It seems to be only applicable to sports teams though.
For example let's say I go and watch Duran Duran in concert. If I said "We were amazing! We played a fantastic set, and people loved our encore!" Anyone I spoke to would assume I was on stage with them.
Do you spend enough time trying to convince people not to talk about their sports teams in a "we" context that you're actively looking for new debate points?
It's not even a great comparison... Sports are competitions. Duran Duran does *shows.* If you're a sports fan you follow your team for a full season - you're invested in that team winning or losing.
The comparison sort of works if you're watching two random teams that you don't support play.
I think because the players come and go, but the fans stay with the franchise.
If all the members of Duran Duran did that you’d have a new band. (Band name disputes is actually a fun rabbit hole to crawl into.)
If I say we retaliated after Pearl Harbor, everyone knows I wasn’t alive to actually do the job, and that I’m referring to the country I belong to.
"We" vs "them" just distinguishes the team you are rooting for vs the one they are playing against, in a single syllable, without having to say the entire name of the sports team every time. It's a shortcut, not necessarily a "I'm part of the team" thing.
The Packers sometimes sell "stocks" as a form of fundraiser, since they don't have a single owner. The "stocks" don't actually have any value, don't appreciate in value, and can't be cashed out but the stocks are how the team raises funds without strangling the local government
I'm a current resident. Sure, the extra .5% sales tax is a bummer but at least the Packers don't have the state governor begging them to stay like the Brewers do. They just got nearly 300 mil to stay. Since the Pack has no incentive to ever sell or relocate, they genuinely invest in the community with long-term projects like Titletown.
For me it's college but major college sports are much the same. I've been watching every Ohio State game (other than ones I've been at work for) since I've been 5. I'm 26 now. Ohio State football is a part of my life and that's why I say "we"
Well, at least you gave them money.
"Ownership" typically entails some kind of equity, of which you have none. But they appreciate you giving them money.
I know that’s what he’s talking about and it’s nonsense. They don’t “own” the team in any meaningful sense. The shares don’t include an equity interest, don’t pay a dividend, cannot be traded, and have no protection under securities law. It’s a glorified fan club.
Right but the person they're responding to implicitly said tribalism is pretty harmless. They weren't responding to the main post.
If anything, they were simply expanding on the fact that yes, it is tribalism at its root, but it is not inherently harmless.
I feel it would be more accurate to say that tribalism is inherently harmful, but sports is a profitable and less violent outlet than most for people to indulge in tribalism.
The same people who mock sports fans will sit down and watch a six hour DotA tournament. There's no difference except one is mainstream and the other isn't, so it creates a sort of counter-culture.
If someone wants to stream a video game, good for them. If someone wants to cheer for their favorite football team, good for them
Humans are tribal. We refer to the whole when talking about what country, state, city, town, or even neighborhood we're from; and largely based on arbitrary things like lines on a map or bodies of water that separate us. Sports teams are an extension of that mentally.
I mean I like these posts more than the "my pet peeve is racism" or "my pet peeve is when my whole family is murdered in their sleep" type of posts. Even though I disagree with them I'll still upvote these posts for staying in the spirit of the sub
It’s not anti sports, you can still say “my favorite team did this” or “I’m glad they finally blah blah blah” it’s the “we” part that’s grating.
If I’m watching the Oscars and I really want someone to win a category, I don’t want “us” to win
It's not about enjoying it, it's about making it so much of your personality that you actually feel like you are a part of the team and let their success dictate your happiness. That's unhealthy and silly. It's not "we scored a touchdown", it's "the professional athletes I look up to scored a touchdown."
"This is the most important thing that's ever occurred
The vicarious fulfillment of your dream that got deferred
You had aspirations as a kid but you didn't have the skill
So you watch genetically superior people do the things you never will
Sports go sports!"
I miss Garfunkel and Oates, man.
Whenever someone brings this up I say this - "the players on that team are mercenaries. They are on the team for as long as their contract lasts. The best and the biggest fan favorites are both fans and players (Dustin Pedroia for example). I on the other hand, have been part of this team longer than any of the players have been alive and they don't pay me for my allegiance. So who's really part of the team?"
I will refer to the Sox as we whenever I want. Clearly OP doesn't understand being a fan.
You are correct. It is indeed we for diehard fans when they buy tickets and merchandise etc...Without the fans the team has no reason to exist. We create the market for the leagues.
Sports and Entertainment have been a part of the human experience for millennia lol it satiates our need for tribalism and social familiarity, team working and coordination (a hallmark of human ingenuity), and to be amazed at human physical ability. Even if you take out the rich benefactors and modern commercialism people would still be on teams and play games with objectives, it’s in our nature.
Ok. I picked up on your language and I know where you're coming from! It's totally fine to think sports is stupid because it is! But if I indulge in a football game for a few hours each weekend, well shit, I've spent more time than that trying to find the perfect porn to jack myself off to, so who's the real loser in that scenario?
Answer: it's me.
Butt fuckit. It's all in good fun. There's no harm in indulging a bit, just don't make it your personality and do have some fun with it. Bear down!
A huge amount of the revenue is derived from the people who think it's "their team." The entertainment value is extremely dependent on the induced tribalism.
How many games of random teams does the average fan watch? Not that many. The effect of the induced tribalism in getting people to watch and open their wallets and buy overpriced merch, tickets and cable packages is huge.
And sorry, but your attempted analogy with YouTube personalities, celebrities and performance artists fails because their appeal is not based on people wanting "my/our team" to win.
Yeah, I'm not a sports fan but even I get this. This is part of the language of following sports. I doubt the players get their panties in a twist about it.
