game ive been to was the Vikes vs Cowboys way back when i was around 7 or 8, my father is loyal cowboy fan so the boys have a hold on me too.

Houston Rockets- i live there and my favorite player was Hakeem Olajowon (sp?). my only championship moment ive had was when they won 2 rings in the 90s

Carlisle United (soccer)- never cared for soccer before i got CM4. i was picking a team to be from all the division 3 teams and picked them. now they are the only team i can play in FM and i visit thier site to see how thier doing. and im sure a true soccer hoodlum wouldnt consider me a fan

[Rizon]

The Chokeland Faiders moved to LA and I was devastated. So I became a Dolphins fan because I liked Flipper.

And I'm an A's fan cause, what, I'm going to root for that loser team across the bay?

[Lorena]

Los Angeles Dodgers: I was born in L.A. so I root for them whenever they do well

Los Angeles Lakers and San Diego Chargers: Antmeister was a fan of both of these teams so I had no choice but to follow them. I ended up liking them both.

[sterlingice]

Isn't this thread just wrong to begin with. Unless your answer is 1) I lived there, 2) My parents/grandparents were fans because they lived there and was I raised a fan, or 3) I/parents went to school there- you're just a giant bandwagon jumper?

SI

[Groundhog]

Cleveland Cavaliers - The first NBA game I ever saw was a Cavs game on TV and Mark Price was awesome, so I've followed them since. The year they drafted Derek Anderson, Brevin Knight & Cedric Henderson was probably the year that totally clinched me as a fan, as they were definately a young and exciting team.

I don't really follow any particular NFL team and can easily watch any team play while rooting for the underdog, and I couldn't even name half the hockey or baseball teams let alone root for one.

[FBPro]

Born and raised in ATL, hence Falcons, Braves & UGA.

[Abe Sargent]

Jaguars:

I watched some football and collected cards in my childhood with no favorites. I then got back into football hard core in early 1995 and all of the teams were the same teams I remembered from my childhood except these two new expansion teams. I loved the idea of supporting an expansion team with an underdog feel, so I deicded to support one of these two teams. At the time, the dominant conference by far was the NFC, so I choose the AFC team, the Jaguars.

It was a match made in heaven, and I am VERY proud of my Jags for the numerous things they've done over the years.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Isn't this thread just wrong to begin with. Unless your answer is 1) I lived there, 2) My parents/grandparents were fans because they lived there and was I raised a fan, or 3) I/parents went to school there- you're just a giant bandwagon jumper?

Yeah, sure, it did me a lot of good to jump on that New Jersey Devils bandwagon the same year they won 27 games. Boy, I was sure ecstatic that season. The Jazz won so many championships when I was a fan, too. When it was clear that the Jazz weren't going to give me what I so desperately needed, I made sure to jump on that mighty Memphis Grizzlies bandwagon! Boy, I sure know how to pick 'em!

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Isn't this thread just wrong to begin with. Unless your answer is 1) I lived there, 2) My parents/grandparents were fans because they lived there and was I raised a fan, or 3) I/parents went to school there- you're just a giant bandwagon jumper?

SI

Unless, of course, you aren't from the States...

[Simms]

Blue Jays and Maple Leafs -- Born and raised in Toronto, so it sorta came with the territory. The Leafs remain my one true passion in sports fandom.

Football's a little more hazy. I never watched a lick of the NFL until I was in high school, when I was *forced* to watch a game one Sunday to complete a phys ed assignment. I saw the Seahawks and Curt Warren beat the Raiders, and Seattle was my first favorite team.

That lasted about a year, until I moved to the Eagles (I liked Randall Cunningham) and the Saints (loved the colors) for brief periods. But being in southern Ontario, we got our American channels from the Buffalo affiliate, so I became a Bills fan right around the time they were losing 4 straight Super Bowls. That, combined with the oversaturated exposure to all things Bills soured me on them to the point where they are still one of my least favorite teams in any sport.

Then I went to Wichita for college. My two best friends (and eventual roommates) were huge Chiefs fans. That, plus the proximity of the team, made them a no-brainer, since I was still somewhat nomadic when it came to NFL fandom. I got to go to a game at Arrowhead during my junior year, and that sealed the deal. The chiefs are the only team for which I have an emotional investment that even comes close to the Maple Leafs.

[Celeval]

Browns, Indians, Cavs: I grew up in Connecticut without a distinct local team, and my mother (the bigger sports fan in the family) is a Cleveland native, so I picked up these. My brother and sister went the Yankees route.

