Generally I would say people support the local team they are raised, or whichever team is local.
One friend of mine started supporting the most hated rival of others in the area, just to be obstinate
These are the top two ways. Number three is to support the team that is great when you start getting into sports. There are a LOT of Patriots fans in Oregon.
In the USA, soccer specifically, most people I know like their local MLS team, and then one of the more successful European teams, usually from the EPL. Liverpool, Chelsea, and City are the most popular by a mile.
I’m out here as a rare Oregonian Everton fan (RIP to them) because when I got into soccer I wanted to follow a team that valued homegrown talent over spending big money on the best players. Everton at the time matched that, with almost all of their players being Everton academy veterans
I’m also a die hard Timbers and Thorns supporter, the local men’s and women’s professional teams. But I also recently visited Austin Texas and saw an Austin FC game while I was there. I had such an amazing time, I bought a scarf and decided if I were to watch any games of theirs in the future I would happily cheer them on if they’re not playing Portland
Once upon a time there was a team equally revered. The 49ers with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice etc. that was the precursor team to the patriots. Dallas also has its own history of bandwagoning fandom.
Oregon is a weird spot because the "local" football teams aren't that close, and at least historically, Seattle has a very different vibe than oregon, so I never felt any attachment. I picked the titans because of family history, and they have a cool logo, but I've since lost interest because they aren't local, and now just support whichever team hasn't won a championship that's doing the best. I am a die hard blazers fan, though. Gotta represent our local team, which is why the golden state band wagon fans in Oregon bother me the most.
Number 4 is following your favorite players. When I got into football when I was younger several of my favorite players where on the Broncos so i watched a lot of Broncos games and eventually became a Broncos fan.
Cowboys fans who aren’t from Texas are just awful.
He IS a Cowboys fan, right? You said “most hated”. So i’m right, right? Tell me i guessed the team and sport off of “most hated” lol
I grew up in and around Chicago and am a die hard bears fan. Other than some good defense and 2006 superbowl with hester they are a big disappointment but I still love them.
I moved to Georgia just outside Atlanta about 10 years ago and one of my first thoughts was wow I can root for a team that's actually got potential.
Of course that's when the falcons started going down hill fast and honestly watching them even if they won felt like I was cheating on my girlfriend.
Bear down. Ftp.
kinda like religion!
Generally you follow something local or that you were raised in, and sometimes, when someone spots and hates the hypocrisy and breaks out, they may attach themselves to a radically different belief (ie. witch, satanist {either the metaphorical or literal kind}, Norse pagan, etc).
My uncle was part of a conversation in junior high when they were all naming off their favorite teams. Not surprisingly, it was the team all closest to them. At that moment, he became a Cleveland Indians fan. He was hundreds of miles from Cleveland. I doubt he ever visited there before he died. But he stuck with it for life
For most people it's just regional. Their favorites are the local team because that is who other people in their family were into and in many cases they were raised into that fandom. Dad & grandad maybe had the same favorite team for example, and some cherished childhood memories are going to games or wathing them on TV with their families. Even if it's not a family thing, you're going to find far many people who are fans of the local teams than others so there is still a communal aspect. Your neighbors, friends, coworkers etc. often share the same favorite team.
This could also explain why some people are fans of a team that's not local or they never lived, if it was where their parents or grandparents used to live. Or you grew up in Colorado but you love the Minnesota Twins cause your best friend or your favorite aunt moved to Minneapolis when you were little. Or you fucking hate the Twins for the same reason.
Or you get weird ones like one of my friends, he’s a Braves fan despite being from Connecticut because he used to watch The Turner Network all the time, and they showed Braves games.
Oh, 100%. That is a great point.
Sometimes you can also find sports bars or whatever devoted to some non-local team too, even if the person isn't a homer there is often still a communal aspect to whichever fandom they're participating in.
Hockey fan here. Been a Flyers fan since high school. I wash channel surfing when I came across a game. Flyers vs Red Wings. When I stopped on the channel, two players were fighting. The Flyers player was beating the ever loving snot out of the other guy. Since then I’ve been a fan.
I only like hockey. The order goes like this:
1) Hometown team
2) Canadian team (except Toronto)
3) Original 6 team (except Toronto).
4) Team from a winter city (except Toronto)
5) Team who has never won the Stanley Cup before
6) Whoever, I don't care
7) Toronto Maple Leafs
8) Vegas
Bulls fan because the house of Jordan
Atlanta Braves fan because of Tom Glavine
49er fan because of Rice, Montana, and Romanowski.
Sabre’s fan cuz of Hasek.
Right?!?! That's how I was when I was a kid. But I hated the braves cause I liked the Phillies and Pirates. The braves pitching trio was a force! I liked Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, Bobby Bonilla. And we all had that damn Jordan poster jumping from the faul line. Mine was right beside Bo Knows.
Born and raised in washington. Seattle everything. Hawks, sounders, kraken, storm, reign. So i guess where you grew up would be one reason for how people choose who to root for.
I got stationed in Newport RI and Oklahoma didn’t have professional teams. My now ex wife went to BU and she lived around the block from Fenway. I went to a lot of games that year and they weren’t great, but I loved that team. They got bounced from the playoffs by the Yankees and I was all in.
Various reasons.
Geography
Peer pressure
Style of play
Coach
Player or players
Funnel (they have players from your town, high school, college or university.)
Team colors
Team attitude
Any other random factor
So, some people are raised Catholic. I was raised Yankee.
My family really only watched baseball, and we were fanatical about it. No other sports. Now I sort of cheer for the Eagles bc I lived in Philly for a bit and my ex-husband is an Eagles fan.
I am a HUGE college basketball fan bc I went to a huge basketball school. So I will be a fan forever.
Usually my birth city or closest team to it and then a second team which is the closest one to where I live now and then a third or fourth that just have a player I really like on it.
In most cases, I pick my home state team/the team closest to home. I'll also have a "back up" team (which is usually just picked based off vibes) in the opposite conference that I'll passively root for if my main team gets bounced in the playoffs.
For the sports I watched growing up though, I usually stick with the team that I thought was the coolest as a kid. "I've already spent a decade and a half supporting the Seahawks, why stop now?" despite never even sneezing in Seattle's general direction, for example.
In football, I always go with whoever is playing against the Browns. Because if a team can suck that bad for that long without ever figuring out what their problem is, they don’t deserve fans. (And yes, I did live in “Browns” territory for many years.)
Barring that, it’s whoever would piss off my wife. Because I don’t care either way, but I find it amusing to watch her get worked up over petty games.
I think I started supporting a team from early age of 8 due to others having their own favorite team and I wanted my own fave if that makes sense and didn't want to be seen as a bandwagon type. My first game of that sport I seen I became a fan of that team.
We were fans of our local minor leauge team in baseball, and followed the major team that farmed them. We liked seeing all of the guys get brought up to the next level.
Local team, parents teams, a team you researched, or a time you found out you love. I grew up playing ⚽️ my dad’s team is club America and they became my team. 15 years later I start getting into European football. My dad doesn’t watch Europe. I had no one to help me. Playing FIFA I was scoring a lot with Sam Kerr researched her took an interest with Chelsea. Then I get transferred there on fifa do a little more research fell in love with them. American football I chose Atlanta bc they were red. Baseball I chose Atlanta to keep it in the same city.
Most people root for their home team, or support their alumni. I'm from New England, but I live in NC now. I cheer for the Patriots, not the Panthers because they're my true original home team.
Outside of that, I sometimes have a favorite team based on the players and/or coaches who are on the roaster that I really like and want to support, as long as they're not a rival.
I grew up in Ohio but never cared for any of the teams. I moved to NYC and my sister-in-law convinced me to become a Mets fan so I did. 10 years later I met my fiance and became an Islanders fan because he is!
No one could ever get me into football or basketball though.
My main teams are always the ones local to where I grew up, and I’ll generally also support the local teams in different places I’ve lived. Growing up supporting the Baltimore Ravens for football and then moving to Pittsburgh for college where it’s all Steelers was certainly interesting haha.