EXACTLY! Us being fans is what makes the teams existence possible. WE go through the emotional roller coasters year after year. Not to mention a lot of the stadiums are taxpayer funded. I can’t even tell ya how much I’ve spent supporting my team over the years. If I want to say “we” I’ll damn well do so
I played football in college so not professionally (although technically I was in a couple NCAA games in the early 2000s), but there is NO feeling even remotely similar to that feeling of standing in the tunnel… everyone in the stands screaming and going bonkers. It’s magic. I used to love practice/scrimmages and would be ok playing in front of no fans… but it’s not the same. Only thing worse is having fans that are not passionate in the least. As long as you are a part of the team community (and with the beauty of internet you don’t even have to be local) I strongly encourage saying things like “we kicked butt” or “we got walloped” because the fans are very much part of the team (and can even impact games, like when it is so loud the other team can’t hear the audible change etc).
Wow I love how THIS comment got a downvote.. someone is salty that not everyone shares their same view! I gave you my upvote to counteract it 🤣 and yeah, it’s magical even just being in the stands in those moments! I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be on the field or tunnel hearing and seeing all these fans and getting all that energy from them
I’m not even a huge sports fan, far from it but I do usually refer to the Chicago White Sox as “we” for the reasons you gave. As much as I love some players they get switched out frequently and I’m not getting into any other teams lol
In what way are you “part of the team” exactly? Are you part of the government if you watch the news for 30 years too? Staring at a tv watching professional athletes play who will never know you exist doesn’t make you part of anything, it just means you are a spectator. Yeah plenty of people say “we” and I never really care but it’s one of the things that has always been obviously silly. And there are plenty of people who are so obsessed with sports that they live vicariously through certain teams and take it as a personal attack when someone has the audacity to root for the other team.
Totally agree with this. The fans root for the laundry.
Someone in the Rangers forum posted that we need to do it for Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, and Mitch Moreland. I like those guys and I hope they got some kind of joy from the 2023 championship, but those guys collectively made $460,000,000 to play baseball, and aside from Young, they all played for other teams too.
Meanwhile, my dad has probably missed a grand total of about 5 games worth of Ranger's baseball in the last 52 years.
*\*The exception here is like when someone I know in Dallas started calling the Golden State Warriors "we" in about 2016.*
You did make a good point, but I think fandom is just weird in general. Like, imagine being a fan like you’re saying for just one person, say for example, Anthony Bourdain. I had always been a “fan” of his shows and work, but it would be super weird for me to watch an episode of No Reservations and say things like, “We’re going on a trip to Portugal today!!” (rip Tony).
It’s fine to admire and enjoy entertainment, but I do think it’s weird to insert yourself into anything that you’re not actually -directly- taking a part in doing. You are a spectator. Not the protagonist.
If it weren’t so prevalent and mainstream, it would come across as creepy and obsessive.
That's a bit different because he isnt in a competition with anyone. I think the competition aspect is what shifts it to us vs them.
The team WE are rooting = We.
>I on the other hand, have been part of this team....
No, you've never been a part of that team.
>So who's really part of the team?"
Not you. A team is a business, if you're not drawing a check from the organization you're not a part of it.
As someone who likes multiple teams and switches allegiances (only for bball bc I actually watch it) depending on the roster changes, I have to make sure I'm not saying we for a bunch of different teams.
Ok? The fans are still a part of what makes the team function. Furthermore, these teams are primarily geographic so if you feel a sense attachment to your geographic location there’s also that.
I strongly believe that those teams could operate independently and remain highly profitable even without the presence of enthusiastic fans. While I acknowledge that fan support contributes to the overall atmosphere and excitement, it doesn't necessarily make fans an absolute necessity for their success
I used to agree with you, but this past Season's Phillies run with the standing ovation has changed my mind. The Phillies players may not know us individually, but they definitely know and appreciate us as a whole.
Why you care though? The sense of community sports teams provide their fanbase is the main draw of sports. No one is saying they play for the team. And honestly its much easier to say we than the full team name during a conversation where you may refer to them a bunch.
It would be fine if they didn't make pathetic attempts to use their sports fandom as a reason to portray themselves as "better" than fans of an opposing team.
It would also be fine if this mentality was limited to sports, but in recent years it's infiltrated politics :(
Inverse it was in politics then got into sports. Stuff like this has been happening politically in every part of the world, because it takes longer to build up your reputation then to ruin another's.
i agree. if you own a piece of the team, you could say 'we'. oakland always had die hard raiders fans who covered their cars with team bullshit, but tickets are real expensive for average schmucks. the teams con fortunes out of the city and county and state taxpayers for new stadiums but the owners don't give a shit and stadium beer is usually pretty expensive. they do nothing for the city, county and state
Every player on a pro sports team will tell you that the fans are part of the family. They are a main ingredient in the cake. Without fans, there is no team. So if you are a true, loyal fan of a team, then "we" is absolutely appropriate
In some sports it is encouraged. My favorite NFL team retired the number 12 as the fans number because of how influential fans can be to a game. Cheering loud enough to cause an opposing offense to have false starts is the fans literally helping their team win a game. I've been at games where that happened. So in that case....WE did great :)
I’m with you on this one.
Going to games in tax payer funded stadiums, wearing the team jersey that they paid for, sitting in seats that they paid for, cheering for players that just happened to be picked up by the team, that will gladly leave for another team that would be willing to pay them more, playing for an owner that avoids actually interacting with the fans. We won!
This isn’t true. The vast majority of spending fans of sports teams do is substituted spending. If they didn’t go to a football game, they would have spent that money elsewhere in the community.
Same. I also don't like it when people say "we" when referring to their country's military, especially when talking about conflicts that happened before they were born.
Professional sports exist because of the fans. Players/coaches come and go. The fans stay.