Georgia Tech: BSCS, '99

Second-tier teams:
UConn: Connecticut native
Notre Dame: both parents pulled for ND, I'm Irish-Catholic, and I went to Notre Dame High School
Nationals: I was living outside of DC when the Expos showed up.

I haven't found a MLS or Premiership team yet.

[Doug5984]

Saints: I was born into it. My dad is a huge Saints fan, and growing up watching the Saints on sunday was the most important thing of the day.

Southern Miss- I love their style of football, and went their for 1 year.

LSU - Always went to games as a kid with friends, and watched them on Saturdays.

UL-Lafayette- My dad played college ball their, I go their now...and are the hometown team.

[Hurst2112]

Steelers:

Older uncle (10 years older) was a Steeler fan back in the mid and late 70s. I latched onto him and them.

Red Wings:

Got into them because of Sergei. A friend of mine's brother was into hockey and was freaking out about Sergei coming to the US. I started following him and then began to realize Yzerman had some great years before that. Course, Probert was a bonus as well.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I'm not a homer but with both teams, I went through pains before the joy.

Even when I was living in NE Wisconsin, I didn't fall into the whole Packer SB madness of 96. In 97, I got kicked out of my ex-inlaws house for laughing at the Pack in the 97 SB.

[Terps]

Orioles, Bullets/Wizards, Capitals, University of Maryland: My dad is from Baltimore so I grew up liking the same teams he did.

N.Y. Giants: The Colts moved from Baltimore when I was 1, so I just picked the Giants as my team when I was like 5 or so. Plus, I'm from New Jersey.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Unless, of course, you aren't from the States...

*raises hand*... I used to visit my family in SF a lot, and most of my cousins were girls - they simply wanted to do different things. So I used to sit by myself a lot and try and figure out this baseball game, which seemed kinda sorta similar to cricket - my first real passion. A couple of months of teaching myself baseball and going to a few games at the Stick, and I was hooked for life. As I've gotten older, I live and die with them just a little less (time, and what not - 23, job, etc etc) but man - I used to be miserable to be around after a Giants loss.

[molson]

I grew up in Massachusetts, and never for a second thought about or considered rooting for any non-Boston team. I remembered when the Patriots seemed St.Louis-bound, I wondered if my allegiance would change, but there was no reason, other than arbitrary, to pick any other team. I just wouldn't be into it.

The one Boston exception would be Boston College, who have gone from my favorite college team to my most hated. Part of that has to do with going to Syracuse, and part of it has to do with learning what kinds of people go to Boston College.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Unless, of course, you aren't from the States...

Ok, point taken.

SI

[cthomer5000]

New York Jets - The Giants were oustanding and the Jets sucked when I made my choice. I have taken the harder road of fanhood in this region.

Rutgers - I graduated from there. I only follow the football team and really gather no excitement from other sports aside from beating Seton Hall or Syracuse (rare) in basketball.

Tottenham Hotspur (soccer, English Premier League) - Arbitrarily chose them when I started my FIFA career. After a few months of play I decided to see if any EPL games were on TV here, and Arsenal-Tottenham happened to be the first game to be shown after I looked at the listings. That sealed the deal. I appear to be a bad-luck omen, as the choked their way out of a Champions League spot on the final day of the season last year after I got on board, and this year they've started out at damn near the bottom of the table, going 1-1-4 and only scoring 2 goals in their first 6 games. Blech.

Basketball - couldn't care less, though I love to shit on the Knicks and Isiah Thomas.

Hockey - couldn't care less, though I love to shit on the Rangers.

Baseball - I supported the Red Sox heavily in their eternal struggle against the Yankees, but I've grown indifferent since they won it all. Any attention I give to baseball is simply on a "hating the Yankees" wave length. I don't actually watch a game unless I'm forced to. Attending a couple games in person this season has been enough to put me off ever going to baseball games ever again. It re-defines boredom.

[Neuqua]

Chicago Bears - I live here.

Chicago Bulls - I live here.

Chicago Cubs - I live here.

Chicago Fire - I live here.

Newcastle United - Don't live in England, but my younger cousin was a fan and so have since joined the toon army.