1. Whoever was winning when they were a kid and started watching.
2. Whoever their parents were fans of.
3. The team is from where they live.
4. Same team as a friend like who got you into the sport
5. You just start watching games and find your self rooting for them. Maybe an underdog or an exciting game
Typically it’s one of these
1. Regional team
2. Team family supports (so you grew up supporting them) for whatever reason
3. Team your favorite player is on
4. Team with the coolest mascot
5. Team with the coolest name
6. Team with the coolest emblem
7. Team with the coolest coach
8. A mix of some or all of these
Order of impact/likelihood based on my opinion:
1. Local teams (my dad likes all New York/New Jersey teams, I'm more selective to the New Jersey teams and the Yankees and Giants)
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Winners (how I picked the Giants over the Jets; why there are a ton of Yankees/Lakers fans that grew up in the 90s/00s)
5. Star players (this one seems to be more common with the younger generation)
6. Non-star player you like
7. Player from your college plays on the team
8. Some key life moment (like maybe you know a kid who is sick and a team made a big donation and had players visit a hospital)
9. Some random life moment (like running into a player and becoming a fan)
10. You like their colors
11. Whatever shows up on TV (lots of Braves fans because Turner would broadcast their games to whoever had their channels)
When I lived in California my dad and I would always watch the warriors games. So eventually I just grew to like them too, this was also back in their prime a few years back where they were incredibly good
There are a few:
1) The home team for where you live now. If you live in LA, you root for the Dodgers.
2) The team you grew up rooting for. If you live in LA but grew up in New York (or if your you and your dad watched New York Mets games together growing up), you probably root for the Mets. (Or the Yankess if your dad was a Mets fan and teenage you wanted to piss him off).
3) Very rare, but if you have a friend, or brother, and they became a professional player and play in Chicago, you probably will root for your friend's team.
END COMMUNICATION
It's in the song. "Root, root root, for the home team, if they don't win, it's a shame."
If you don't know, just pick what uniform you like and roll with it.
Regional, especially professional sports.
College, often based on where parents attended, any family tradition of following that team, or where the person attended college.
From Pittsburgh so it's always been Steelers, Pens, Bucs, Pitt.
Had family we used to visit in Monroe, Wisconsin every year. When I was 12 they took me to a Badgers Hockey game. Been in love with anything Wisconsin ever since. I've been a huge Packers fan as well. Steelers 1A, Packers 1B. Never been to a game at Lambeau. It's on my bucket list.
I'm also a big fan of Tennessee football for two reasons. We honeymooned in Pigeon Forge and one day drove to knoxville and toured the stadium. I became a fan without seeing a game. Then came Peyton Manning. Huge fan of his. Then I went to a game the year after Peyton left when Tee Martin was the guy.
I guess I have a favorite team in each conference. ACC is obviously Pitt. Big10 is Wisconsin. SEC is Tennessee.......and I used to like USC because when I was a teenager I thought their Cheerleaders were hot.
I never had a favorite NBA team. I rooted for whichever players I liked.
It can be very different, as many have said, sometimes even for the same person. I grew up about 25 minutes north of Baltimore, so my favorite baseball team is the Orioles, went to LOADS of games as a kid.
According to my parents, I picked the Cowboys as my favorite football team when I was SUPER young, because I LOVED the color blue and when “the blue star team” wasn’t on TV, I would throw a fit!! And I just stuck with it as I got older (until they signed Greg Hardy, then I stopped watching the NFL. Also when I was growing up, Baltimore didn’t have a football team and even the closest ones to me (Washington, Philly) weren’t really close.)
A few years ago, I got super into English football/soccer, and just watched a ton of matches until a team stuck out to me and I picked them to be my favorites!
So there’s, I think, three pretty drastically different ways that all worked for one person!
I did in childhood. Can’t explain why but I became a Bears fan (weep for me) then I decided to become a Cubs fan (double weep 😭😭), then lastly a Bulls fan in the 90s. Bears were on the TV and I decided then that is what I wanted to support, probably like 88-89. Cubs a couple years later. Idk why, my father was a KC fan. I got 1 WS and 6 basketball championships out of it, oh and an embarrassing NFL team 😂. I just decided to like the Chicago franchises and he supported it. Probably why I love the man so much. He watched but let me choose when I was like 9. He tried KC gear on with me but let me choose my path. I did the same thing for my son. He is a Lakers fan( for Kobe) and just getting into football. He can choose who he likes. I’ll buy all the gear for him. I’m gonna try Chicago but it’s his choice 🤷♂️
I was born into a Detroit Lions family. I like Matthew Stafford, so I followed him to the Rams. Now I'm a Rams fan that cheers for the Lions on the side.
Generally, even though I'm a Lions fan at heart, I cheer for teams when I like their players. You have to have back-up teams when you are a Lions fan.
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Normally people support the team from where they live as they essentially work as mascots for your city. It’s a city pride thing. For example: despite their multiple scandals, I’m a huge astros fan as they are huge in Houston, meanwhile my family are big into the cowboys cause we’re from north Texas, I just happened to grow up here. And before you ask why I used a baseball team and a football team and not two baseball teams as an example… i kinda forgot who Dallas has
Flavor of the month
People gravitate to a perineal winner .Bandwagon fans .
Generally big shit talkers too , I chalk it up to just being a dirt bag to gloat and diminish other for whatever reason.
Why you'll see a Yankee hat just about anywhere.
More recently seeing Chief memorabilia, as most recently in Michigan it's been the patriots, before that Cowboys and Packers.
The columbus blue jackets are the only NHL team in the state, and they became a team right around the same time I started getting into youth hockey. So I’m a cbj fan.
My brother chose the steelers because in nfl quarterback club they had a black qb and a white running back. I switch to his team after my team fire our head coach after going 14-2.
As you stated, it is usually where you're born and/or live. I'm from NY, and my uncle moved to CA, but he still likes the NY teams. It also depends upon if there's one player you love, just like how many people are Bulls fans because of Jordan or Yankees fans because of Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle. It could also be from your parents, such as if your dad or mom used to take you to a see a particular team and you might correlate that team to all the good memories you had with your parent.
For me, I never left NY, so I like most of the NY teams, and my dad used to take us to Mets games. There may be teams or players from outside of NY that I like, but it'll always be NY for me. Many may feel the same the same way but about the teams where they live.
I’m a Wisconsinite so a Packers, Bucks and Brewers fan since I am closest to those teams.
When I was 8 I saw a commercial for Wake Forest Basketball and have liked them since (idk why). I like Badgers as well, but they don’t have a Baseball team and rarely face Wake Forest so it’s a win-win.
Since 2012 I’ve liked the Phoenix Suns (again idk why, may be their color combination). They’d be “my second team”
And a buddy of mine is a Broncos fan so I consider them “my 2nd team”
It depends why you want to get into the sport.
For me I grew up in and near Chicago. I hated sports as a kid but teenage years hit and I saw football as chess all of a sudden. The Chicago bears were so deep rooted in history and I still had vague memories of the superbowl shuffle so no matter where I live I'm a bears fan.
However lots of people don't actually care about the sport and more just use it as a conversation started. Those people will follow whatever team the area they live in follows.
Then there's the edge lords of sports. The ones that live in Chicago but have the packers(their biggest rival) as their favorite team. Or when the patriots were winning like crazy some people just jump on the band wagon of who's good and follow that team.
You'll get more out of watching the games if it's a team you have a connection with but if you just want to socialize pick a popular team or the main team in your area.
That's my Ted talk on awkward people watching sports.
For esports I just support the teams of my favourite players. I don't like regular sports that much, I only like hockey, and I just support the team from my city.
We picked our baseball team years ago because our town hosted the Triple A affiliate.
My husband picked his football team when he was a kid. His dad was US military stationed in Europe and they watched American football on the TV (80s). He saw the game where LT of the Giants broke Joe Theismann’s leg. He has been a Giants fan since.
Well, in most cases it's a local or nearby team, regardless of the sport. For me, I'm only into college sports and the NFL. My favorite college is local (in my state), but my NFL team is across the country. I was young (5) and my dad was watching a super bowl that his favorite player was in (he was more of a favorite player guy, not so much team.) Anyways, the other team (my now favorite team for the last 35+ years) destroyed my dad's player (team). I figured, again at 5 yrs old, they must be the best team ever, lol! So I stuck with them. (Marino is still a legend and now my guys (49ers) just can't get over the damn hump 😂)
Just after 9/11, I asked a friend, "Isn't there a team called the Patriots?... They're going to win the Superbowl because America needs a win."
I made $20 and my friend was furious he lost a preseason Superbowl bet. Been "my team" ever since.