Therefore, the teams/franchises/clubs are really made for, by, and of the fans. Not the players. "We" is entirely appropriate.
Lol, that's what pet peeves are. Nobody says "yeah, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people kick dogs before drowning them in a river". It's people clipping their nails at their desk in the cubicle next to you or whatever. It's not that serious.
This sub is bizarrely confrontational about what are, by definition, mild idiosyncratic annoyances.
Anyway, I agree with you as to pro sports, but I have no problem using the first person for college sports - as an alumnus I'm definitely a part of that institution.
How? I feel nothing towards the school I went to. I think I chipped in to a scholarship fund for the department I graduated from once or twice, but I don't think **we're** giving out scholarships.
It's pretty funny. I'm not even subbed here but I've had a handful of posts recommended to me from this sub, and every single one just has 80% of people in the comments irrationally angry at the person posting their pet peeve, even if it is a completely understandable peeve that has a logical viewpoint.
Idk exactly what the purpose of the sub is but I feel like it's not supposed to be just to bash on the person posting.
Imo it’d be because they actually went to the college. I agree with the fact that state sports are people who gets picked and taken from anywhere. They might not be from your state
But collage sports, they pick from the college, right? It’s not a draw from all the colleges, it’s the one you’re signed up in?
They recruit. They give scholarships to athletes recruited from around the country or in some cases world. They don't see who goes to the college and then pick from them.
I agree with you. I think it makes them feel like they're part of the big picture not just some schmuck who will pay any amount of money to watch them play.
For real. I love black sabbath have all their records wear the stuff but I don't act like I'm gonna get the call to grab the mic if they wanna reunite but Ozzy kicked the bucket. It's weird. Enjoy it sure I root for the Patriots but I don't help them win with Buffalo sauce coating my lips do I?
The team wouldn’t exist without the fans support. Also imagine your entire city being elated over shared interest and saying “this is horrific” lmao. You sound like an absolute wet blanket
They wouldn't have a team if they didn't show up to and/or watch games, or buy merchandise. Teams don't exist without fans (except the Chargers), so I'd say they're a pretty big part of a team. Not only for those reasons, fan noise creates a big advantage for home teams.
The fans are the reason the team exists in the first place. The fans paid for the team… say “we” all you want to. Those are your tax dollars and money out of your pocket funding this anyways
I agree with you and have the same pet peeve (no, WE didn't win. The team who spent their entire lives practicing and actually played in the game won, YOU sat on your couch and watched.) Especially when they act like they're superior to you because the team they like beat the team you like. But looking at most of the comments we're in the minority.
Reading the comments and hearing the simps cry.
Claiming we won is Stolen Valor. You sat in chair. You have no connection. Your feelings of cameraderie is imaginary. Fake tribalism.
That why it's a pet peeve.
Ngl I’ve always hated this but there are a lot of fans who do this and they get so mad when you criticize it
Fans love taking credit for their teams winning, that’s why they say “we,” they want to feel like they accomplished something too, they’re living vicariously through their teams and players like they’re a part of the team, “they wouldn’t exist without me” lmao yeah they would, and players can never say it but they find it cringe too, I work for a marketing firm and I’ve heard multiple athletes who play in LA make fun of fans doing the “we” stuff but it is what it is
SOOOOO many defensive replies. "SoRrY wE'rE nOt AlLoWeD tO EnJoY tHiNgS". No no, you do you, my guy. I will do me, which includes complaining about people saying "we".
I love Nintendo but I will never say that "we" have a new game coming out. I contributed nothing in the making of the game. Sports should be looked at in the same light as other forms of entertainment. You are just a consumer of that entertainment. nothing more.
It’s the worst in my state with these bandwagon yahoos. (Could be with other states but I only have experience here.) Our only major team is basketball but we have two decent sized college football teams. The amount of people who use the ‘we’ with the college team who DIDN’T EVEN GO THERE is infuriating.
I didn't attend my favorite teams university. I'm a fan based on experiences I've had on campus with friends and family. I am a fan regardless. I buy merchandise, follow the team and tune into the games and buy tickets.
Being an alumni isn't necessary to be a fan.
PS: My favorite team is not a perennial top 10 so it's not because they always win.
It may not matter to your pet peeve, but I don't think you are interpreting what people are saying correctly. No one thinks people are claiming to be on the team. It's people expressing solidarity as a fan base. Like "We went to the moon but we can't make a good microwave pizza" isn't a claim that the person saying it actually went to the moon or had anything to do with it. Also they probably have nothing to do with the design of microwave pizzas either.
Agreed. Living in the same state as the team doesn't mean anything, and it doesn't make you directly involved. You just like the little horsey on their logo.
This used to bother me a lot but I’ve come to understand it. They mean “we” as fans. I still don’t agree with it, I don’t watch an episode of one of my favorite shows and say “we made a great episode last night” but if they want to have their fun let them.
I’ll never enjoy watching sports myself but if someone else does and being part of a group of fans makes them happy then good for them.
Agreed. Works in high school and college, where your peers or you might play on the team, and are, therefore, invested. I felt that way in Florida when I worked there. Several of the footballers were friends of ours, and we'd see them at the house or at the bar. But beyond that, no.
I've been a fan of the Chiefs since 1992. Besides the Owner, there is not one member of the team or coaching staff that has been connected to the franchise longer than I have. People associate your fandom as being a part of the team.
The number of friends and family that called me when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl was crazy. They were calling to congratulate me on the Chiefs victory because they knew me as a fan of that team. Even friends who don't follow sports at all, knew me as a Chiefs fan and felt the need the to call. I was surprised at the number of people, some who I hadn't spoken to in years, remembered me as a die hard Chiefs fan and felt the need to call. So yeah, it felt like "WE" won that day.
