Naturally most people support their home team - the one that’s closest to where they live. But when they’re not playing, how do you choose a team?
For Football:
I usually go with closer teams that I like (after my fav. teams of course).
Then I go with Teams who if they win, will benefit MY teams (Great for College football- teams that can win money for their entire state/division are always rooted for more so).
I then Root for Teams that are AGAINST the Patriots. Because that’s the team I hate. So that makes sense.
Then I go with Teams that my family members like, and if I want my family members to be happy, then it’s fine with me- unless it’s against one of MY teams.
Then I ask: Does the team have Brett Farve? If so, I will root for them, if they are not playing any of *my *teams.
Does any team have some special story/underdog status? If So, I will root for them (ie: NO Saints post Katrina, or the Giants vs. the Patriots- which filled up several categories actually).
Is any team have some sort of No Loss Streak going and do not qualify as one of the above teams? If so, I will root AGAINST them.
Finally, I go by whichever team seems to be heavier on Defense, and hitting harder than the other guys- as that’s the style of football I enjoy watching.
And that’s my guide to how I watch Football.
My fav. teams: Colts, Ravens, and the Raiders (gives me some Diversity in rooting for teams).
My Family Members fav teams: (Redskins, Giants, Steelers, and Dolphins. Oh, and I think I have an uncle that likes the Bills. Not sure about that one. But I refuse to root for the Bills- that’s just silly).
And of course, I hate the Patriots- started a while back when it was Pats vs. Raiders in the Snow for the playoffs in early 2000. Then it was Pats vs. Colts, and again dreams of superbowl’s dashed. And I’ve had an annoying friend hound me about how awesome the Pats are. So yeah. I’m not for 'em.
But those rules PRETTY much give me something to root for in every game except for the occasional Eagles vs. Falcons* game or something, where I’ve go no interest and no dog in the fight. But it’ll usually give me the chance to watch some OTHER game that probably does have my attention because of the other reasons.
*Actually I’d watch this game, if nothing else was on, because it’d fall under a “special case” scenario- Mascot vs. Mascot! Which bird will reign supreme?
And… it’s football. Football is better than no football.
I have a list of teams that I like: For football, it starts with the Cleveland Browns (I grew up there), Pittsburgh Steelers (where my family is from), Philadelphia Eagles (where I went to undergrad), Green Bay Packers (because I really like how into it their fans are, and the idea of a community-owned team) and Cincinnati Bengals (because while not Cleveland, they’re at least Ohio). For baseball, it’s the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates (the reverse order for football and baseball was my way of compromising), Milwaukee Brewers (out of gratitude for all that time in the 80s when they provided a team the Tribe could actually beat), and Cincinnati Reds. So basically, for both, it’s Cleveland-Pennsylvania-Pennsylvania-Wisconsin-Cincinnati.
I also have a few teams I root against: The Denver Broncos (because there were just too many years where they stopped the Browns from reaching the Super Bowl) and anyone from Atlanta (because a city that can’t even sell out a World Series game doesn’t deserve professional sports).
If none of those are playing, then I’ll either go by geographical area (I’ll generally prefer midwestern teams over southerners, for instance), or ask who everyone else is rooting for and go with the majority (often Seattle, in the current crowd I hang with), so I can be happy at the same times as everyone else.
For basketball, it’s a little different: I’ll root for the Cavs, and I’ll root for a team which has any Villanova players (my alma mater), especially Kerry Kittles, and against any team which has Georgetown players, especially Allen Iverson. If none of those conditions hold, I wouldn’t be watching the game in the first place.
ETA: Oh, yeah, Ro0sh reminded me: The Ravens are also on my root-against list, because as a Browns fan, I dislike anything connected with Art Modell.
I root for Pittsburgh sports primarily. My whole family is from Pittsburgh, so I was raised from birth to root for the Steelers and Pirates. When I became a hockey fan, I latched on to the Penguins as well.
I grew up in NE Ohio, though, and though I hate the Browns due to the Steelers rivalry, I did become a fan of the Indians (different leagues…I don’t have an issue there).
Since I’ve lived in Columbus, I also root for OSU in college football and the Blue Jackets in the NHL (different conference from the Penguins). When the Jackets play the Penguins, I do root for the Pens.
While I very much root strongly for the Indians, Buckeyes and Blue Jackets…none of those allegiances are even close to my allegiance to the Pittsburgh teams. And none is stronger than my feeling for the Steelers. As a result, the Steelers most recent Super Bowl victory was the greatest feeling in sports for me. And as ecstatic as I’d be for a Blue Jackets Stanley Cup or Indians World Series win… they wouldn’t compare. A Penguins Stanley Cup would be close (I wasn’t a big hockey fan until 1996, so I really missed the excitement over the two cups in '91 and '92). Last season was awesome, even though they fell a bit short…I have high hopes they can win it all this year.