[terpkristin]

For football and baseball, my grandfather was a fan of the Pats and the BoSox. He taught me everything I know about baseball, and got me started on football (though I must confess I've learned a lot more hanging out here about football than I did from him). Because he was responsible for my sports upbringing (my parents still can't believe I'm related to them and follow sports), I have always cheered for the same teams he cheered for, at least for as long as I can remember I've done that.

Of course, for the college stuff, it's the Terps all the way, naturally.

/tk

[pennywisesb]

Baseball
Oakland A's-Two words: Bash Brothers. Plus, my dad's side of the family is from the bay so I grew up watching the A's play.

Football
Philadelphia Eagles-I grew up watching Randall Cunningham play football at a local high school and followed him through his early years. Also, McNabb is my favorite current NFL player so they've stuck.

Hockey
San Jose Sharks-From the start of their franchise, my dad's company had season tickets so I've always had opportunities to see them play.

Basketball
Golden State Warriors-I grew up with Run TMC. I really haven't had much to root for since then however.

[TazFTW]

Dallas Cowboys - My name is Dallas (no, not named after them) and when I moved to Hawaii I was getting teased about the Cowboys being so sucky. Never really watched football at time but I started following them via boxscores. They went 3-13 that year but I kept with it and 3 Superbowls later, I win.

Atlanta Braves - The only channel that was consistantly showing baseball was TBS, so I started following the Braves because of that.

Phoenix Suns - Used to live in Phoenix and they were the only pro team there at the time. I also follow the Rockets because of Yao.

NY Rangers - Only pro team I've seen live. I also follow the Stars because I remember watching the North Stars/Penguins final and really liked watching Mike Modano skate.

Hawaii Warriors - Lived here for 18 years and counting.

[Warhammer]

California Angels

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Rams

I grew up in Irvine, CA, and the first football game I vaguely remember was the 79 Rams beating the Cowboys in Starbaughs last game. The Lakers became HUGE that year after they drafted Magic. I remember watching them and the Kings on Channel 9 at night. The Angels were always the Orange County team with them playing at the Big A.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Detroit Lions - Grew up here.

Detroit Pistons - Grew up here.

Detroit Tigers - Grew up here.

Detroit Red Wings - Grew up here.

Universtiy of Michigan - Grew up here/went to undergrad and law school.

My list is very simply and no real explanations are necessary.

Edit: One more. Everton (soccer, English Premier League) - When I first moved to Brussels back in '02, I went to a bar to watch a soccer game with a co-worker of mine. He was from Liverpool and Liverpool were playing a German side. I figured he'd be cheering for Liverpool, but it was pretty evident he wasn't. He was watching the game to cheer against them. He hated them that much. I got the low down on on the situation and admired his passion. We then agreed that I would adopt Everton and he would adopt the Lions. He got the short end of that deal.

[RendeR]

I grew up on po-fucking-dunk pennsylvania, the weekend entertainment in my home town was a window breaking contest at the old tannery building that burned in the 70's.

Now realize that when I was a kid, the Steelers were a dynasty. All my friends were Steelers fans, and those that weren't were Dallas fans. Because of all the constant yammering about Pitt, I came to Loathe the very idea of them.

Comes along a sunday watching the ballgames and NBC cuts over to the Bills at the Bengals. There on my screen I see the most gorgious uniform. Orange and Black, my school colors, Bengals/Tiger My absolute favorite animal. I was in love. Then I watched them come back from a 3 TD deficit to tie the game on a last second field goal, and win it on a 50+ yarder in OT.

I've never looked back. I've Bled Orange and Black ever since.

Now this passion for Cincinnati in Football coincides with being a fan of the Reds in Baseball for a few years before this. My Grandmother has been a Yankee fan since the 1930's. She listens to every game on an old AM radio with an earpiece. Done it that way since before I was born. My Aunt, her daughter, was always a Cincinnati fan. And in 1976 the two teams met in what was supposed to be one of the best world series ever. Loving my Aunt far more intensly than my grandmother I rooted for the Reds and enjoyed the most lopsided 4 game sweep I can remember other than the 1990 series(another Reds Title). Love them Cincy teams.

College Football was always on new Years day and we always spent that at a friends house for an all day year end bash. We'd get there around 1-2pm and sometimes end up crashing on the couch till morning. I don't recall the year, but tOSU was playing a bowl game and it was tight, they came back and won with some spectacular plays late in the game. Loved them ever since.