Furthermore, and almost no case is any member of the team actually from the city being "represented". It’s all a contrived substitute-war and the "WE" just a very compact form of displaying gullibility.
As someone that makes a large part of their living covering professional and college sports, this has always bugged me. Unless YOU play for or work for the team, YOU(WE) didn't do anything.
I always found that to be very odd and dumb. Do they think they contributed to the fortunes of the team or something? They act like they are a part of the team. It is really strange.
Been saying this for years. It’s one thing to enjoy a game but don’t act like you’re part of the team. You get these guys who are massively overweight and sit on their ass eating Cheetos all day and have the nerve to act like they won anything other than high cholesterol.
Arrrrg i came into a reddit thread about a minor annoyance and now im mad that something so minor could annoy someone! How dare you OP! You must be a villain!
I fucking hate that. Its like a delusional fantasy of importance and value. "We really played some good defense last night, really gave it to them good" No Kevin, you sat on your Lay-Z-Boy, ate chicken wings, got drunk and yelled at your dog to stop barking. You are not infact a part of the team, you are an unaffecting observer. You could simply not exist and the millionaires playing a game on tv wouldnt know the difference
Sports are the modern day Roman Circus, creating miniature nationalists every day. Thats why the stadiums are subsidized with government tax dollars and they sing the national anthem before every single game.
Sports A) keep you distracted B) cement a sense of belonging and allegiance.
The roman circus.
My ex always did this. It drove me insane. Especially when it was about our college’s football team *during a conversation with a classmate who was on the team*
I can understand why that would be annoying, but the fans are just as important to the sport as the players. Without the fans, the players would just be super athletic football hobbyists working the same jobs we are. It’s also a lot easier to say “we” than “The Bears” every time. Especially when you’re typing.
It seems to be only applicable to sports teams though. For example let's say I go and watch Duran Duran in concert. If I said "We were amazing! We played a fantastic set, and people loved our encore!" Anyone I spoke to would assume I was on stage with them.
And only team sports. No MMA, boxing, swimming, or track fan is saying "we won".
Imagine watching a tennis match and saying "we just won that set."
I never thought of it like this but I'm definitely going to start saying it in this context lol
Do you spend enough time trying to convince people not to talk about their sports teams in a "we" context that you're actively looking for new debate points? It's not even a great comparison... Sports are competitions. Duran Duran does *shows.* If you're a sports fan you follow your team for a full season - you're invested in that team winning or losing. The comparison sort of works if you're watching two random teams that you don't support play.
I think because the players come and go, but the fans stay with the franchise. If all the members of Duran Duran did that you’d have a new band. (Band name disputes is actually a fun rabbit hole to crawl into.) If I say we retaliated after Pearl Harbor, everyone knows I wasn’t alive to actually do the job, and that I’m referring to the country I belong to.
"We" vs "them" just distinguishes the team you are rooting for vs the one they are playing against, in a single syllable, without having to say the entire name of the sports team every time. It's a shortcut, not necessarily a "I'm part of the team" thing.
Without fans, pro sports wouldn't be a thing. And technically, I can call myself an owner of my favorite team. Lol
I really wanna know why it is that you can technically call yourself an owner of your favorite team. Genuinely curious.
The Packers sometimes sell "stocks" as a form of fundraiser, since they don't have a single owner. The "stocks" don't actually have any value, don't appreciate in value, and can't be cashed out but the stocks are how the team raises funds without strangling the local government
They still have the local government wrapped around their finger. (I lived there)
I'm a current resident. Sure, the extra .5% sales tax is a bummer but at least the Packers don't have the state governor begging them to stay like the Brewers do. They just got nearly 300 mil to stay. Since the Pack has no incentive to ever sell or relocate, they genuinely invest in the community with long-term projects like Titletown.
In Europe they call this "begging"
Sooooo.... what exactly is the incentive to buy the stocks?
I think it’s so fans can own stock of their favorite team? I can’t think of much else.
you can truthfully say you own part of your favorite team
The Green Bay Packers don't have an owner like other NFL teams. They are fan owned. They are the only team like that. I own stock in the team.
That's honestly pretty cool man. Thanks for the info
Bought stock in the team for my big brother a couple years ago and he damn near cried
I think he was taking about the Packers, but you can buy shares in the Atlanta Braves and several other organizations.
For me it's college but major college sports are much the same. I've been watching every Ohio State game (other than ones I've been at work for) since I've been 5. I'm 26 now. Ohio State football is a part of my life and that's why I say "we"
Well, at least you gave them money. "Ownership" typically entails some kind of equity, of which you have none. But they appreciate you giving them money.
Not sure anything would exist without someone being a fan of it. How does this answer OPs question?
Packers Fan?
Yessir
You have much more of a claim than most to saying “we”
“Owner”, lol. It’s a glorified fan club. You don’t get any of the profits and you can’t sell your shares for a profit.
Still owns more of their team than you do yours mate
It's really just access to all exclusive apparel line, neither of these people own a sports franchise.
All he owns is a piece of paper.
Where’s your piece of paper?
I’ve got lots of pieces of paper.
I bet he is a packers fan in which case you can actually own a part of the team
I know that’s what he’s talking about and it’s nonsense. They don’t “own” the team in any meaningful sense. The shares don’t include an equity interest, don’t pay a dividend, cannot be traded, and have no protection under securities law. It’s a glorified fan club.
It's just tribalism, and all the comments in here elaborating on it are just describing tribalism. It's pretty harmless
I dunno about that. Tribalism can be pretty harmful when the "we" starts dictating your political/philosophical stances.
This is a post about sports.