As for casual games?
I’ll root for other Big Ten schools in college football. I’ll root for teams playing my the other division teams in football. And anyone playing the Cowboys, Patriots, or Yankees, as I hate them with a passion.
I also root for Green Bay a bit (though not with any sort of real following), simply because I really like the way they run the team, and the fact that the team is owned by the city.
I’m with ya on that. I’ll generally root for whichever team has a particularly famous quarterback.
(Well… famous for being good. McNabb is famous right now for making a fool of himself.) I’m a Pats fan :p, but I’ll root for the Jets now even though they’re supposed to be our rivals.
If it’s not my team (Vålerenga) playing, the list goes like this:
- The team I hate the least of the two. (I.e. I’ll floss myself to death with barbed wire before cheering Lyn FK on)
- The team that’s got connections or good relations to my home club. (I.e. players previously played for Vålerenga, or such)
- The team that’s most beneficial for us, Vålerenga, to win. (I.e. if my VIF and LFK are tied on the board, I’ll be cheering for MFK if they’re playing LFK.)
All “realpolitik” concerns out of the way, I’ll cheer for the team known to play the more entertaining football or that responds better to audience, since I’ll have more fun that way.
Of course, in Norwegian football it’s nearly a non-issue, since all the teams and regions are so intertwined and competetive we pretty much have a set list.
I root for whichever team whose opponent is in the same division or conference as my favorite teams. So, I’ll root for whichever team is playing an NFC East team, NL East team, etc. (all four Philly teams are my favorites). When two teams from our division are playing each other, such as the Redskins and Cowboys, I’ll want the better team to lose to try to balance the records (although it’s really tough to cheer for the Cowboys).
I don’t actively “cheer” for games that have no impact on the standings that would affect my team. I watched Monday Night Football this past week (Browns vs. Bills), and I couldn’t have cared less who won, but I wanted to see a good game. The same goes with most AL games.
I’m apparently a deranged sports fan, in that I don’t have a favorite team in any sport.
I may or may not pull for a team in any given matchup, based mostly upon playing style, player’s styles, point-spread (non-bettor, I just like to see the underdogs win/favorites get embarrassed), what have you. But any allegiance is about as lasting as when one pulls for heads or tails on a coin toss upon which nothing has been wagered. I don’t care who wins, mostly*; the sports I watch are the one I played in HS, and I have some insight into the dynamics of them, and simply appreciate the excellence of the best players making the improbable plays.
And no, I’m not the guy who jumps on the bandwagon each year; I grew up with that guy, and loathe him. I just don’t care-they did it last year, they’ll do it again next year, why worry about the outcomes?
*I actively root against the Yankees, because they are truly an ‘Evil Empire’, but even that anti-allegiance is on the wane, sadly; I allowed Yankees on my Fantasy Baseball roster this past year for the first time in recorded history.
I’m not a big fan, so I usualy don’t watch if my team (the Packers) aren’t playing.
But if I do, I go fo the team that isn’t in the NFC north (so the Pack improves in the standings).
Brian
Generally, the further West the team, the more likely I am to cheer for them.
In pro football, my number one team is the Arizona Cardinals. I also like the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints.
The NBA is easy. #1 Phoenix Suns, #2 LA Clippers, #3 Golden State Warriors, #4 Sacramento Kings, #5 New Orleans Hornets. I could be a fan of the Trail Blazers if they’ve actually turned around from the Jail Blazers era.
NHL. #1. Phoenix Coyotes. #2 Columbus Blue Jackets, #3 LA Kings, #4 Anaheim Ducks. I’ll also watch the Western Canadian teams, particularly Calgary and Edmonton.
MLB.#1 Arizona Diamondbacks. #2 Oakland A’s. #3 San Diego Padres, #4. LA Dodgers, #5 Anaheim Angels, #6 San Francisco Giants.
In college, I like a lot of teams. ACC Florida States. Big Ten Ohio State. SEC Florida, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State. Pac Ten. Arizona State, Arizona and any Pac Ten teams. I"ll also watch most teams from Arizona, California, and New Mexico.
I’m a race fan. I’ll always pull for Ford powered vehicles when they are participating. If not, then I don’t really root for anyone in particular, as long as the racing is good, but I will root against people that I don’t care for.
I root for a team if:
-they’re from my hometown or a player or coach on the team has ties to my hometown
-they’re in a division I like
-they’re playing against a team I hate
-their victory over their opponent screws up that opponent’s standing against a team I like
-they have one or two particular players who stand out to me
With college teams, I tend to favor WAC/Mountain West/Pac 10 teams.
Born and bred in Manchester it was only natural that I support Manchester City.
If I’d been born darn sarf I’d have been a manure fan.