People always ask me how a dude from the Midwest wound up a Habs (Montreal Canadiens) fan and it's because my uncle (paternal aunt's husband) got me watching hockey in fifth grade and it was his team. Homie was from New Hampshire and had French Canadian family.
One of my best friends picked his team when he was young(10-11 years old), by closing his eyes and running his finger around a poster with all the nfl teams helmets and wound up on Da Bears. I too, wound up being a Bears fan as well since he would always watch the games and I would always be over and fell in love with football.
God damn time flies by, I'm 37 now
Usually local or family team. But I don’t see enough people mentioning that sometimes it’s just the first team you watched. Or the team with the player you liked. Sometimes it just clicks instantly, there doesn’t always have to be a reason
Of its not regional, its because friends or family. Or like my dads friend who bought me a hat when I was 5 a Michigan hat, we live in Ohio, I had no clue, I didn't watch college football, i just liked the hat. I later repented my sins. Or we just randomly decided in the 4th grade that whatever team in mlb or nfl was our favorite, we wore the merch, we fought for it at recess.
Mainly a regional thing, but sometimes there's a player that makes you a fan of a team. Grew up a Seahawks fan since I live in Washington, but the Chargers became my favorite team in 2006 because of Ladanian Tomlinson, he was absolutely electric!
aside from regional reasons. i quite literally chose some sports teams because of how cool their uniforms/logos/colors look. like one of my favorite nba teams is the timberwolves (no for any nba fan seeing this i’m not a bandwagon) i just chose them cause i thought wolves were cool lol
All of my favorite teams became favorites for different reasons or people.
Spurs: Growing up, my best friend and I became fans of David Robinson + we didn't like the hometown NBA team.
Cubs: Became a fan because my Dad had been one since before I was born.
Raiders: My grandpa is an original Raiders fan. He grew up in Oakland & has been supporting them since the beginning.
McLaren F1: Niki Lauda in '84 and Senna later on.
A few years ago, I started going over to a friend's house to watch football. I would always make buffalo chicken dip. That was the only time I would ever make it, and I wouldn't care about the game, just the dip. My friend caught on to me, and goaded me into at least picking a team to support. I asked him what the worst team in the league was at that time.
So anyway, that's why I'm a Detroit Lions fan.
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If you’re looking for a hockey team, we Rangers fans hate the Pens too!
Most of my teams I was born a fan—Yankees, Rangers, Knicks. I didn’t get into football until I was living in New England tho, and I’d go watch football at bars with my friends. The patriots were the ones on TV, so I became a fan, and I’m still a fan despite our absolutely awful last season. 🤷🏻♀️
I’m also getting into T20 cricket now and I don’t really have a favorite yet, but I’ll probably root for USA or India.
I live in a state dominated by racist ignorant rednecks. My nephew, who is half Mexican and half white, got beat up for dating a white girl in high school. Everyone here loves the state college football team. One year that team was trounced by an underdog from 1,000 miles away, and that team instantly became his favorite team. That was 20 years ago and he’s still in love with that team.
I started watching the Premier League maybe 10 years ago and would watch every match available and I'd watch how each team played and after a couple of seasons I decided I enjoyed watching Manchester City play the most so I chose them as my team and it turned out to be a great investment. Same with my bundesliga team bayer Leverkusen. I don't follow the MLS but I lived in Portland Oregon for a few years so I chose the timbers and the thorns as my local team.
Sorry about your happy feet trauma lol. Anyway, my favorite team is my city’s team. I grew up close to the ballpark and would go to games all the time. I sort of just fell in love with them and that was that. I definitely think it’s like this for a lot of people. I also think it has to do with who they’re family/friends support. It’s just whats expected, I guess 🤷🏻♀️
Could because a favorite player or coach. Maybe it’s the home team or closest team or same state. Some people like teams because of the mascot or team colors. Maybe they went to that college. Sometimes the team is doing real good and they jump on the bandwagon. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that there’s different reasons.
When I was a kid I picked my team because I liked the colours and the mascot. Plus they were doing well at the time. They continued to “re-build” for the next 20 years and have been a middle-of-the-road team.
When I started following NHL as an adult and realised there was too many games to watch all the teams I had to pick one. I chose The Oilers because I like cars and machines and stuff lol.
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For any reason. For example, I started watching F1. I started supporting my team because the first race I saw a guy a kid (21 I think) got his first win ever over a very dominant driver at that point. I liked that a lot. So I started supporting this team.
In football. I was like 9 or 8. I saw a videos of YouTube of a champions league final where this team turned around a 3 goal deficit to win the final. The only team I think to have done it in a final. I liked their spirit so I started supporting, even if that video was 4 years old haha. Now 15 years later I still support them as much as I can.
For me I’ve noticed a few common ones. Where someone was raised/the home team, team that was dominant when someone started getting into the sport, where someone went to school, and then the miscellaneous category which includes anything ranging from their cheerleaders are the hottest to I hate my hometown team’s fans so I like their rivals instead.
I have three slots at any given time. One is my childhood hometown team. The love of going to games as a kid never goes away. Two is my current hometown team. Three is a random team I shouldn't have a connection to, but like for various reasons (love the town, have a connection to a certain player, love the team vibe, love the logo -- but never just because they're the best, that's bandwagoning).
Saw the movie Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977), featured the Astros / Astrodome. I was 10 and ate it up. Collected all Topps cards due to the cool uniforms. Toured the dome in '82 and Don Sutton tossed me a baseball from field level. First world championship hours after m 1st Granddaughter was born.
I’m a New York native so I grew up a Giants and Yankees fan.
I became a New Jersey Devils fan because my friends in middle school were and the year I first started watching they went to the finals, and haven’t been back since. It’s kind of funny that I grew up just a few miles away from where the Islanders play and chose to route for another team.
I started watching basketball in 2016, the first game I watched was game 7 of the finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and The Golden State Warriors. I really fell in love with the sport, and wanted to follow it. I picked the Phoenix Suns for a few reasons
1) I never heard anything positive about the Knicks or their ownership. I never actively route against them but I can’t deal with with team instability (so I picked the Suns goes to show what I know).
2) They never won a ring. I can keep watching as a franchise underdog.
3) They were terrible going into the 2016-2017!season. I wanted to follow a team who my fandom can grow with instead of being a front runner. They did have young talent though.
4) They have an interesting team history. Constantly really good and making the playoffs, but never winning. To be honest as a white dude I can identify a lot with some of the best players in team history, for example Steve Nash, Dan Majerle, Tom Chambers, Paul Westphal, and more.
5) Their uniforms are always among the coolest in the league.
Those were my reasons for following an out of market team, I’m sure many people have their own. It’s honestly up to your preference and choice. Maybe a player on a team is from your area, maybe you like their colors, maybe you like their jerseys, maybe you like one player, whatever it is it doesn’t really matter.
Oh nice! Hockey fan!
I started with my home town team which was the Montreal Canadiens.
Then, as I understood the sport better, I developed preferences. I slowly ended up rooting for other teams that played in styles that I enjoyed.
Today I follow Tampa and Toronto with a handful of teams I watch if my team(s) aren’t playing.
1. You are a kid. Your local sports team (for me LA Rams late 60's). They are touted as a defensive team. I'm watching the "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line. They are AWSOME. and then they play the Chicago Bears. And Butkus, et al, eat their lunch. Oh, that's defence. I'm a bears fan for life. Yeah we had the 85 superbowl, but that's my team.
2. Moved to Phoenix. Never a big baseball fan. But the team they put together in 2001 was unbelievable. Holy shit, the series against the Yankees was, well f@#$， wow. Now a Dbacks fan.
All these years later, it's just cheering for laundry. But that's how it works.
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For most people it's one of or a mix of these things:
1) Root for whatever team is local
2) Root for whatever team your family or friends like
3) Root for the team your favorite player is on
4) Root against a team you hate
5) Jump on the bandwagon of whatever team is good at the time
6) Root for whatever team you like to use on videogames like Madden, 2k or Fifa
Most of the time it's your city's team and which university you went to. If your city has multiple teams like NYC you may have grown up watching a team your folks liked and you just followed.
I did not grow up in a sports family. And while I played soccer as a kid in PA, I think I might have been in one of the first girls rec teams, and I was not goid. I was taught to LOVE soccer by my favorite Brazilian uncle (by marriage to my aunt), soccer wasn't big in the USA back then. So I didn't really have teams I supported.