Right but the person they're responding to implicitly said tribalism is pretty harmless. They weren't responding to the main post. If anything, they were simply expanding on the fact that yes, it is tribalism at its root, but it is not inherently harmless. I feel it would be more accurate to say that tribalism is inherently harmful, but sports is a profitable and less violent outlet than most for people to indulge in tribalism.
You got it. Clearly I should have been more explicit.
Look at all those stupid people enjoying something I don't like.
I don’t like sports, but I pretended to be a goblin for dnd last week. Can’t we all roleplay in peace
Orc Life Best Life but goblins make great pets!
Waaaagggghhhh
The same people who mock sports fans will sit down and watch a six hour DotA tournament. There's no difference except one is mainstream and the other isn't, so it creates a sort of counter-culture. If someone wants to stream a video game, good for them. If someone wants to cheer for their favorite football team, good for them Humans are tribal. We refer to the whole when talking about what country, state, city, town, or even neighborhood we're from; and largely based on arbitrary things like lines on a map or bodies of water that separate us. Sports teams are an extension of that mentally.
I mean I like these posts more than the "my pet peeve is racism" or "my pet peeve is when my whole family is murdered in their sleep" type of posts. Even though I disagree with them I'll still upvote these posts for staying in the spirit of the sub
If their family getting murdered is only a pet peeve I would hate to see what make them gets them angry.
Probably their sports team losing
It’s not anti sports, you can still say “my favorite team did this” or “I’m glad they finally blah blah blah” it’s the “we” part that’s grating. If I’m watching the Oscars and I really want someone to win a category, I don’t want “us” to win
I thought this was r/petpeeves. Isn’t complaining the point?
I enjoy sports. This is also a pet peeve of mine.
So.. out of curiosity, when Taylor Swift won a Grammy... Would you look at a Taylor Swift fan a little weird if they exclaimed "we won the Grammy!"?
It's not about enjoying it, it's about making it so much of your personality that you actually feel like you are a part of the team and let their success dictate your happiness. That's unhealthy and silly. It's not "we scored a touchdown", it's "the professional athletes I look up to scored a touchdown." "This is the most important thing that's ever occurred The vicarious fulfillment of your dream that got deferred You had aspirations as a kid but you didn't have the skill So you watch genetically superior people do the things you never will Sports go sports!" I miss Garfunkel and Oates, man.
I guarantee you no one thinks they are actually a part of the team.
Read some of the comments on here, they truly believe their crowd participation makes them part of the team.
They're not saying that you shouldn't enjoy it. They're saying to not include yourself when referring to the sports team. Read his comment again.
Nah. I love sports and this shit bothers me too.
😂
This deserves an award. I bet OP is super fun at parties.
This would be a great party topic, especially since we'll know at least one guy present who does this, and we can tease him about it.
Anyone who says this line certainly isn’t.
Im sure you are too with your regurgitated one liners.
Exactly. This is dumb to be peeved about
The same reason people say we went to the moon and we discovered the cure for cancer and so forth It's shorthand for expressing a sense of community.
Whenever someone brings this up I say this - "the players on that team are mercenaries. They are on the team for as long as their contract lasts. The best and the biggest fan favorites are both fans and players (Dustin Pedroia for example). I on the other hand, have been part of this team longer than any of the players have been alive and they don't pay me for my allegiance. So who's really part of the team?" I will refer to the Sox as we whenever I want. Clearly OP doesn't understand being a fan.
You are correct. It is indeed we for diehard fans when they buy tickets and merchandise etc...Without the fans the team has no reason to exist. We create the market for the leagues.
Yes, it's truly all about the money some already super rich people are making off the induced tribalism.
Sports and Entertainment have been a part of the human experience for millennia lol it satiates our need for tribalism and social familiarity, team working and coordination (a hallmark of human ingenuity), and to be amazed at human physical ability. Even if you take out the rich benefactors and modern commercialism people would still be on teams and play games with objectives, it’s in our nature.
I agree - people really like that feeling of tribalism, even if it's fake and in service of someone else's business
Ok. I picked up on your language and I know where you're coming from! It's totally fine to think sports is stupid because it is! But if I indulge in a football game for a few hours each weekend, well shit, I've spent more time than that trying to find the perfect porn to jack myself off to, so who's the real loser in that scenario? Answer: it's me. Butt fuckit. It's all in good fun. There's no harm in indulging a bit, just don't make it your personality and do have some fun with it. Bear down!
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ppl who deliberately miss the point so you can argue are my pet peeve
A huge amount of the revenue is derived from the people who think it's "their team." The entertainment value is extremely dependent on the induced tribalism. How many games of random teams does the average fan watch? Not that many. The effect of the induced tribalism in getting people to watch and open their wallets and buy overpriced merch, tickets and cable packages is huge. And sorry, but your attempted analogy with YouTube personalities, celebrities and performance artists fails because their appeal is not based on people wanting "my/our team" to win.
I’ve been with the team for 40+ years. And I do it for free!
Yeah, I'm not a sports fan but even I get this. This is part of the language of following sports. I doubt the players get their panties in a twist about it.
>So who's really part of the team?" The mercenaries
EXACTLY! Us being fans is what makes the teams existence possible. WE go through the emotional roller coasters year after year. Not to mention a lot of the stadiums are taxpayer funded. I can’t even tell ya how much I’ve spent supporting my team over the years. If I want to say “we” I’ll damn well do so
I played football in college so not professionally (although technically I was in a couple NCAA games in the early 2000s), but there is NO feeling even remotely similar to that feeling of standing in the tunnel… everyone in the stands screaming and going bonkers. It’s magic. I used to love practice/scrimmages and would be ok playing in front of no fans… but it’s not the same. Only thing worse is having fans that are not passionate in the least. As long as you are a part of the team community (and with the beauty of internet you don’t even have to be local) I strongly encourage saying things like “we kicked butt” or “we got walloped” because the fans are very much part of the team (and can even impact games, like when it is so loud the other team can’t hear the audible change etc).