BTW, this is real football I’m talking about
I support our local Minnesota teams, though I sometimes have to turn off the TV because their poor play is so upsetting.
Otherwise, there are teams I cheer against.
I support any team that is playing against Dallas or Notre Dame.
I used to like Tony Dungee at Indianapolis, until I found out he’s an anti-gay bigot. And if any team is still employing Les Steckel, I’ll cheer for their opponent.
Otherwise I cheer for teams from Free states over Slave states. And Blue states over Red states. (Though those are about the same thing.)
Finally, if nothing else, whichever team has the better uniforms. Dark colors (purples, blues, greens) over boring whites & blacks or messed-up mixtures. But at this point, it’s pretty minor support, and I might switch to any team that makes a spectacular play or drive or interesting play choice. Or just gets screwed over by the Refs too many times, like the Giants in the game with Indianapolis tonight – 3 3rd-downs in a row that the Refs gave to Indianapolis on BS calls.
Pretty easy for me: I root for UCLA, and for whoever is playing USC. 
ETA: Unless it’s Cal.
Hmm…
I think I speak for the entire city of Baltimore when I say “NO.” Pick one - you can root for the glorious defensive juggernaut that is the Ravens, or the embodiment of all that is soulless and wrong in the Indianapolis [spit]Colts[/spits], but you can’t do both.
The thread title is misleading: you don’t choose the teams that you root for, the teams choose you (in a manner of speaking).
In the past, I’ve been emotionally attached to teams for (among others) the following reasons: being the local team, being the team my father rooted for, being the team of a player (or coach) for whom I have an affinity, being the opponent of a team I actively dislike, being a team I correctly predicted would succeed, being a team (or player) I argued in favor of in the past (e.g. I went through a period of always arguing for Peyton Manning in the Manning vs. Brady debates online, so I’ve found myself rooting for the Colts [whenever they’re not playing the Giants, of course]). I’ve never stopped and thought to myself, “Hmm, I think I’d like to root for Team X . . . Go Team X!!!” Fan-dom doesn’t work that way.
Rather, you just *discover *that, whatever the reason, you’d rather one team was more successful than another. Usually these preferences are predictable and/or expected, but sometimes they take you by surprise. One thing that I think is neat is that you can sit down to watch a game in which you have no conscious rooting interest, and then find out, half way through, that you’re really pulling for a particular side, for some reason that didn’t seem to matter to you before. It’s like you’re finding out something about *yourself *by watching football. Good times.
(There is one exception: if you wager on a game, then for all intents and purposes you are choosing which side to root for.)
Ahhh… the City of Baltimore… where two wrongs do make a right.
Indians first.
Followed by any team that can beat the Yankees.
Browns, through the suckage.
Steelers. Yes, I can like them both.
Akron Aeros.
Texas, because my husband went there.
Penn State, because my father-in-law played for them.
Any school where my sorority has a chapter, including my own. If they’re playing each other, either way. I don’t care. Nobody has any idea why I’m cheering for University of Wisconsin-Platteville? So what.
Exactly. My choices (in the days before we had the Jaguars) were mainly personality/player/aestherics based. In pro football in the 70’s as a social outcast, I naturally glommed onto the Oakland Raiders, as wild a bunch of wacky nonconformists as the game has ever seen. As the outlaw image faded and the team became more “corporate”, my interest in them faded, and then died when we got the Jags. When the 80’s came around and ESPN started showing hockey, I became majorly intrigued and then completely awed by the Edmonton Oilers, a team the likes of which we will likely never witness again. Like the Raiders they broke many unwritten rules yet won anyway. For one year I rooted madly for the NY Rangers after they got Mark Messier from the Oilers, then the Red Wings captured my admiration with the dispassionately ruthless manner in which they dispatched opponents.
In baseball same story basically: followed the Reds until the Big Red Machine finally fell apart in the early 80’s, had sympathy for the Red Sox since 1978 and the Cubs from 1984, which eventually grew into full blown attachment to Boston by early 1986 (Wade Boggs as the ultimate thinking-man’s ballplayer also helped). The Cubs had two of my favorite players of all time in Sandberg and Maddux, and I switched to the Braves when the latter changed teams and the former retired. Having a guy from my high school (Chipper Jones) also didn’t hurt.
In basketball it was essentially the 76ers, for similar reasons as the Oilers (Dr. J mainly), until my interest in pro basketball waned in the mid late 90’s (Allan Iverson being perhaps the biggest symbolic reason). I did root for Charles Barkley wherever he went after he left Philly.
Now some may accuse me of being a fair weather fan, but that’s not quite right either as I’ve followed several teams through painfully dark times and boneheaded trades which wrecked the franchise for years afterward (thinking specifically of the horrible pre-draft 1986 deals of the Sixers). You may if you wish and I won’t really argue. But a team needs certain indefinable qualities to retain my attention.