I remember from the late 80s that Randall Cunningham would always have his freaky-impossible games against the Giants. Like the 90 yard punt.
I’m the exact same way, except in reverse: as a Bengals fan, there’s no way I would ever root for the Steelers or the Ravens. I actively root against them both in the playoffs. I don’t have any particular problem with the Browns, even though it is supposed to be an inter-state rivalry. The rivalry has severely waned over the years as both teams have struggled to have any kind of success.
Which I think is the reason why we have no problems with each other…because both our franchises are more often than not inept, and we get sick of being beaten and lorded over by the better two teams in the division. But the Browns fans certainly have a special degree of hatred for the Ravens, due to their traitorous inception.
As a Lion fan, I have had to root for somebody, in the playoffs. We have not had many chances to care about the post season, so I have to manufacture a reason. I force myself to semi-root for the Bears or Vikings.
In professional sports, it depends on the team. Some divisional rivals I hate with a fiery passion and cheer for their humiliation in all circumstances. The Jets or Yankees fit this category.
But if a team is particularly inept, at least in recent history, and by some fluke manages to achieve some unexpected success, I’ll root for them to get their moment in the sun. So theoretically I could root for the Bills or the Orioles if they made the playoffs. However if they start making the playoffs every year, I go back to hoping they lose.
Same here on almost all counts (my husband is the Steelers fan in my house, but I like them fine and sort of secretly want to have Mike Tomlin’s babies). I would never, ever, ever cheer for anyone else in the AFC North. I actually would probably never cheer for any other AFC team, period, except my poor beloved beleaguered Buffalo Bills. At one point in time I refused to speak to my sister during football season unless my parents made me because I am an Eagles fan and she was inexplicably, unconscionably a Cowboys fan, but except for probably the Vikings, I’d root for most other teams in the NFC (and that’s mostly because I can’t stand Brett Favre). I actively rooted for the Giants to win the World Series this year after they beat the Phils, though I’d never cheer for the Yankees ever, not even if it was the only demand made of kidnappers who stole my husband. I’m a Syracuse alum and I almost always pick at least two other Big East teams during March Madness (usually Marquette, because my favorite brother-in-law went there).
I voted “It Depends.”
I’m a Bears fan and nothing would make me happier than seeing the Vikings and/or the Packers get their collective and proverbial hats handed to them.
The Lions are a different matter. I feel sorry for them, they’re like some kind of whipped dog or something, so I’d root for them to go as far as they could unless they were actually up against the Bears.
Nope. As a Habs fan, Toronto and Boston can kiss my ass, and while I don’t hate Ottawa and Buffalo so much, I’ll still probably cheer for their opponent (if it isn’t Philadelphia.)
The NFL? The other teams deserve face-grinding in the playoffs, because they’re so bad. (The same is true of my team, but should they, in the near future, actually get to the playoffs I’ll cheer for them anyway.) I actually think the NFL should restructure the way they seed teems getting into the playoffs because our Divisional representative is so abysmal. (They almost invariably have a worse record than the two wildcard teams in the conference.)
Other American sports? Don’t follow them, don’t care to make the effort.
Back home, there is one football team I will never support. Not for any reason. Other London-based clubs yes.
QFT.
It depends on the team. In the NFL I’ll root for, say, the Chargers, but definitely not the Raiders or Broncos. In MLB I’ll root for the Astros or Pirates (heh), but obviously not the Cubs.
It depends. I tire of seeing long-term division rivals dominating the Bears (Favre era Packers come to mind) so when one of those teams is in the playoffs I’ll root for their humiliating demise. In recent years I’ve acquired a nice little animosity for the Vikings, so taking them down last night was particularly sweet. I’ve been enjoying watching them go off the rails this season.
A lot of it also depends on who they are playing. Probably my biggest hatred in sports is reserved for the Cowboys - any team with the gall to market themselves as “America’s Team” deserves every bit of comeuppance that they get. Again, watching this train wreck season for them has been a blast. Back when they had that 1-15 season, I was just beside myself in glee. So if they play the Packers or Vikings in the playoffs at any point, I’ll definitely root for the division rivals that week (and probably just as hard against them the following week).
If the Lions ever got back to the playoffs, I’d probably root for them to do well so long as they don’t have to play the Bears. Like that’s going to happen…
I’ve cheered on the Colts in the past, but mainly because I loathe New England, not because Indy plays in the same division as the Jags. And it doesn’t help that said division is a very recent invention, so there’s no significant history like there is in the NFC Central say.
As a Charger fan, I will mildly root for any division rival except for the Raiders.
As a Dodger fan, I will mildly root for any division rival except for the Giants.
I don’t wan the Raiders or the SF Giants to ever win a game again.
The only team I could ever hate more than the Cowboys are the Yankees. Though the Giants are steadily making their way up there as are the Steelers. But those last two are thanks to their fan bases, who are generally the most obnoxious in the league.
Buccaneers fan here. I voted depends. I wouldn’t begrudge the Panthers or the Saints winning if we were out of it but then again I’ve lived in both Saints and Panthers country and I’ve celebrated big seasons both ways with fans of both teams. Atlanta, aside from tonight, I’d just as soon never win another game.
I think it helps though that we’ve been in three divisions so it’s not like any of the rivalries are that strong.
I voted for “it depends,” but the answer is much closer to no than yes. These are usually rival teams, so I want them to lose, end of story. I dislike some of these teams more than others - I won’t pull for the Patriots and Red Sox unless it helps the Bills or Yankees, but I don’t mind the Blue Jays, for example - but the prestige of the division doesn’t mean anything to me.
I can root for the Bears or the Lions in the playoffs (though the latter is mostly theoretical), but not the Packers. I would root for al Qaeda over the Packers.
Bin Laden drops back for the pass, looks over to al-Zawahiri…
I voted no, but only because there wasn’t a Fuck no! option.
Losing 400-0 is pretty much Fuck No!