Hockey is another situation altogether. I started watching in 1983, which just happened to be Patrick Roy's rookie season. I followed the games of a number of teams and fell into rooting for Roy and the Habs because he was a rookie and they were a spunky exciting team. Move ahead a large number of years and there I sit with my now wife, who is from Buffalo, we're rooting on teh Sabres (who had eliminated my Habs) and somewhere along the way stolen my loyalty away from montreal. I've been a Sabres fan since, though right now with that wet Rat they have on this new uniform, I am reconsidering....

[Poli]

Written in 2002, if I'm not mistaken...after the Patriots beat the Rams in the Super Bowl.

Rules For Being a True Fan

By Bill Simmons
Page 2 columnist


Ugh ... the dog days of February. The Olympics just ended. The NHL and NBA are limping toward the playoffs. We're still a few weeks away from WrestleMania, Junior Kiper's final NFL draft rankings, the Masters, fantasy baseball and watchable spring training games. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue already came out.

You know what that means? We're delving into my "BREAK OPEN IN CASE OF EMERGENCY" treasure chest of column gimmicks! Today's topic: Shouldn't there be rules for being a sports fan? Shouldn't somebody write down some sort of charter? Shouldn't that person be me?

This column has been brewing for about six weeks, ever since a startling phone conversation with one of my Page 2 bosses (KJ, a Seattle native and die-hard Seahawks fan). We were chatting about the Patriots and Steelers potentially colliding in the playoffs, when KJ suddenly said, "At least if my Steelers lose, I'll be happy for you, because the Pats made it."

Huh? My Steelers??? And this was how I found out that KJ -- my esteemed editor and friend, a good man, a father and a husband, the man who makes Page 2 run so smoothly -- was a Sports Bigamist. As it turns out, the Steelers are KJ's Second-Favorite Team, whatever that means. Apparently, as long as Pittsburgh isn't playing Seattle, he roots for the Steelers, but he doesn't root for the Steelers quite as hard as he roots for the Seahawks, and if both teams are doing well, he chooses the Seahawks, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about the Steelers, and I think I just lost control of my bowels.


Honestly, I just can't understand it. You cannot root for two teams at the same time. You cannot hedge your bets. You cannot unconditionally love two teams at the same time, when there's a remote chance that they might go head-to-head some day. (I can't believe it -- KJ, of all people. We need to go undergo Friend Therapy just so I can come to grips with this.)


Did the entire turn of events warrant a column? Probably not. But I couldn't resist slapping together a list of 20 set-in-stone rules that every professional sports fan should abide. Maybe you have your own rules; these are mine. And just so you know, I concentrated this column on the dynamic involving fans and their favorite team, so there are none of those "No talking on your cell phone and waving to the center-field camera if you're sitting behind home plate"-type rules in here.


Without further ado ...


Attire
1. You can't purchase a "blank" authentic jersey from your favorite team with no name on the back, then stick your own name and number on the jersey ... well, unless you want to be an enormous dork.


2. If you're attending an NBA game, don't wear the jersey of a team that isn't competing in the game. It's bad enough to see people wearing authentic NBA jerseys in public -- if they're wearing a T-shirt underneath it, they look ridiculous, and if they aren't wearing a T-shirt, usually there's flab and shoulder hair everywhere, and you're wishing that they were wearing a T-shirt. Besides, it's not like you need to wear an NBA jersey to get yourself in the mood for an NBA game, unlike baseball, football and hockey.


3. Don't wear cheap-looking replica jerseys or flimsy-looking bargain-basement hats. Come on. You're representing every fan from your team. Show some pride.


4. Don't wear replica championship rings as a conversation starter. Don't carry someone's baseball card in your wallet as a conversation starter.


5. It's OK to flagrantly show your contempt for the home team by wearing the colors of a hated rival, as long as you're not being obnoxious as you root for the visiting team. If you make a spectacle of yourself, all bets are off and you'll get what you deserve. Back in the late-'80s, I sat in the upper deck at Yankee Stadium -- during a Red Sox-Yanks game, no less -- wearing a Sox hat, Bruins jersey and Celtics shorts, and the Yankees fans left me alone. Why? Because I wasn't going overboard. There's a lesson here, and it's not just that I had a death wish back in the late-'80s.


6. When your team wins a championship, it's your civic duty to purchase as much paraphernalia as possible. Don't be ashamed. Hats, T-shirts, sweatshirts, videos, cards, magazines, books ... there's no limit. Gorge yourself.