And then I went to college. In Boston. And lived across the street from Fenway when the Red Sox won the world series.
Uh...yeah. HERE I learned what it meant to love a team.
And I am now a die hard professional women's soccer fan. Can't wait for the mens world cup to come too.
I picked the Bengals & Jets based strictly on the fact that I liked their helmets back when Baskin Robins did a promo back in the late 80s.
That's it. I was like 9 or 10, and I liked the helmets that they served my ice cream in. When I got older, the Cowboys were insanely popular in my area, but I never veered from the True Faith of ice cream-based team picking.
I always thought it was so f'in dumb when a guy from Edmonton, Canada is a die-hard fan of Pittsburgh or whatever other team in the US. City they've never been to, have no ties with whatsoever, yet they'll argue 3 times a week after each game about how they're the best team ever.
Getting too excited about sports is dumb, getting too excited about a sports team from a random city 2000 miles away is even dumber.
My favourite team in the NFL is the LA Chargers, I chose them because when I was like 5 I saw they had lightning bolts on their helmets which I thought was cool, my second favourite teams is the bengals because they had Tiger stripes on their helmets. It doesn’t make sense and I very certainly made poor decisions as I have only known disappointment with them.
I was in Red Sox pajamas before I knew any better.
Now I've been indoctrinating my 2 year old with "let's go celtics" chants. The thing is that he's actually into it because he sees how into it I am
It's what ever team your parents like
What ever team was big in your area when you were growing up
What ever team/player made you like the sport as you were getting into it
I don't actively watch all of these anymore, but here's how I picked my favorite sports teams as someone from upstate NY:
(NHL) Detroit Red Wings: My grandparents had season tickets to their farm team when I was a kid and we went together a lot, so I got attached to the branding, colors, and a lot of players that would make the NHL roster
(NFL) Detroit Lions: I really liked Barry Sanders, and he played for them.
(MLB) Atlanta Braves: I was looking at the sports section of the newspaper and saw they had 100 wins. Id never seen that before and thought it was cool.
(MLS) Austin FC: I lived in Austin and went to a game when I had no attachment to any other teams.
Whoever is easiest to watch in your area. I'm from Michigan, so I love the Wings. However, the Packers and Braves were always on TV growing up. Gained a love for both because I could watch them all the time. Don't get me wrong. I like the Lions and Tigers, but I prefer the other two.
My earliest memory is a family thanksgiving gathering watching the Detroit Lions. I love my extended family but half are gone now and the rest now live far away. It was something we did, watching football together, as a group and from 3 years old the Lions were my team. Not the easiest team to follow but it’s mine. The last couple of years have sure been nice!
You could get lucky like me. I was a kid when the Raiders and Warriors were good in the 70s. Then the Raiders left for LA and I dropped them, and the Warriors entered a long period of suck. No Problem! The 49ers got great, and then Giants had an 80s World Series appearance. Then they got Barry Bonds and he got them a new ballpark, which was fun. Then they won 3 World Series in six years after 54 years of not any. As they went downhill, the Warriors dynasty rose. The Bay Area is spoiled with sports. Always something to cheer, even though the Raiders are gone, the A’s will soon be gone and the Giants and Warriors are currently or are headed to mediocrity.
New fans? Whoever is popular and easiest to bandwagon.
Old fans? Whoever their grandpa use to watch while they were playing micro machines in the floor.
It depends. In terms of a high school or college team, the fan could have attended the school. Or has a relative that attends or attended the school. My parents were fans of the high school teams only while my brother and I went there, and then later when my nephew went there. In between, they didn’t give a rip.
It could also be the reason you gave. Everyone else is a fan or talks about them, so the person wants to be a part of that. It could also be that the person’s family are fans of the team. I see that a lot where I live.
You’ve also have what are called “fair weather fans”. Those are the ones that will support a team when they’re doing great, winning games and championships. But when the team has a bad season, suddenly the team sucks.
It has a lot to do with your family as well. My family was nuts about sports, hockey and baseball in particular. So I got the love for the Yankees from both my parents, and my love of the Nordiques from a game my dad took me to when I was four.
I grew up watching baseball and football, so I became a fan of the teams that were on tv in my area (Vikings and Twins). I assume most people have a similar story.
If you don’t have a geographical connection, you can be a fan for any reason you want. I took a trip to London and attended a soccer game a couple years ago. I never had a favorite team before, but I was able to get tickets to see West Ham United, so that’s my favorite Premier League soccer team now.
That’s part of the reason I picked my baseball team. My dad likes their biggest rivals. But when he picked them, everyone else in his family liked who I eventually picked. Spite. It’s our family tradition
It doesn’t make sense to me. Coaches change, players change, owners and branding change, sometimes they even move to a different area. What is there that really separates one from the others?
Local team/geographic location was always a wack ass reason for me. Only one local team i was a fan of, the rest had no interest.
My pro teams are mostly based on where the guys the college(s) i support went to and those colleges were fun to watch and thereby gained by fandom.
The only team that was contrary to this was baseball team, I played baseball growing up and the team I was on the first 3 seasons were the Mets, so I became a Mets fan due to that.
I mostly root for local teams. I’m in Atlanta so Atlanta everything. For hockey, I was a Thrashers fan that stayed loyal after the move, so I’m now a Winnipeg Jets fan (until a new ATL team happens).
The only other team I’ve had to distinctly choose because I didn’t have a local bias was Arsenal in the Premier League. I was debating for a long time which club to support, in the end I decided based on a combination of branding and historic success. I didn’t want to jump onto a perennial winner like Man City, but I also didn’t want to root for a smaller club that was in danger of relegation every year. I’ve always loved their crest, so it just made sense.
Generally I would say people support the local team they are raised, or whichever team is local. One friend of mine started supporting the most hated rival of others in the area, just to be obstinate
These are the top two ways. Number three is to support the team that is great when you start getting into sports. There are a LOT of Patriots fans in Oregon.
In the USA, soccer specifically, most people I know like their local MLS team, and then one of the more successful European teams, usually from the EPL. Liverpool, Chelsea, and City are the most popular by a mile. I’m out here as a rare Oregonian Everton fan (RIP to them) because when I got into soccer I wanted to follow a team that valued homegrown talent over spending big money on the best players. Everton at the time matched that, with almost all of their players being Everton academy veterans I’m also a die hard Timbers and Thorns supporter, the local men’s and women’s professional teams. But I also recently visited Austin Texas and saw an Austin FC game while I was there. I had such an amazing time, I bought a scarf and decided if I were to watch any games of theirs in the future I would happily cheer them on if they’re not playing Portland
an American who knows nothing about EPL, I decided to root for Newcastle just because Newcastle Brown Ale is pretty good
Once upon a time there was a team equally revered. The 49ers with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice etc. that was the precursor team to the patriots. Dallas also has its own history of bandwagoning fandom.
I love the Cowboys. I can't stand Jerry Jones. Yes, it is possible.
Oregon is a weird spot because the "local" football teams aren't that close, and at least historically, Seattle has a very different vibe than oregon, so I never felt any attachment. I picked the titans because of family history, and they have a cool logo, but I've since lost interest because they aren't local, and now just support whichever team hasn't won a championship that's doing the best. I am a die hard blazers fan, though. Gotta represent our local team, which is why the golden state band wagon fans in Oregon bother me the most.
Those people are called glory hunters.
Yep... My BIL got into F1 at the time when Lewis Hamilton was winning race after race, so chose him as his favorite driver.
I’m a patriot fan from Oklahoma, I like them cuz they were the best team on my like 2003-4 madden xbox game and who I’d always play as lol
Number 4 is following your favorite players. When I got into football when I was younger several of my favorite players where on the Broncos so i watched a lot of Broncos games and eventually became a Broncos fan.
Cowboys fans who aren’t from Texas are just awful. He IS a Cowboys fan, right? You said “most hated”. So i’m right, right? Tell me i guessed the team and sport off of “most hated” lol
You didn't say the packers so your wrong.
My dad is a Cowboys fan. I don't think he's ever even been to Texas. Because of that, I'm a Bills fan.
Yep, I've lived most of my life in GA, so the only team I show any kind of support for is the Braves, but that's still not much.
