Count me in as another Browns fan who wouldn’t spit on a Bengals championship, but those Steelers and Ravens can DIAF.
In baseball, the only division team I hate is the White Sox and they tend to be the only team that can get close to a championship. If the Tigers or Royals or Twins won the World Series, I’d sort of be wary of how they managed to come out of out craptacular baseball market and pay the big bucks to get to the tippy top. I’d think they weren’t playing by the rules of The AL Central Must Suck
However, my hatred of the Steelers and Ravens runs deep enough to spread across all the NFL and MLB so I just voted “No, I hope they lose 400-0”
As a Mariner and Seahawk fan, I’m pretty indifferent if one of their divisional rivals gets in. College, however, is different. Even though the University of Washington is my school and my team, I may on occasion actually root for a few of the Huskies’ Pac 10 rivals in football and basketball in a bowl game or during the NCAA tournament. With Gonzaga, I almost always hope one of their West Conference rivals does well in the NCAA tournament if they’re selected because it makes the conference on the whole look good and enhances the value of Gonzaga’s in-conference wins against the rival.
As a Yankees fan, I can’t stand it when the Red Sox are in the playoffs, as well. I don’t especially mind them in the playoffs, I just can’t stand it when the Yankees and Red Sox are both in the playoffs. Because it then becomes all about the Red Sox on the radio and TV, and how they’re doing.
NFL is a big no. I loathe the Ravens, Ray Lewis and crew. I am pretty sure this hatred carried over from the Browns team that moved there. I can’t see myself rooting for the Ohio teams, but now that I’m thinking about it, I guess it would depend on what team they were playing.
MLB - I guess the answer is yes, although I usually pick a team to root against, not for. The Pirates are never in contention, so it’s pointless to get worked up over the Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers, Reds, or Astros.
The fact that Montréal Canadiens paraphernalia appeared all over Toronto during last season’s playoffs was a source of what I will call ‘disgust’, although the feeling went far, far deeper than that. In order, for the NHL, I pull for [ol]
[li]the Maple Leafs, []any other Canadian team except Montréal, []whoever is left of the original six, []whoever is playing against Montréal, and then it becomes []a matter of indifference to me.[/li][/ol]
May Montréal fans bitterly suffer their 44 years and counting between Stanley Cups.
Don’t care much for the prestige of the division, but after the Red Wings I’ll root for whomever represents the Western conference or the original six. Rooted for the Blackhawks last year. That was more because of everything that franchise had to endure in recent history and the whole original six thing. I’ll pretty much root for whomever I think helps a good NHL city.
That said, the Penguins can kiss my ass. I’d rather root for the Avalanche.
I’m with many of the other posters on the college issue. I have no problem rooting for the Big East to dominate in all aspects but in professional sports, not a chance.
I hate the stupid stinking Cowboys but I delight in the failure of the Eagles significantly more. I honestly could never see myself rooting for the Eagles or Cowboys. The Redskins don’t irritate me nearly as much but I still couldn’t see myself rooting for them.
The nice thing about favoring professional teams in Eastern divisions is that I always get to root against Philly. Though when it comes to baseball its hard for me to say whether I hate the Braves or Phillies more.
As a Charger fan, I can’t quite fathom rooting for Oakland or Denver, but after giving it some thought since Sunday…y’know what? Go Chiefs. If nothing else, having lost the division to the eventual Super Bowl champs would lessen the sting a bit. (Ain’t gonna happen by a long shot, but still.)
Baseball-wise I’m a Mets fan, ergo fuck a bunch of Atlanta, and I’m all not that crazy about Philly. Beyond that, I have more animosity for the Bosox than our other divisional “rivals”, and I’d honestly be kind of amused if the Nats made a run at it.
Same boat here. It’s a little complicated for me. I like the Green Bay Packers as a concept - one of the NFL’s founding franchises, in a city that by no rights should have a professional sports team, owned by the community, etc. – but oh man, do their fans piss me off.
Once the Brett Favre Sideshow has left Minneapolis, I won’t bear any particular ill will toward the Vikings. Losing four Super Bowls (not to mention the 1999 NFC championship game - the best game I’ve ever watched) makes me feel bad for any fan base.
I really, really don’t care for the Bears, though. I still don’t get how a team can do that well with Jay fucking Cutler as their quarterback.
dalej42, I don’t get the common thread between those three NHL teams. Sure, the Red Wings are the Yankees of hockey (all y’all just jealous), the Caps think they’re god’s gift to hockey (despite choking in the playoffs ever year) and the Blackhawks just won the Stanley Cup (after years of mediocrity, though), but I can’t figure out why you’d hate those three teams. What’s the story there?
NFL, as a Packers fan, there is no way in hell I will root for the Vikings or Bears. Lions are really a moot point. Actually, once the playoffs begin, I’ll root for anyone who happens to be going up against Chicago or MN, or (I can’t explain why - I’ve just never liked either of these teams) Philly or Pittsburgh.
MLB, as a Brewers fan, the only team I actively root against is the Cardinals. Combination of the '82 Series and them having Pujols. I’d be thrilled to see any other team knock them out.
NBA, as a (long suffering) Bucks fan, the only team I have anything against is the Bulls. Back in the 90s during Chicago’s title runs I would actively pull for Reggie Miller and the Pacers to knock them out, just once.
So bottom line, NFL I never will cheer for any division rival in the postseason, NBA and MLB I might if you’re going up against the one team (who is also a division rival) that I can’t stand.
I picked the first, “Yes” option. Primarily because I only follow baseball and my team is the Mariners, so since I don’t get to root for my team I have to root for somebody, and since the odds are that the rival division team is probably going to be facing the Yankees in the playoffs I feel I have a moral obligation to support my division’s representative.