Behavior
7. Be very careful when using the word "We" with your favorite team. Use it judiciously. Just remember, you don't wear a uniform, you don't play any minutes, and you're not on the team. And yes, this was an extremely tough line for me to straddle during the Patriots' Super Bowl run.


8. No hopping on and off the bandwagon during the season with the flip-flop, "I knew we were going to self-destruct! ... All right, we won six straight! ... I knew we wouldn't keep playing this well. ... I knew we would bounce back!" routine as the season drags along. Just for the record, this is probably my biggest fault as a sports fan -- I overreact to everything. I've already written off the Celtics three different times this season, and I've given up on Antoine Walker roughly 435 times over the past six years. Can I get some medication for this?


9. It's OK to root against your team, if they're hopelessly out of the playoff race and you want them to keep losing so A) they'll get a better draft pick, or B) you're hoping the coach and/or GM will get fired. Don't feel bad about it. (Note: It's also OK to wager against your team, if they're hopelessly out of the playoff race. But only then. And only if you don't make it a habit.)


10. If one of your fantasy guys is lighting it up against your favorite team (scoring goals, rushing for big yards, making jumpers, etc.), you can't pump your fist, high-five anyone or refer to the player in a "That's one of my guys!" sense, especially if it's a crucial game or a crucial juncture of the game. (That's maybe the No. 1 problem for sports fans these days: When to draw the line between fantasy and real life. It's an ongoing battle. Even if you can't help getting secretly excited about your fantasy guys when they're thriving against your favorite team, at least make sure you feel guilty, too. Don't you hate that enthralled/guilty feeling? Is there anything worse? I'm babbling ...)




11. Don't boo your team unless it's absolutely warranted -- like with the brutal Knicks situation this season, or if you're hoping to get a coach fired or a specific player traded or something. When you think about it, what's the purpose of booing your team? If you're trying to inspire them, usually you end up sending them into a deeper funk -- odds are, your team already knows it's struggling. And if you're trying to light a fire under a specific player, usually you end up making him even more nervous and tentative. So why boo in the first place? Trust me, dead silence sends a bigger message than anything. And it's not potentially destructive.
(There's only one circumstance where booing doesn't cause more harm than good: If you have a great team that seems to be going through the motions. For instance, the Lakers have a tendency to sleepwalk against inferior teams at home; As soon as the fans get a little restless, Shaq and company seem to wake up. Unfortunately for the Lakers, their fans aren't paying attention that closely because they're busy either trying to get on the Jumbotron, averting their eyes from Dyan Cannon, or trying to figure out things like "How many points do you get if you shoot one from half court?" or "How come that clock on the backboard keeps counting down backward from 24?")


12. After your team wins a championship, they immediately get a five-year grace period: You can't complain about anything that happens with your team (trades, draft picks, salary-cap cuts, coaching moves) for five years. There are no exceptions. For instance, the Pats could finish 0-80 over the next five years and I wouldn't say a peep. That's just the way it is. You win the Super Bowl, you go on cruise control for five years. Everything else is gravy.


13. You can follow specific players from other teams, but only as long as they aren't facing your team. For instance, it's fine to enjoy the Brett Favre Experience if you're a Jaguars fan ... just don't get carried away and start making a scrapbook, collecting all his football cards and so on. That's a little sketchy. And you can't purchase his jersey under any circumstances.


14. Just because you supported a team that won a championship, it doesn't give you the right to turn into a pompous, insufferable schmuck. Remember this.


Friendships and relationships

15. If your team defeats a good friend's team in a crucial game or series, don't rub it in with them unless they've been especially annoying/gloating/condescending/confrontational in the days leading up to the big battle. You're probably better off cutting off all communications in the days preceding/following the game, just to be safe.


15a. Along those same lines, if your team squanders a crucial game/series to your buddy's team, don't make them feel guilty about it -- don't call them to bitch about the game, don't blame some conspiracy or bad referee's call, don't rant and rave like a lunatic. In the words of Vito Corleone, you can act like a man. You have plenty of time to bitch in private.


15b. If your buddy's team loses an especially tough game, don't call him -- wait for him to call you. And when you do speak to him, discuss the game in a tone normally reserved for sudden, unexpected deaths.


15c. If one of your best friends loves a certain team that has a chance to win a championship, and your team is out of the picture, it's OK to jump on the bandwagon and root for his team to win it all. That's acceptable. Like Temporary Fan status.