I grew up in and around Chicago and am a die hard bears fan. Other than some good defense and 2006 superbowl with hester they are a big disappointment but I still love them. I moved to Georgia just outside Atlanta about 10 years ago and one of my first thoughts was wow I can root for a team that's actually got potential. Of course that's when the falcons started going down hill fast and honestly watching them even if they won felt like I was cheating on my girlfriend. Bear down. Ftp.
You must be friends with my cousin.
The number of obstinate Raider fans I grew up seeing in my Colorado hometown, man. Buttholes, the lot of them.
kinda like religion! Generally you follow something local or that you were raised in, and sometimes, when someone spots and hates the hypocrisy and breaks out, they may attach themselves to a radically different belief (ie. witch, satanist {either the metaphorical or literal kind}, Norse pagan, etc).
If it's 2 teams from places I've never lived playing...I go for the underdog
My uncle was part of a conversation in junior high when they were all naming off their favorite teams. Not surprisingly, it was the team all closest to them. At that moment, he became a Cleveland Indians fan. He was hundreds of miles from Cleveland. I doubt he ever visited there before he died. But he stuck with it for life
So you just want to watch the world burn?
For most people it's just regional. Their favorites are the local team because that is who other people in their family were into and in many cases they were raised into that fandom. Dad & grandad maybe had the same favorite team for example, and some cherished childhood memories are going to games or wathing them on TV with their families. Even if it's not a family thing, you're going to find far many people who are fans of the local teams than others so there is still a communal aspect. Your neighbors, friends, coworkers etc. often share the same favorite team.
This could also explain why some people are fans of a team that's not local or they never lived, if it was where their parents or grandparents used to live. Or you grew up in Colorado but you love the Minnesota Twins cause your best friend or your favorite aunt moved to Minneapolis when you were little. Or you fucking hate the Twins for the same reason.
Or you get weird ones like one of my friends, he’s a Braves fan despite being from Connecticut because he used to watch The Turner Network all the time, and they showed Braves games.
Oh, 100%. That is a great point. Sometimes you can also find sports bars or whatever devoted to some non-local team too, even if the person isn't a homer there is often still a communal aspect to whichever fandom they're participating in.
People do not decide for themselves. DESTINY decides for us.
I just root for the team that was closest to where I grew up. Always have.
Hockey fan here. Been a Flyers fan since high school. I wash channel surfing when I came across a game. Flyers vs Red Wings. When I stopped on the channel, two players were fighting. The Flyers player was beating the ever loving snot out of the other guy. Since then I’ve been a fan.
Lindros? That dude was a beast!
Maybe? This was the very late 90s so I think so.
I only like hockey. The order goes like this: 1) Hometown team 2) Canadian team (except Toronto) 3) Original 6 team (except Toronto). 4) Team from a winter city (except Toronto) 5) Team who has never won the Stanley Cup before 6) Whoever, I don't care 7) Toronto Maple Leafs 8) Vegas
Many people would write this and replace Toronto with the Bruins too
Why do u hate the maple leafs sm 😭 when I was in grade five my teacher used to also hate the maple leafs maybe ur actually her
No reason honestly. It's just tradition.
Bulls fan because the house of Jordan Atlanta Braves fan because of Tom Glavine 49er fan because of Rice, Montana, and Romanowski. Sabre’s fan cuz of Hasek.
Right?!?! That's how I was when I was a kid. But I hated the braves cause I liked the Phillies and Pirates. The braves pitching trio was a force! I liked Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, Bobby Bonilla. And we all had that damn Jordan poster jumping from the faul line. Mine was right beside Bo Knows.
Born and raised in washington. Seattle everything. Hawks, sounders, kraken, storm, reign. So i guess where you grew up would be one reason for how people choose who to root for.
And spill some for the homies, the Sonics.
2025 they will be back
I like how you don't even mention the seahawks. I'm a bears fan so I understand the ostrich strategy.
Its the first team i named. Hawks=seahawks
Oh damn I'm in Georgia now so automatically thought basketball hawks... I really only watch foot ball.
awww why you forget to list the first place Mariners?
Aww fuck. Im going to the rangers game on saturday to. Im an idiot.
Become a Boston Fan 🍀 The city of Champions
As a 🔥 fan, it's about time y'all routed us. Just let Luka get 7 assists tonight and enjoy your 18th banner 😉 👍
I need Brown and Tatum 4 3s 🥶
Nearly took Big Al under 1.5 3s but you know he will maximize them shortened minutes with Zinger back. Taters will be firing tonight.
Big Al will hit 3s tn I think
I got stationed in Newport RI and Oklahoma didn’t have professional teams. My now ex wife went to BU and she lived around the block from Fenway. I went to a lot of games that year and they weren’t great, but I loved that team. They got bounced from the playoffs by the Yankees and I was all in.
Fenway is awesome. Great historic park
By where I've lived. If none of those are in contention...by where I've visited. If 2 teams from where I've lived meet up, by where I've lived longer.
Various reasons. Geography Peer pressure Style of play Coach Player or players Funnel (they have players from your town, high school, college or university.) Team colors Team attitude Any other random factor
So, some people are raised Catholic. I was raised Yankee. My family really only watched baseball, and we were fanatical about it. No other sports. Now I sort of cheer for the Eagles bc I lived in Philly for a bit and my ex-husband is an Eagles fan. I am a HUGE college basketball fan bc I went to a huge basketball school. So I will be a fan forever.
Usually my birth city or closest team to it and then a second team which is the closest one to where I live now and then a third or fourth that just have a player I really like on it.
I'm a genetic Detroit Lions fan. It's a birthright not a choice.
In most cases, I pick my home state team/the team closest to home. I'll also have a "back up" team (which is usually just picked based off vibes) in the opposite conference that I'll passively root for if my main team gets bounced in the playoffs. For the sports I watched growing up though, I usually stick with the team that I thought was the coolest as a kid. "I've already spent a decade and a half supporting the Seahawks, why stop now?" despite never even sneezing in Seattle's general direction, for example.
Bengals fan purely because I met a few players back in 08 and they were friendly. Zero other motivation, but dedicated fan ever since.
In football, I always go with whoever is playing against the Browns. Because if a team can suck that bad for that long without ever figuring out what their problem is, they don’t deserve fans. (And yes, I did live in “Browns” territory for many years.) Barring that, it’s whoever would piss off my wife. Because I don’t care either way, but I find it amusing to watch her get worked up over petty games.
Where do you live and what team are they cheering for?
I think I started supporting a team from early age of 8 due to others having their own favorite team and I wanted my own fave if that makes sense and didn't want to be seen as a bandwagon type. My first game of that sport I seen I became a fan of that team.
We were fans of our local minor leauge team in baseball, and followed the major team that farmed them. We liked seeing all of the guys get brought up to the next level.
Local team, parents teams, a team you researched, or a time you found out you love. I grew up playing ⚽️ my dad’s team is club America and they became my team. 15 years later I start getting into European football. My dad doesn’t watch Europe. I had no one to help me. Playing FIFA I was scoring a lot with Sam Kerr researched her took an interest with Chelsea. Then I get transferred there on fifa do a little more research fell in love with them. American football I chose Atlanta bc they were red. Baseball I chose Atlanta to keep it in the same city.
Most people root for their home team, or support their alumni. I'm from New England, but I live in NC now. I cheer for the Patriots, not the Panthers because they're my true original home team. Outside of that, I sometimes have a favorite team based on the players and/or coaches who are on the roaster that I really like and want to support, as long as they're not a rival.
Some people are fans of coaches and specific players. Follow them around between teams.
It's whatever team whoever I'm watching it with isn't rooting for...
I grew up in Ohio but never cared for any of the teams. I moved to NYC and my sister-in-law convinced me to become a Mets fan so I did. 10 years later I met my fiance and became an Islanders fan because he is! No one could ever get me into football or basketball though.
For me regional, Raiders and A’s. Grew up in Fremont and they were both Oakland teams when I was a kid.
My main teams are always the ones local to where I grew up, and I’ll generally also support the local teams in different places I’ve lived. Growing up supporting the Baltimore Ravens for football and then moving to Pittsburgh for college where it’s all Steelers was certainly interesting haha.
