And if not, why?
I’ve lived in Pittsburgh my entire life, and it’s never occurred to me to cheer any other teams than the Steelers or the Penguins. I guess it’s a hometown pride thing, but I can’t see picking a team based on how good they are – since everyone has their good and their bad periods. (Look at the Pirates!*)
There are other franchises I may like, but they’ll never replace the black and gold for me.
(*I’m not a baseball fan, but I do wish the Pirates would start winning!)
Yes. I usually don’t even watch the sports unless my home teams are playing.
I live in Ottawa, and hate the people in my town that cheer for the Maple Leafs or Habs, even when the Senators suck as much as they do now. Unless you’re from one of those cities or are more than like, 50 years old, there’s no excuse for that.
Worse still is Penguins fans in Ottawa who rode the Sidney Crosby bandwagon “because he’s Canadian.” Same ones who cheer for the New York Yankees, Manchester United, and the LA Lakers. I know we don’t have the same tribal mentality to our pro sports that Europe has, but at least have a little civic pride, FFS!
I’ve moved around so much that I don’t really know where to consider my hometown.
Not a big sports fan by any means, but root for A’s, Raiders get a meh, especially due to the Black Hole. And as little as I care about football, I am less into basketball, so the Warriors don’t get a bigger blip than other NBA teams.
Local where I live now: we only have college and AAA, so I do go for the NCAAF.
I was born in Pittsburgh, but my family moved to St. Louis when I was five. I never thought of switching allegiances from Pittsburgh teams to others, nor did anyone in my family.
A few years ago, my brother moved to Columbus, Ohio. The locals there promised him that it would only be a matter of time before he would become an Ohio State fan. He’s fan of Penn State and Pitt - it’s just not something that we can even conceive of.
I wonder if true devotion is a product of certain areas? I am originally from Pittsburgh also, and I can’t conceive of rooting for any other team. No matter where I hang my hat. It seems that most people I meet from western PA are the same.
I spent some time in Ottawa, and watched the Senators and rooted for them. But I just couldn’t get attached to them. And I was always happy when the Penguins beat them. I also lived in the Washington/Baltimore area and even though I rooted for the Orioles, no love. The Redskins won 2 super bowls while I lived there. Didn’t care.
I am a lifelong Portlander. We only have one team. We are getting an MLS ream next year. For MLB, NFL and the NHL we get to pick whomever. Most pick the Seattle teams for baseball and football because we see all their games, but it’s not required. A lot of people root for the Bay Area teams because they’re the closest teams to the south. If you’re an NHL fan there is no obvious choice. San Jose, maybe?
I personally root for the Mariners, but jumped on the Bills bandwagon when they were making four straight Super Bowls. I am not really a big NHL fan, but I got swept up in the Stanley Cup Playoffs one year when Patrick Roy was ruling, so I’m nominally an Avs fan. It’s cool being a free agent.
No. I’m a Maryland native but a Red Sox fan. My family is all over the place with regards to rooting interests and the only constant I was raised with was “The Yankees are evil,” so the Red Sox were a natural choice to support. Eventually it morphed into liking the Red Sox more than I hated the Yankees. I was rooting for them before 2004, so I don’t consider myself a bandwagon fan, but I’ll admit it wasn’t a conventional path. At this point I would say I’m “hard core,” to put it mildly. I spend much of my free time reading sites where claiming backup catchers on waivers garners a 4-page discussion.
Same.
I picked “sometimes”. I live in Sacramento, so technically I only have one “home team”, which is the NBA Kings. And since I was 18 when the Kings came to town, I grew up thinking of the Bay Area teams as “home teams”. So with that in mind:
NBA: I root for the Kings…and was never really a basketball fan before they came to town
NHL: I root for the San Jose Sharks. I didn’t care at all for hockey before they were formed, having no team closer than LA.
MLB: I root for the Giants. I also like to see the A’s do well, but I bleed black and orange
NFL: I root for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I started watching football in the early/mid 70’s, so being a kid I rooted for the winners, and I’ve stuck with them ever since. I also root for the 49ers to keep peace in the family, and like to see the Raiders do well, but neither is my favorite.
Yes, but they are good and bad in different ways.
Yes. I’m from the Bronx, so I root for the Yankees. But I’ll also root for the Mets if they’re doing well, as long as they’re not playing the Yankees.
In the NFL I root mainly for the Giants. But this year, I’m certainly rooting for the Jets, since the Giants are out of it.
I grew up in New York, and I eventually embraced most of the hometown teams… but when I was a kid, I had loads of favorite teams from all over.
In baseball, the first team I rooted for was the Minnesota Twins (Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew era).
In football, I rooted for the Oakland Raiders (loved Daryle Lamonica).
In basketball, I rooted for whatever ABA team Rick Barry was on at any given moment.
In hockey, I loved the Canadiens.
Now that I love in Texas, though, I’m more loyal to New York teams than I was as akid who LIVED in New York.
Yes, my teams are home teams. But… I was a 49ers fan before moving to the Bay Area, though*. They will always be my team, even if I move. Similarly, the San Jose Sharks will be my hockey team wherever I move. I imagine I’d root for any close-by baseball or basketball team because I’m just not that into those sports.
*: My hometown of Portland, OR doesn’t have its own football team, so I was free to pick any one I wanted.
I lived in Chicago until I was 26 and then moved to Minneapolis. Seveal years later, I still root for the Bears, Blackhawks and, alas, the Cubs. I have no problem rooting for the Twins here, since they are rarely in conflict with the Cubs, but I am only an occasional Vikings fan. I do not pay much attention to the Wild, unless they happen to be on TV where I am hanging out.
Regardless of which team I actually want to root for, everyone assumes I am rooting for the Chicago teams, so I think that kind of reinforces it; I want to gloat when they win because I get crap when they lose.
I live at the Jersey shore, equidistant from NYC and Philadelphia. In general, I root for NY teams, and Philly teams can collectively DIAF.
I’m a die-hard Giants fan, but usually put the Jets a half-step above Philly teams.
Although they’re the only NJ team from a major sport, I can’t really get behind the Nets (the fact that they’re leaving notwithstanding). Even during the Jason Kidd years, I couldn’t get past their years of gawd-awfulness and the assurance that they’d return to that form – I stuck with the Knicks through it all.
And even though they’re an affiliate of the Phillies (again, DIAF), I root for the Lakewood Blueclaws simply because their stadium is five minutes from my home and there’s no better place to spend a summer evening.
I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Texas Rangers fan and I like the Mavericks. However, I can do without the Cowboys, but I try to be supportive of them due to my husband’s fandome.
My ancestors on both sides of my family have lived in the Chicago area since they got off the boat, so no one in my family ever had any loyalty to any other teams.
I cheer for Toronto teams, but not the Maple Leafs, who can roast in hell.