16. If you marry someone who roots for a different team than you, you can't be bullied into switching allegiances. You'd be amazed how often this happens ... and how often it's the guy who folds. The power of women to whip men never ceases to amaze me. The funniest part is when the guy starts making excuses: "Well, once I moved to Boston from New York, I got caught up in this whole Red Sox thing and the American League, so I stopped following the Mets," or "I never liked the Browns as much as she liked the Bengals, so I'm taking one for the team," or even my personal favorite, "We wanted our kids to root for the same team as their parents."

(Don't you love when "The sake of the kids" becomes a reason? What is this, like a Jewish-Catholic thing?)


17. If you're an American woman and visible former actress, and you marry the most famous Canadian hockey star of all-time, and eventually he becomes the man in charge of putting together a Canadian Olympic hockey team, and they end up playing the Americans for the gold medal in a game that's taking place in a U.S. city, and you show up for that game cheering for the Canadians, and you're hugging everyone in sight as the Canadians are putting the game away in the third period ... well, you have to leave the country immediately. And you can't come back. Ever.

(Yes, I'm talking to you, Janet Jones. Nobody likes a Sports Traitor. Turn in your driver's license, turn in your passport and take a hike. If you like Canada so much, move there. How come nobody is making a big deal out of this? TRAITOR! TRAITOR!)

And the biggies ...


Loyalties
18. If you live in a city that has fielded a professional team since your formative years, you have to root for that team. None of this, "The Bengals weren't very good when I was growing up in Cincy, so I became a Cowboys fan" crap.

Also, you can't start rooting for a team, back off when they're in a down cycle, then renew the relationship once the team starts winning again. All those Cowboys fans who jumped off the bandwagon in the late-'80s, jumped back on during the Emmitt/Aikman Era, then jumped back off in the late-'90s ... you know who you are. You shouldn't even be allowed out in public.




(There's nothing worse than a Bandwagon Jumper. If sports were a prison and sports fans made up all the prisoners, the Bandwagon Jumpers would be like the child molesters -- everyone else would pick on them, take turns beating them up and force them to toss more salads than Emeril Lagasse.)

19. Once you choose a team, you're stuck with that team for the rest of your life ... unless one of the following conditions applies:


Your team moves to another city. All bets are off when that happens. In fact, if you decided to turn off that sport entirely, nobody would blame you.


You grew up in a city that didn't field a team for a specific sport -- so you picked a random team -- and then either a.) your city landed a team, or b.) you moved to a city that fielded a team for that specific sport. For instance, one of my Connecticut buddies rooted for the Sixers during the Doctor J Era, then happened to be living in Orlando when the Magic came to town. Now he's a Magic fan. That's acceptable.

One of your immediate family members either plays professionally or takes a relevant management/coaching/front office position with a pro team.


You follow your favorite college star (and this has to be a once-in-a-generation favorite college star) to the pros and root for his team du jour ... like if you were a UNC fan for the past 20 years, and you rooted for the Bulls (because of MJ) and then the Raptors (because of Vince). Only works if there isn't a pro team in your area.


The owner of your favorite team treated his fans so egregiously over the years that you couldn't take it anymore -- you would rather not follow them at all then support a franchise with this owner in charge. Just for the record, I reached this point with the Boston Bruins about six years ago. When it happens, you have two options: You can either renounce that team and pick someone else, or you can pretend they're dead, like you're a grieving widow. That's what I do. I'm an NHL widow. I don't even want to date another team.


If you're between the ages of 20-40, you're a fan of the Yankees, Cowboys, Braves, Raiders, Steelers, Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Canadiens and/or Oilers, and you're not actually from those one of those cities ... well, you better have a reason that goes beyond "When I was picking a favorite team as a kid, they were the best team, so I picked them."

At least give me a reason like "Reggie Jackson was my favorite player growing up," or "I always liked the red Bulls uniforms," or even "Everyone in my gang wore Raiders colors." Do you really want to be known as a bona fide Bandwagon Jumper?

20. If you hail from New York, you can't root for the Yankees and the Mets. You have to choose between them. Repeat: You have to choose between them. Don't give me this "As long as one of them is doing well, at least New York is winning" spiels. What is this, the sports fan's version of bisexuality? How about making a choice? Any New Yorker who said the words "It's the Yankees versus the Mets ... I can't lose!" during the 2000 World Series deserves to be tortured with a cattle prod.