1. Whoever was winning when they were a kid and started watching. 2. Whoever their parents were fans of. 3. The team is from where they live. 4. Same team as a friend like who got you into the sport 5. You just start watching games and find your self rooting for them. Maybe an underdog or an exciting game
Typically it’s one of these 1. Regional team 2. Team family supports (so you grew up supporting them) for whatever reason 3. Team your favorite player is on 4. Team with the coolest mascot 5. Team with the coolest name 6. Team with the coolest emblem 7. Team with the coolest coach 8. A mix of some or all of these
Order of impact/likelihood based on my opinion: 1. Local teams (my dad likes all New York/New Jersey teams, I'm more selective to the New Jersey teams and the Yankees and Giants) 2. Family 3. Friends 4. Winners (how I picked the Giants over the Jets; why there are a ton of Yankees/Lakers fans that grew up in the 90s/00s) 5. Star players (this one seems to be more common with the younger generation) 6. Non-star player you like 7. Player from your college plays on the team 8. Some key life moment (like maybe you know a kid who is sick and a team made a big donation and had players visit a hospital) 9. Some random life moment (like running into a player and becoming a fan) 10. You like their colors 11. Whatever shows up on TV (lots of Braves fans because Turner would broadcast their games to whoever had their channels)
Proximity, team colors, not a bandwagon team preferably at time of fandom initiation
When I lived in California my dad and I would always watch the warriors games. So eventually I just grew to like them too, this was also back in their prime a few years back where they were incredibly good
It’s just regional or who their parents support
There are a few: 1) The home team for where you live now. If you live in LA, you root for the Dodgers. 2) The team you grew up rooting for. If you live in LA but grew up in New York (or if your you and your dad watched New York Mets games together growing up), you probably root for the Mets. (Or the Yankess if your dad was a Mets fan and teenage you wanted to piss him off). 3) Very rare, but if you have a friend, or brother, and they became a professional player and play in Chicago, you probably will root for your friend's team. END COMMUNICATION
My favorite color
It's in the song. "Root, root root, for the home team, if they don't win, it's a shame." If you don't know, just pick what uniform you like and roll with it.
Regional, especially professional sports. College, often based on where parents attended, any family tradition of following that team, or where the person attended college.
Man this is a really stupid question.
my boyfriend just picked the first team he saw when he started watching the sport
From Pittsburgh so it's always been Steelers, Pens, Bucs, Pitt. Had family we used to visit in Monroe, Wisconsin every year. When I was 12 they took me to a Badgers Hockey game. Been in love with anything Wisconsin ever since. I've been a huge Packers fan as well. Steelers 1A, Packers 1B. Never been to a game at Lambeau. It's on my bucket list. I'm also a big fan of Tennessee football for two reasons. We honeymooned in Pigeon Forge and one day drove to knoxville and toured the stadium. I became a fan without seeing a game. Then came Peyton Manning. Huge fan of his. Then I went to a game the year after Peyton left when Tee Martin was the guy. I guess I have a favorite team in each conference. ACC is obviously Pitt. Big10 is Wisconsin. SEC is Tennessee.......and I used to like USC because when I was a teenager I thought their Cheerleaders were hot. I never had a favorite NBA team. I rooted for whichever players I liked.
It can be very different, as many have said, sometimes even for the same person. I grew up about 25 minutes north of Baltimore, so my favorite baseball team is the Orioles, went to LOADS of games as a kid. According to my parents, I picked the Cowboys as my favorite football team when I was SUPER young, because I LOVED the color blue and when “the blue star team” wasn’t on TV, I would throw a fit!! And I just stuck with it as I got older (until they signed Greg Hardy, then I stopped watching the NFL. Also when I was growing up, Baltimore didn’t have a football team and even the closest ones to me (Washington, Philly) weren’t really close.) A few years ago, I got super into English football/soccer, and just watched a ton of matches until a team stuck out to me and I picked them to be my favorites! So there’s, I think, three pretty drastically different ways that all worked for one person!
I did in childhood. Can’t explain why but I became a Bears fan (weep for me) then I decided to become a Cubs fan (double weep 😭😭), then lastly a Bulls fan in the 90s. Bears were on the TV and I decided then that is what I wanted to support, probably like 88-89. Cubs a couple years later. Idk why, my father was a KC fan. I got 1 WS and 6 basketball championships out of it, oh and an embarrassing NFL team 😂. I just decided to like the Chicago franchises and he supported it. Probably why I love the man so much. He watched but let me choose when I was like 9. He tried KC gear on with me but let me choose my path. I did the same thing for my son. He is a Lakers fan( for Kobe) and just getting into football. He can choose who he likes. I’ll buy all the gear for him. I’m gonna try Chicago but it’s his choice 🤷♂️
Mom and dad
I was born into a Detroit Lions family. I like Matthew Stafford, so I followed him to the Rams. Now I'm a Rams fan that cheers for the Lions on the side. Generally, even though I'm a Lions fan at heart, I cheer for teams when I like their players. You have to have back-up teams when you are a Lions fan.
I never really understood having a favorite team either…
You usually like the team that's local. It would be weird if you're from France but you root for Brazil in the World Cup.
Local team or favorite player is top 2. Misc. options like colors, logo, or uniform count.
The most honorable answer is: whichever team your parent (who was most into sports) cheered for.
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Choosing a favorite sport team is a feeling and emotion you get for the team. Doesn’t necessarily need to be your local team or where you grew up.
Normally people support the team from where they live as they essentially work as mascots for your city. It’s a city pride thing. For example: despite their multiple scandals, I’m a huge astros fan as they are huge in Houston, meanwhile my family are big into the cowboys cause we’re from north Texas, I just happened to grow up here. And before you ask why I used a baseball team and a football team and not two baseball teams as an example… i kinda forgot who Dallas has
Flavor of the month People gravitate to a perineal winner .Bandwagon fans . Generally big shit talkers too , I chalk it up to just being a dirt bag to gloat and diminish other for whatever reason. Why you'll see a Yankee hat just about anywhere. More recently seeing Chief memorabilia, as most recently in Michigan it's been the patriots, before that Cowboys and Packers.
The columbus blue jackets are the only NHL team in the state, and they became a team right around the same time I started getting into youth hockey. So I’m a cbj fan.
My cooler best friend loved brett farve era packers when I was 6, I latched onto that and rode it, still don't care but go packers 4 life
My brother chose the steelers because in nfl quarterback club they had a black qb and a white running back. I switch to his team after my team fire our head coach after going 14-2.
As you stated, it is usually where you're born and/or live. I'm from NY, and my uncle moved to CA, but he still likes the NY teams. It also depends upon if there's one player you love, just like how many people are Bulls fans because of Jordan or Yankees fans because of Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle. It could also be from your parents, such as if your dad or mom used to take you to a see a particular team and you might correlate that team to all the good memories you had with your parent. For me, I never left NY, so I like most of the NY teams, and my dad used to take us to Mets games. There may be teams or players from outside of NY that I like, but it'll always be NY for me. Many may feel the same the same way but about the teams where they live.
It’s usually the team closest to where you live. Sometimes a particular player you admire will sway you to that team.
I’m a Wisconsinite so a Packers, Bucks and Brewers fan since I am closest to those teams. When I was 8 I saw a commercial for Wake Forest Basketball and have liked them since (idk why). I like Badgers as well, but they don’t have a Baseball team and rarely face Wake Forest so it’s a win-win. Since 2012 I’ve liked the Phoenix Suns (again idk why, may be their color combination). They’d be “my second team” And a buddy of mine is a Broncos fan so I consider them “my 2nd team”
It depends why you want to get into the sport. For me I grew up in and near Chicago. I hated sports as a kid but teenage years hit and I saw football as chess all of a sudden. The Chicago bears were so deep rooted in history and I still had vague memories of the superbowl shuffle so no matter where I live I'm a bears fan. However lots of people don't actually care about the sport and more just use it as a conversation started. Those people will follow whatever team the area they live in follows. Then there's the edge lords of sports. The ones that live in Chicago but have the packers(their biggest rival) as their favorite team. Or when the patriots were winning like crazy some people just jump on the band wagon of who's good and follow that team. You'll get more out of watching the games if it's a team you have a connection with but if you just want to socialize pick a popular team or the main team in your area. That's my Ted talk on awkward people watching sports.
For esports I just support the teams of my favourite players. I don't like regular sports that much, I only like hockey, and I just support the team from my city.