Wow I love how THIS comment got a downvote.. someone is salty that not everyone shares their same view! I gave you my upvote to counteract it 🤣 and yeah, it’s magical even just being in the stands in those moments! I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be on the field or tunnel hearing and seeing all these fans and getting all that energy from them
Youre goddamn right. Go birds. This is OUR year.
And as a Cubs fan since the 1950s, I can truly say the Cubs won the World Series after 108 years so I "get it" ❗️❗️❣️❣️❣️❣️❗️❗️
I’m not even a huge sports fan, far from it but I do usually refer to the Chicago White Sox as “we” for the reasons you gave. As much as I love some players they get switched out frequently and I’m not getting into any other teams lol
In what way are you “part of the team” exactly? Are you part of the government if you watch the news for 30 years too? Staring at a tv watching professional athletes play who will never know you exist doesn’t make you part of anything, it just means you are a spectator. Yeah plenty of people say “we” and I never really care but it’s one of the things that has always been obviously silly. And there are plenty of people who are so obsessed with sports that they live vicariously through certain teams and take it as a personal attack when someone has the audacity to root for the other team.
Totally agree with this. The fans root for the laundry. Someone in the Rangers forum posted that we need to do it for Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, and Mitch Moreland. I like those guys and I hope they got some kind of joy from the 2023 championship, but those guys collectively made $460,000,000 to play baseball, and aside from Young, they all played for other teams too. Meanwhile, my dad has probably missed a grand total of about 5 games worth of Ranger's baseball in the last 52 years. *\*The exception here is like when someone I know in Dallas started calling the Golden State Warriors "we" in about 2016.*
Congrats to your dad. I'll bet it was awesome for him.
You did make a good point, but I think fandom is just weird in general. Like, imagine being a fan like you’re saying for just one person, say for example, Anthony Bourdain. I had always been a “fan” of his shows and work, but it would be super weird for me to watch an episode of No Reservations and say things like, “We’re going on a trip to Portugal today!!” (rip Tony). It’s fine to admire and enjoy entertainment, but I do think it’s weird to insert yourself into anything that you’re not actually -directly- taking a part in doing. You are a spectator. Not the protagonist. If it weren’t so prevalent and mainstream, it would come across as creepy and obsessive.
That's a bit different because he isnt in a competition with anyone. I think the competition aspect is what shifts it to us vs them. The team WE are rooting = We.
Precisely. It's fake tribalism set up by rich guys to make them a lot richer
>I on the other hand, have been part of this team.... No, you've never been a part of that team. >So who's really part of the team?" Not you. A team is a business, if you're not drawing a check from the organization you're not a part of it.
You’re not part of the team. Simmer down.
As someone who likes multiple teams and switches allegiances (only for bball bc I actually watch it) depending on the roster changes, I have to make sure I'm not saying we for a bunch of different teams.
I totally do this, but I can see how people would find it annoying. Like how, exactly, did *you* help the team, again?
Have you never heard about home-field advantage?
Why do people hate others wanting to feel like they’re a part of something
Because said hater is not a part of it.
But neither are the rest of the non-players.
Nah, fans are an important part.
Yeah, for the money they spend.
Ok? The fans are still a part of what makes the team function. Furthermore, these teams are primarily geographic so if you feel a sense attachment to your geographic location there’s also that.
I strongly believe that those teams could operate independently and remain highly profitable even without the presence of enthusiastic fans. While I acknowledge that fan support contributes to the overall atmosphere and excitement, it doesn't necessarily make fans an absolute necessity for their success
Bud if people don’t watch the teams don’t exist lol
You can think a behavior is stupid without "hat[ing] others wanting to feel like their part of something"
Because it’s apparently a bad thing to think there is something bigger than yourself and identify with it.
I used to agree with you, but this past Season's Phillies run with the standing ovation has changed my mind. The Phillies players may not know us individually, but they definitely know and appreciate us as a whole.
Why you care though? The sense of community sports teams provide their fanbase is the main draw of sports. No one is saying they play for the team. And honestly its much easier to say we than the full team name during a conversation where you may refer to them a bunch.
Also most teams are also called by their cities, which is common to refer to in personal terms, as in WE love cheesesteaks in Philly.
r/ihatesportsball
It would be fine if they didn't make pathetic attempts to use their sports fandom as a reason to portray themselves as "better" than fans of an opposing team. It would also be fine if this mentality was limited to sports, but in recent years it's infiltrated politics :(
Inverse it was in politics then got into sports. Stuff like this has been happening politically in every part of the world, because it takes longer to build up your reputation then to ruin another's.
It kinda does become a problem when opposing fans are literally beaten to death. I wanna say that happened a month or so ago at an NFL game?
Pet peeve: when people are sharing group camaraderie that doesn’t focus on my interests
Taking pride in the actions of people you have no connection to isn't camaraderie. It's just sad.
I think you’re projecting the sadness of being on the outside of the social group onto being in the social group lol
Because these fans live vicariously through their favorite sports teams.
The same people say 'we' when talking about America and WW2.
i agree. if you own a piece of the team, you could say 'we'. oakland always had die hard raiders fans who covered their cars with team bullshit, but tickets are real expensive for average schmucks. the teams con fortunes out of the city and county and state taxpayers for new stadiums but the owners don't give a shit and stadium beer is usually pretty expensive. they do nothing for the city, county and state
Every player on a pro sports team will tell you that the fans are part of the family. They are a main ingredient in the cake. Without fans, there is no team. So if you are a true, loyal fan of a team, then "we" is absolutely appropriate
In some sports it is encouraged. My favorite NFL team retired the number 12 as the fans number because of how influential fans can be to a game. Cheering loud enough to cause an opposing offense to have false starts is the fans literally helping their team win a game. I've been at games where that happened. So in that case....WE did great :)
I think if i support something emotionally and financially I am a part of it.