Besides, as we mentioned in the beginning of this column, you shouldn't practice "Sports Bigamy" in general. Sports teams are just like wives ... you can only have one wife, you can only have one sports team, and for the love of God, I will not argue about this.
(And yes, I'm talking to you, KJ.)
Bill Simmons writes three columns a week for Page 2.

[Poli]

With that posted, here's who I root for and why.

Baseball: St. Louis Cardinals. My stepdad played minor league ball for the Cardinal organization. I've spent most of my life moving from place to place, but most of it is generally considered Cardinal "territory".

The only time I ever wavered was in 7th and 8th grade in Lenoir City, TN. I was unable to get Cardinal games on the radio. Unfortunately, Braves Radio was readily available. I would listen to Braves games just to hear baseball. I remember thinking eventually, these guys might not be so bad. When I moved back to Missouri in 1990, I dropped my interest in the Braves instantly...and was glad to be back in Cardinal Country.

Football

I never liked football very much. The first game I remember watching was the 1987 Liberty Bowl between Arkansas and Georgia. I lived in Colt, Arkansas, at the time and wasn't very far from Memphis. So, I'm in Arkansas, I rooted for Arkansas. Wasn't a bad game, as I recall...but Georgia won on a last second field goal, I think.

Surprisingly, as I think back now, I didn't become a Bulldog fan. Maybe I needed to be around other Bulldog fans.


The next year I moved to Lenoir City, and Arkansas played Tennessee. I'm "from" Arkansas and among rabid Tennessee fans. I had never seen football fans in school before...at least not in the schools I had been to. So, it was fun thinking that the Razorbacks were about to beat their beloved team. Again, I had no clue who Arkansas or Tennessee was.

Tennessee won, and I almost never heard the end of it. I began rooting for the Vols after that. It was a soft commitment at first, as I began watching the game and eventually blew up into the fan I am today.

Pro Football: No real team to speak of. I didn't start watching pro football until 1990, the year after I started watching the Vols. I became attached to the Chiefs in the early 90's when my best friend was a Chiefs fan...but I lost interest in the pro game sometime in the mid 90s as I began watching college football more.

I don't watch hockey or much pro basketball.

Seeing as I root for all Vols teams, I root for the men's and women's basketball teams.

Of course, I also root for SEC teams when they're not playing each other. I want the conference to do well.

[LloydLungs]

College athletics -- Like Pumpy, it's the University of New Orleans all the way. I'm a season ticket holder for three of its teams and wildly devoted fan for a program that has virtually no fan base, yet has at least two fans on FOFC. It's lonely sometimes. We have no football team, so my adopted team is the D-1AA Southeastern Louisiana Lions.

NFL -- New Orleans Saints. Obvious. It's going to be a little dusty in here for Monday Night Football tomorrow.

NBA -- New Orleans Hornets. Obvious. And yes, they'll be back.

MLB -- I don't care what Bill Simmons says. For this sport only, I am a sports bigamist. I grew up watching Jimmy Bullinger play SS for UNO (it all comes back to the Privateers!), and he made the majors with the Cubs. Since I was able to follow his relatively mediocre but multiyear career with the Cubs on WGN, I sadly became a fan of the team. But as an offshoot of that, I came to despise the White Sox via their WGN exposure for only one reason -- "announcer" Hawk Harrelson. Over the past several years I've been greatly appreciative of the Twins' ability to thwart the Sox most years, and in general the Twins are the polar opposite organization from the Cubs and provide much-needed relief from the Cubs' idiocy. That is one hugely well run organization (yeah yeah, I know about David Ortiz) and I root like hell for em now. Yes, it's a bit of a traditional bandwagon jump. I have my reasons, dammit!

NHL -- New Jersey Devils. One day, in the 80s, I was glancing at the NHL standings and decided to pick a hockey team. Being a Saints fan I was sympathetic towards bad teams -- MY version of bandwagon jumping was picking an inept organization and suffering with them. At the time the Devils sucked. Not too long after, they made their playoff run with Sean Burke in '88. Good times.

[caspanky]

I live near the Bay Area. Hence the Niners, Sharks, Giants affiliation.

[Ragone]

Well lets see..