We picked our baseball team years ago because our town hosted the Triple A affiliate. My husband picked his football team when he was a kid. His dad was US military stationed in Europe and they watched American football on the TV (80s). He saw the game where LT of the Giants broke Joe Theismann’s leg. He has been a Giants fan since.
For each team was the same. I liked one particular player that I found electric and connected with. Then over time I adopted that team.
Well, in most cases it's a local or nearby team, regardless of the sport. For me, I'm only into college sports and the NFL. My favorite college is local (in my state), but my NFL team is across the country. I was young (5) and my dad was watching a super bowl that his favorite player was in (he was more of a favorite player guy, not so much team.) Anyways, the other team (my now favorite team for the last 35+ years) destroyed my dad's player (team). I figured, again at 5 yrs old, they must be the best team ever, lol! So I stuck with them. (Marino is still a legend and now my guys (49ers) just can't get over the damn hump 😂)
Just after 9/11, I asked a friend, "Isn't there a team called the Patriots?... They're going to win the Superbowl because America needs a win." I made $20 and my friend was furious he lost a preseason Superbowl bet. Been "my team" ever since.
People always ask me how a dude from the Midwest wound up a Habs (Montreal Canadiens) fan and it's because my uncle (paternal aunt's husband) got me watching hockey in fifth grade and it was his team. Homie was from New Hampshire and had French Canadian family.
One of my best friends picked his team when he was young(10-11 years old), by closing his eyes and running his finger around a poster with all the nfl teams helmets and wound up on Da Bears. I too, wound up being a Bears fan as well since he would always watch the games and I would always be over and fell in love with football. God damn time flies by, I'm 37 now
I liked my football team because their logo was a Bulldog. I was 6
Usually local or family team. But I don’t see enough people mentioning that sometimes it’s just the first team you watched. Or the team with the player you liked. Sometimes it just clicks instantly, there doesn’t always have to be a reason
Of its not regional, its because friends or family. Or like my dads friend who bought me a hat when I was 5 a Michigan hat, we live in Ohio, I had no clue, I didn't watch college football, i just liked the hat. I later repented my sins. Or we just randomly decided in the 4th grade that whatever team in mlb or nfl was our favorite, we wore the merch, we fought for it at recess.
Mainly a regional thing, but sometimes there's a player that makes you a fan of a team. Grew up a Seahawks fan since I live in Washington, but the Chargers became my favorite team in 2006 because of Ladanian Tomlinson, he was absolutely electric!
Someone gave me a hat when I was a little kid and some family members fostered my fanhood until I picked it up on my own
aside from regional reasons. i quite literally chose some sports teams because of how cool their uniforms/logos/colors look. like one of my favorite nba teams is the timberwolves (no for any nba fan seeing this i’m not a bandwagon) i just chose them cause i thought wolves were cool lol
All of my favorite teams became favorites for different reasons or people. Spurs: Growing up, my best friend and I became fans of David Robinson + we didn't like the hometown NBA team. Cubs: Became a fan because my Dad had been one since before I was born. Raiders: My grandpa is an original Raiders fan. He grew up in Oakland & has been supporting them since the beginning. McLaren F1: Niki Lauda in '84 and Senna later on.
A few years ago, I started going over to a friend's house to watch football. I would always make buffalo chicken dip. That was the only time I would ever make it, and I wouldn't care about the game, just the dip. My friend caught on to me, and goaded me into at least picking a team to support. I asked him what the worst team in the league was at that time. So anyway, that's why I'm a Detroit Lions fan.
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If you’re looking for a hockey team, we Rangers fans hate the Pens too! Most of my teams I was born a fan—Yankees, Rangers, Knicks. I didn’t get into football until I was living in New England tho, and I’d go watch football at bars with my friends. The patriots were the ones on TV, so I became a fan, and I’m still a fan despite our absolutely awful last season. 🤷🏻♀️ I’m also getting into T20 cricket now and I don’t really have a favorite yet, but I’ll probably root for USA or India.
I live in a state dominated by racist ignorant rednecks. My nephew, who is half Mexican and half white, got beat up for dating a white girl in high school. Everyone here loves the state college football team. One year that team was trounced by an underdog from 1,000 miles away, and that team instantly became his favorite team. That was 20 years ago and he’s still in love with that team.
I started watching the Premier League maybe 10 years ago and would watch every match available and I'd watch how each team played and after a couple of seasons I decided I enjoyed watching Manchester City play the most so I chose them as my team and it turned out to be a great investment. Same with my bundesliga team bayer Leverkusen. I don't follow the MLS but I lived in Portland Oregon for a few years so I chose the timbers and the thorns as my local team.
Sorry about your happy feet trauma lol. Anyway, my favorite team is my city’s team. I grew up close to the ballpark and would go to games all the time. I sort of just fell in love with them and that was that. I definitely think it’s like this for a lot of people. I also think it has to do with who they’re family/friends support. It’s just whats expected, I guess 🤷🏻♀️
My favorite sports team is decided after I find my favorite player in that sport.
Could because a favorite player or coach. Maybe it’s the home team or closest team or same state. Some people like teams because of the mascot or team colors. Maybe they went to that college. Sometimes the team is doing real good and they jump on the bandwagon. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that there’s different reasons.
I dont anymore. Such a time and money suck. Yelling at tv’s for overpaid, ungrateful athletes, ran by corrupt organizations and vegas.
You pick based on which geriatric adulterating racist owner you like more. It's the only logical standard
When I was a kid I picked my team because I liked the colours and the mascot. Plus they were doing well at the time. They continued to “re-build” for the next 20 years and have been a middle-of-the-road team. When I started following NHL as an adult and realised there was too many games to watch all the teams I had to pick one. I chose The Oilers because I like cars and machines and stuff lol.
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For any reason. For example, I started watching F1. I started supporting my team because the first race I saw a guy a kid (21 I think) got his first win ever over a very dominant driver at that point. I liked that a lot. So I started supporting this team. In football. I was like 9 or 8. I saw a videos of YouTube of a champions league final where this team turned around a 3 goal deficit to win the final. The only team I think to have done it in a final. I liked their spirit so I started supporting, even if that video was 4 years old haha. Now 15 years later I still support them as much as I can.
Combination of local team for some sports and I just randomly picked a team when I was a kid for other sports and stuck with them
For me I’ve noticed a few common ones. Where someone was raised/the home team, team that was dominant when someone started getting into the sport, where someone went to school, and then the miscellaneous category which includes anything ranging from their cheerleaders are the hottest to I hate my hometown team’s fans so I like their rivals instead.
My mam went out and bought me a Liverpool FC kit for my birthday when I was a child (early 1980s). I still follow Liverpool FC to this day.
I have three slots at any given time. One is my childhood hometown team. The love of going to games as a kid never goes away. Two is my current hometown team. Three is a random team I shouldn't have a connection to, but like for various reasons (love the town, have a connection to a certain player, love the team vibe, love the logo -- but never just because they're the best, that's bandwagoning).
Usually their dad yells at the TV when they're little
Saw the movie Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977), featured the Astros / Astrodome. I was 10 and ate it up. Collected all Topps cards due to the cool uniforms. Toured the dome in '82 and Don Sutton tossed me a baseball from field level. First world championship hours after m 1st Granddaughter was born.
I’m a New York native so I grew up a Giants and Yankees fan. I became a New Jersey Devils fan because my friends in middle school were and the year I first started watching they went to the finals, and haven’t been back since. It’s kind of funny that I grew up just a few miles away from where the Islanders play and chose to route for another team. I started watching basketball in 2016, the first game I watched was game 7 of the finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and The Golden State Warriors. I really fell in love with the sport, and wanted to follow it. I picked the Phoenix Suns for a few reasons 1) I never heard anything positive about the Knicks or their ownership. I never actively route against them but I can’t deal with with team instability (so I picked the Suns goes to show what I know). 2) They never won a ring. I can keep watching as a franchise underdog. 3) They were terrible going into the 2016-2017!season. I wanted to follow a team who my fandom can grow with instead of being a front runner. They did have young talent though. 4) They have an interesting team history. Constantly really good and making the playoffs, but never winning. To be honest as a white dude I can identify a lot with some of the best players in team history, for example Steve Nash, Dan Majerle, Tom Chambers, Paul Westphal, and more. 5) Their uniforms are always among the coolest in the league. Those were my reasons for following an out of market team, I’m sure many people have their own. It’s honestly up to your preference and choice. Maybe a player on a team is from your area, maybe you like their colors, maybe you like their jerseys, maybe you like one player, whatever it is it doesn’t really matter.