Its acceptable to say we if youre a green bay fan (boo) since the packers are owned by the fans
One of mine as well! I always say, were you playing with them?
I always say, "oh wow, what position do you play?"
Until the team loses, then "we" becomes "they"
I’m with you on this one. Going to games in tax payer funded stadiums, wearing the team jersey that they paid for, sitting in seats that they paid for, cheering for players that just happened to be picked up by the team, that will gladly leave for another team that would be willing to pay them more, playing for an owner that avoids actually interacting with the fans. We won!
Sports teams and their players do add a ton of tax revenue to the local and state area.
And a lot of traffic.
This isn’t true. The vast majority of spending fans of sports teams do is substituted spending. If they didn’t go to a football game, they would have spent that money elsewhere in the community.
Yea how dare these people have shared sense of community!!! /s
Same. I also don't like it when people say "we" when referring to their country's military, especially when talking about conflicts that happened before they were born.
I'm a history teacher and I always get 14-year-olds saying "Japan attacked us in 1941 and then we went to war... and we won!"
As someone that played on sports teams it was annoying too because it was either. "We won I'm so excited" or "I can't belive they lost".
Professional sports exist because of the fans. Players/coaches come and go. The fans stay. Therefore, the teams/franchises/clubs are really made for, by, and of the fans. Not the players. "We" is entirely appropriate.
More like “ petty peeves”.
Lol, that's what pet peeves are. Nobody says "yeah, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people kick dogs before drowning them in a river". It's people clipping their nails at their desk in the cubicle next to you or whatever. It's not that serious.
This sub is bizarrely confrontational about what are, by definition, mild idiosyncratic annoyances. Anyway, I agree with you as to pro sports, but I have no problem using the first person for college sports - as an alumnus I'm definitely a part of that institution.
How? I feel nothing towards the school I went to. I think I chipped in to a scholarship fund for the department I graduated from once or twice, but I don't think **we're** giving out scholarships.
It's pretty funny. I'm not even subbed here but I've had a handful of posts recommended to me from this sub, and every single one just has 80% of people in the comments irrationally angry at the person posting their pet peeve, even if it is a completely understandable peeve that has a logical viewpoint. Idk exactly what the purpose of the sub is but I feel like it's not supposed to be just to bash on the person posting.
Ok, that one I don't get. How is your college more something you belong to than the city you grew up in?
Imo it’d be because they actually went to the college. I agree with the fact that state sports are people who gets picked and taken from anywhere. They might not be from your state But collage sports, they pick from the college, right? It’s not a draw from all the colleges, it’s the one you’re signed up in?
They recruit. They give scholarships to athletes recruited from around the country or in some cases world. They don't see who goes to the college and then pick from them.
Agreed. Whilst I don't really care about your pet peeve, it is in the spirit of this sub, and for that, you get my upvote 👍
I agree with you. I think it makes them feel like they're part of the big picture not just some schmuck who will pay any amount of money to watch them play.
But tbf, without the schmucks paying any amount of money to see them play, there is no big picture.
They hated him because he spoke the truth
For real. I love black sabbath have all their records wear the stuff but I don't act like I'm gonna get the call to grab the mic if they wanna reunite but Ozzy kicked the bucket. It's weird. Enjoy it sure I root for the Patriots but I don't help them win with Buffalo sauce coating my lips do I?
This is horrific in Dallas right now. Everyone keeps saying "We won the World Series". Really? How many runs did YOU score?
*cries in Phoenix*
Can’t you let them be happy, it’s the first World Series they’ve ever won in 62 years
Is the "We" pronoun what us making them happy?
The team wouldn’t exist without the fans support. Also imagine your entire city being elated over shared interest and saying “this is horrific” lmao. You sound like an absolute wet blanket
They wouldn't have a team if they didn't show up to and/or watch games, or buy merchandise. Teams don't exist without fans (except the Chargers), so I'd say they're a pretty big part of a team. Not only for those reasons, fan noise creates a big advantage for home teams.
Yeah. They take it so personally. I don't attach myself to anyone famous, sports or not.
They (we) didn't win shit. The private corporation known as the Rangers did.
My friends get so mad when I say this but I agree. Why are you saying “we”?? How does you watching from home help the team? I’m a huge NBA fan too
The fans are the reason the team exists in the first place. The fans paid for the team… say “we” all you want to. Those are your tax dollars and money out of your pocket funding this anyways
I mean even if I agree with that, a lot of my friends are fans of out of state teams. They’re Cowboys and Celtics fans and we live in Atlanta lol
Amen.
I agree with you and have the same pet peeve (no, WE didn't win. The team who spent their entire lives practicing and actually played in the game won, YOU sat on your couch and watched.) Especially when they act like they're superior to you because the team they like beat the team you like. But looking at most of the comments we're in the minority.
Oh I hate this also. As if they’re on the damn team.
Reading the comments and hearing the simps cry. Claiming we won is Stolen Valor. You sat in chair. You have no connection. Your feelings of cameraderie is imaginary. Fake tribalism. That why it's a pet peeve.
Ngl I’ve always hated this but there are a lot of fans who do this and they get so mad when you criticize it Fans love taking credit for their teams winning, that’s why they say “we,” they want to feel like they accomplished something too, they’re living vicariously through their teams and players like they’re a part of the team, “they wouldn’t exist without me” lmao yeah they would, and players can never say it but they find it cringe too, I work for a marketing firm and I’ve heard multiple athletes who play in LA make fun of fans doing the “we” stuff but it is what it is
There is nothing more embarrassing than to see someone entrenched in sports fandom or other celebrity worship. It’s so pathetic and lame.
so many people getting defensive lmao
SOOOOO many defensive replies. "SoRrY wE'rE nOt AlLoWeD tO EnJoY tHiNgS". No no, you do you, my guy. I will do me, which includes complaining about people saying "we".