College Sports: Louisville Cardinals (Being born there.. having loved them since as long as i can remember)

Pro Football: Cincinnati Bengals (I was born in Louisville, so that being the closest pro football team+ i loved me some Ickey Woods back in the day)

Pro Basketball: I tend to root for the teams that have drafted or have players from my favorite college sports team. But don't really follow pro basketball per say

Pro Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning (I started following the nhl in the 90's, and realized my need to pick a team to support.. so i picked Tampa over the other expansion team (ottawa)

European Soccer:Borussia Dortmund (I loved playing as them in cm, love the bundesliga)

[alansl]

Two influences predominate my choices of favorite teams. First, I tend to look for the "home team". As an Austinite, that means I have my choice of Dallas or Houston in most cases. Secondly, I hate latching onto a team that's already really good. I'd prefer to follow a mediocre team with hope of improvement than one that dominates already.

I also can't follow more than one sport at a time (it takes up too much of my time), but I retain fondness for my favorites after each sports phase.

I haven't liked baseball since I was little, but it's probably my most whimsical decision. I was coloring one day, with a baseball game on TV, and I decided that I needed a favorite team and favorite player. So I looked up and chose the team that was at bat: the Braves (TBS probably showed more baseball than any other channel back then) and the player who was at bat: Dale Murphy. I was fortunate that he turned out to be a decent player, though he was no world beater, as I recall. I must have been 5 or 6 - I remember debating a girl in first grade that your favorite player had to be on your favorite team. Maybe that's where I began to prefer teams that are good, but not great. I didn't still follow baseball by the time the Braves had their dynasty.

I did something similar the first time I went through a hockey phase around 1990. Dallas didn't have a team yet, so the regional sports channel showed Devils games instead. This time I didn't base my decision on who had the puck or anything - I was old enough to logically consider that it would be smart to choose a team I get to see most regularly, and there was little other hockey on TV back then. My second favorite team was the Kings, because that was the only team you could buy merchandise for everywhere, even in a non-hockey state like Texas, but I never really got too interested in them. By the time I went through my second hockey phase, Dallas had a team, so they took over, though I still retain a fondness for the Devils, as well.

Soccer is my current sport, and has been since about 95, though there have been times I've been burned out, like currently. The US Men's National Team is an obvious choice as my fave internationally. I'm currently in limbo for a fave in MLS, though. The Dallas Burn were my obvious choice in the beginning, until I felt betrayed by an unnecessary coaching change that initiated a degenerative slide that has ended with a team that plays boring, unexciting soccer. They were still my favorite team, and still would be, but then Houston got a team. Houston getting a team was enough to get me thinking of abandoning FC Dallas. That couldn't have happened without thinking that there was another "home team" to support. Thing is, Houston didn't get an expansion team, which I would've fallen in love with. They got the San Jose Earthquakes, who were already a good team, which is why I haven't became enamored of them. So, I've abandoned my old team, but haven't been able to wholely embrace my new team.

It's much easier to pick favorites in other countries. But they're more favored, than favorites, since a weaker team (the kind I like) is more likely to go down (and out of sight) than up (eg, West Ham, Southampton). Fondness usually developed because of a player or an attractive style of play. In England, Southampton had my favor early. They'd been my team in Ultimate Soccer Manager 2 (they had the smallest ground in the league, so I thought they'd be a greater challenge). In real life, when I had the chance to watch them on TV, they didn't disappoint. They were one of the only "minnow" teams that would play a wide-open game against the big clubs (Southampton-Arsenal was always a blast to watch!). There's nothing more boring than a team that's so afraid of the opponent that they just boot the ball forward, hoping for a miracle from the unsupported lone striker. Other favored teams have been purely based on players and the flair they bring: West Ham - Di Canio; Bolton: Ivan Campos' hair, Jay-Jay Okocha, Nakata, Kevin Davies (former Southampton flourished at Bolton); Rio Plate: Andres D'allesandro; AC Milan: was the more entertaining team in the Milan derby I once saw on TV; Chievo Verona: I used to get them into Serie A on CM3 - was intrigued to see it happen in real life, but I've never seen them play, so I don't know if the favor would sustain.

I didn't mean for this to get so long. Sorry!
Alan

[Tigercat]

Saints - Grew up in New Orleans, been a diehard since I can remember. Any lifelong Cubs or Red Sox fan can appreciate the love and hate blood connection that die hard Saints fans have to their team.

LSU -As I started thinking about college (7th and 8th gradeish?) I became more of an LSU fan than I already was. Previously Saints were my first team, since then its been LSU. Graduating from LSU didn't hurt.

Oakland A's - Needed a baseball team to cheer for in the 80s, and for some reason the A's sticked. Got to go to my only game in Oakland in 99, that was great.

New Orleans Hornets - another home city team.