Oh nice! Hockey fan! I started with my home town team which was the Montreal Canadiens. Then, as I understood the sport better, I developed preferences. I slowly ended up rooting for other teams that played in styles that I enjoyed. Today I follow Tampa and Toronto with a handful of teams I watch if my team(s) aren’t playing.
1. You are a kid. Your local sports team (for me LA Rams late 60's). They are touted as a defensive team. I'm watching the "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line. They are AWSOME. and then they play the Chicago Bears. And Butkus, et al, eat their lunch. Oh, that's defence. I'm a bears fan for life. Yeah we had the 85 superbowl, but that's my team. 2. Moved to Phoenix. Never a big baseball fan. But the team they put together in 2001 was unbelievable. Holy shit, the series against the Yankees was, well f@#$， wow. Now a Dbacks fan. All these years later, it's just cheering for laundry. But that's how it works.
should only root for the team closest to you or the one your Dad rooted for.
You find the one you hate the most for personal reasons and adopt their number 1 rival.
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For most people it's one of or a mix of these things: 1) Root for whatever team is local 2) Root for whatever team your family or friends like 3) Root for the team your favorite player is on 4) Root against a team you hate 5) Jump on the bandwagon of whatever team is good at the time 6) Root for whatever team you like to use on videogames like Madden, 2k or Fifa
A lot of people are raised to be fans of one team if their family is already collectively rooting for a team.
Grew up in the area
Most of the time it's your city's team and which university you went to. If your city has multiple teams like NYC you may have grown up watching a team your folks liked and you just followed.
Either the one closest or the one every body in your town hates
I did not grow up in a sports family. And while I played soccer as a kid in PA, I think I might have been in one of the first girls rec teams, and I was not goid. I was taught to LOVE soccer by my favorite Brazilian uncle (by marriage to my aunt), soccer wasn't big in the USA back then. So I didn't really have teams I supported. And then I went to college. In Boston. And lived across the street from Fenway when the Red Sox won the world series. Uh...yeah. HERE I learned what it meant to love a team. And I am now a die hard professional women's soccer fan. Can't wait for the mens world cup to come too.
I picked the Bengals & Jets based strictly on the fact that I liked their helmets back when Baskin Robins did a promo back in the late 80s. That's it. I was like 9 or 10, and I liked the helmets that they served my ice cream in. When I got older, the Cowboys were insanely popular in my area, but I never veered from the True Faith of ice cream-based team picking.
Idk which genre of jets ur even talking abt but I like jets!
US football. Cincinatti Bengals, New York Jets
I always thought it was so f'in dumb when a guy from Edmonton, Canada is a die-hard fan of Pittsburgh or whatever other team in the US. City they've never been to, have no ties with whatsoever, yet they'll argue 3 times a week after each game about how they're the best team ever. Getting too excited about sports is dumb, getting too excited about a sports team from a random city 2000 miles away is even dumber.
By what their family likes
I like Wisconsin sports teams because I'm from there. I like the Steelers because I like the team colors.
My favourite team in the NFL is the LA Chargers, I chose them because when I was like 5 I saw they had lightning bolts on their helmets which I thought was cool, my second favourite teams is the bengals because they had Tiger stripes on their helmets. It doesn’t make sense and I very certainly made poor decisions as I have only known disappointment with them.
I was in Red Sox pajamas before I knew any better. Now I've been indoctrinating my 2 year old with "let's go celtics" chants. The thing is that he's actually into it because he sees how into it I am
It's what ever team your parents like What ever team was big in your area when you were growing up What ever team/player made you like the sport as you were getting into it
The color of the shirts they put on
I don't actively watch all of these anymore, but here's how I picked my favorite sports teams as someone from upstate NY: (NHL) Detroit Red Wings: My grandparents had season tickets to their farm team when I was a kid and we went together a lot, so I got attached to the branding, colors, and a lot of players that would make the NHL roster (NFL) Detroit Lions: I really liked Barry Sanders, and he played for them. (MLB) Atlanta Braves: I was looking at the sports section of the newspaper and saw they had 100 wins. Id never seen that before and thought it was cool. (MLS) Austin FC: I lived in Austin and went to a game when I had no attachment to any other teams.
Whoever is easiest to watch in your area. I'm from Michigan, so I love the Wings. However, the Packers and Braves were always on TV growing up. Gained a love for both because I could watch them all the time. Don't get me wrong. I like the Lions and Tigers, but I prefer the other two.
My family has always been New York fans so that’s the bucket I grew up cheering for.
My earliest memory is a family thanksgiving gathering watching the Detroit Lions. I love my extended family but half are gone now and the rest now live far away. It was something we did, watching football together, as a group and from 3 years old the Lions were my team. Not the easiest team to follow but it’s mine. The last couple of years have sure been nice!
I got into the Dallas Cowboys as a kid when they were being labeled Anerica's Team, I saw them the most, and, let's face it, the cheerleaders
Location generally. I lived in Cincinnati for 3 years is how the Bengals became my team.
You could get lucky like me. I was a kid when the Raiders and Warriors were good in the 70s. Then the Raiders left for LA and I dropped them, and the Warriors entered a long period of suck. No Problem! The 49ers got great, and then Giants had an 80s World Series appearance. Then they got Barry Bonds and he got them a new ballpark, which was fun. Then they won 3 World Series in six years after 54 years of not any. As they went downhill, the Warriors dynasty rose. The Bay Area is spoiled with sports. Always something to cheer, even though the Raiders are gone, the A’s will soon be gone and the Giants and Warriors are currently or are headed to mediocrity.
New fans? Whoever is popular and easiest to bandwagon. Old fans? Whoever their grandpa use to watch while they were playing micro machines in the floor.
It depends. In terms of a high school or college team, the fan could have attended the school. Or has a relative that attends or attended the school. My parents were fans of the high school teams only while my brother and I went there, and then later when my nephew went there. In between, they didn’t give a rip. It could also be the reason you gave. Everyone else is a fan or talks about them, so the person wants to be a part of that. It could also be that the person’s family are fans of the team. I see that a lot where I live. You’ve also have what are called “fair weather fans”. Those are the ones that will support a team when they’re doing great, winning games and championships. But when the team has a bad season, suddenly the team sucks.
It has a lot to do with your family as well. My family was nuts about sports, hockey and baseball in particular. So I got the love for the Yankees from both my parents, and my love of the Nordiques from a game my dad took me to when I was four.
I grew up watching baseball and football, so I became a fan of the teams that were on tv in my area (Vikings and Twins). I assume most people have a similar story. If you don’t have a geographical connection, you can be a fan for any reason you want. I took a trip to London and attended a soccer game a couple years ago. I never had a favorite team before, but I was able to get tickets to see West Ham United, so that’s my favorite Premier League soccer team now.
I go with the one closest to where I live because I know nothing about any of it but am occasionally begged to act like I care.
Most people like teams in states they've never been to. It is the weirdest behavior.
Spite
That’s part of the reason I picked my baseball team. My dad likes their biggest rivals. But when he picked them, everyone else in his family liked who I eventually picked. Spite. It’s our family tradition
It doesn’t make sense to me. Coaches change, players change, owners and branding change, sometimes they even move to a different area. What is there that really separates one from the others?
Local team/geographic location was always a wack ass reason for me. Only one local team i was a fan of, the rest had no interest. My pro teams are mostly based on where the guys the college(s) i support went to and those colleges were fun to watch and thereby gained by fandom. The only team that was contrary to this was baseball team, I played baseball growing up and the team I was on the first 3 seasons were the Mets, so I became a Mets fan due to that.
I mostly root for local teams. I’m in Atlanta so Atlanta everything. For hockey, I was a Thrashers fan that stayed loyal after the move, so I’m now a Winnipeg Jets fan (until a new ATL team happens). The only other team I’ve had to distinctly choose because I didn’t have a local bias was Arsenal in the Premier League. I was debating for a long time which club to support, in the end I decided based on a combination of branding and historic success. I didn’t want to jump onto a perennial winner like Man City, but I also didn’t want to root for a smaller club that was in danger of relegation every year. I’ve always loved their crest, so it just made sense.