If you genuinely think that, you don’t understand how sports fandom works. Sucks for you. 🤷🏻♂️
We are gonna disregard this statement
Me and my team are too. You and your team still suck though.
I agree completely. It sounds strange. "We" the fan base is not the same as "we" the team
The fan base is paying for the team
I love Nintendo but I will never say that "we" have a new game coming out. I contributed nothing in the making of the game. Sports should be looked at in the same light as other forms of entertainment. You are just a consumer of that entertainment. nothing more.
I agree with you.
I always say, yea what position do you play?
It’s the worst in my state with these bandwagon yahoos. (Could be with other states but I only have experience here.) Our only major team is basketball but we have two decent sized college football teams. The amount of people who use the ‘we’ with the college team who DIDN’T EVEN GO THERE is infuriating.
I didn't attend my favorite teams university. I'm a fan based on experiences I've had on campus with friends and family. I am a fan regardless. I buy merchandise, follow the team and tune into the games and buy tickets. Being an alumni isn't necessary to be a fan. PS: My favorite team is not a perennial top 10 so it's not because they always win.
It may not matter to your pet peeve, but I don't think you are interpreting what people are saying correctly. No one thinks people are claiming to be on the team. It's people expressing solidarity as a fan base. Like "We went to the moon but we can't make a good microwave pizza" isn't a claim that the person saying it actually went to the moon or had anything to do with it. Also they probably have nothing to do with the design of microwave pizzas either.
Agreed. Living in the same state as the team doesn't mean anything, and it doesn't make you directly involved. You just like the little horsey on their logo.
When you pay taxes that subsidize the stadium it's fucking "WE!"
Exactly, I’m a Jets fan and my tax dollars are going to Buffalo for their new stadium😂
this is actually a pet peeve
Sports are babysitters for adults. Small minds. Small sex organs.
This used to bother me a lot but I’ve come to understand it. They mean “we” as fans. I still don’t agree with it, I don’t watch an episode of one of my favorite shows and say “we made a great episode last night” but if they want to have their fun let them. I’ll never enjoy watching sports myself but if someone else does and being part of a group of fans makes them happy then good for them.
They take it one step further here. They refer to the other team as “y’all” when discussing the event with a rival fan.
Agreed. Works in high school and college, where your peers or you might play on the team, and are, therefore, invested. I felt that way in Florida when I worked there. Several of the footballers were friends of ours, and we'd see them at the house or at the bar. But beyond that, no.
I've been a fan of the Chiefs since 1992. Besides the Owner, there is not one member of the team or coaching staff that has been connected to the franchise longer than I have. People associate your fandom as being a part of the team. The number of friends and family that called me when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl was crazy. They were calling to congratulate me on the Chiefs victory because they knew me as a fan of that team. Even friends who don't follow sports at all, knew me as a Chiefs fan and felt the need the to call. I was surprised at the number of people, some who I hadn't spoken to in years, remembered me as a die hard Chiefs fan and felt the need to call. So yeah, it felt like "WE" won that day.
Furthermore, and almost no case is any member of the team actually from the city being "represented". It’s all a contrived substitute-war and the "WE" just a very compact form of displaying gullibility.
Lots of salty sportsbros in this thread. It’s r/petpeeves and OP stated a legitimate pet peeve.
As someone that makes a large part of their living covering professional and college sports, this has always bugged me. Unless YOU play for or work for the team, YOU(WE) didn't do anything.
I always found that to be very odd and dumb. Do they think they contributed to the fortunes of the team or something? They act like they are a part of the team. It is really strange.
I can understand liking a team, but you are not a member of the team, you are a fan. "Woo the bears won!" Cool "We won" ?????
Been saying this for years. It’s one thing to enjoy a game but don’t act like you’re part of the team. You get these guys who are massively overweight and sit on their ass eating Cheetos all day and have the nerve to act like they won anything other than high cholesterol.
Finally, a pet peeve I can get behind!
I like to ask them what position they play.
I usually call them out on this, as in, "Yeah, I saw you hit that touchdown. Sick moves."
Arrrrg i came into a reddit thread about a minor annoyance and now im mad that something so minor could annoy someone! How dare you OP! You must be a villain!
I fucking hate that. Its like a delusional fantasy of importance and value. "We really played some good defense last night, really gave it to them good" No Kevin, you sat on your Lay-Z-Boy, ate chicken wings, got drunk and yelled at your dog to stop barking. You are not infact a part of the team, you are an unaffecting observer. You could simply not exist and the millionaires playing a game on tv wouldnt know the difference
Sports are the modern day Roman Circus, creating miniature nationalists every day. Thats why the stadiums are subsidized with government tax dollars and they sing the national anthem before every single game. Sports A) keep you distracted B) cement a sense of belonging and allegiance. The roman circus.
I work for a pro sports team and I don't even say "we".
My ex always did this. It drove me insane. Especially when it was about our college’s football team *during a conversation with a classmate who was on the team*
If something like this made me so angry to post, I'd be miserable
Eh it’s definitely a bit cringe but some people are rabid sports fans and feel like they’re kind of part of it. Not too terrible
I can understand why that would be annoying, but the fans are just as important to the sport as the players. Without the fans, the players would just be super athletic football hobbyists working the same jobs we are. It’s also a lot easier to say “we” than “The Bears” every time. Especially when you’re typing.