What Are Your Team Affiliations?

In My Humble Opinion
1

So what sports teams do y’all root for, and why? (International Dopers, feel free to replace the admittedly U.S.-centric sports I list below with rugby, football, cricket, jai alai, et cetera, as it suits your fancy.)
NFL: Washington Redskins. Yes, I know, I’m sorry. I grew up in the D.C. area. And this used to be a really proud franchise, y’know? I also root for the Rams, as they’re my brother’s favorite team, and I’m pulling for the Ravens to win the Super Bowl this year.

NBA: Portland Trailblazers. I live in Oregon. 'Course, they ripped the soul out of the Blazers when they traded away Brian Grant, but I still like 'em. Alternate History Fact: Had Arvydas Sabonis signed with Portland when they drafted him in 1987 rather than opting to remain in Europe, they would have won multiple titles and challenged the Bulls for team of the '90s. Sabas was that good back then; a seven-foot Larry Bird.

MLB: Baltimore Orioles. Yes, I know, I’m sorry. I grew up in the D.C. area. And this used to be a really proud franchise, y’know? … I’m very, very sorry.

NHL: Washington Capitals. I suppose. I don’t have much interest in hockey, but insofar as I follow the season on the sports pages, it’s the Caps I keep an eye on.

College Football: Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers. Fun, fun teams. Too bad those of you on the East Coast never get to see 'em. And dammit, this season just increased my desire for a college football playoff (another thread, another time), because OSU was playing as well as anyone this year. And they way they played the Fiesta Bowl, they would have kicked the hell out of Oklahoma that night, too.

College Basketball: Duke Blue Devils. My team. If I could see only one game for the rest of my life, it would be Duke-Carolina in Cameron. I was front row center court for the 102-100 double overtime game in 1995, and while I could have wished for a better outcome, it was the best sports experience of my life. In my humble opinion, Duke basketball epitomizes much of what is good about college sports. Great kids, great coach, great attitudes, great court, great fans, great commitment to academics. I got to see them live for the first time in five years when they played in Portland last month.
…Anyone else?

2

NFL: Buffalo Bills
NHL: Buffalo Sabres
NBA: LA Clippers

Why? Oh, I don’t know, just lucky I guess.

3

Okay, given that the only sport I care to watch (as opposed to play) is football:

The Minnesota Vikings. My family has been Vikings fans since the team’s inception and I learned to love the Vikes at my daddy’s knee.

Notre Dame. Because they’re God’s team. :smiley:

The Minnesota Golden Gophers, and the University of Montana Grizzlies, because they are the teams of my alma maters.

Various other teams for regional reasons, and with a lesser degree of passion – The University of Colorado, the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, the Huskies and the Ducks.

4

NFL - Miami Dolphins. Probably because when I was at the age to start making such a choice (about 4), the Dolphins were in the process of going undefeated for the season. They’ve been my favorite team ever since.

MLB - Kansas City Royals. That’s where I lived at the same time. Also, the first game I ever went to see.

NBA - New Jersey Nets. I’ve never been a huge NBA fan, but I lived in Jersey for 10 years (3rd grade through high school) and just started following them when Daly was coach and they had some fair teams until Petro died.

NHL - New Jersey Devils. See above.

College Hoops - Wisconsin (where I live now) and Valparaiso (where I went to law school).

College Football - Wisconsin, and Nebraska (where I was born).

For the XFL, I’m going to root for the Las Vegas team just for the hell of it.

5

[hijack]

Two questions, Gazoo:

  1. How’s Valpo’s law school? I got something from them yesterday, and I realized I didn’t know much about the program.

  2. What do you think of the Damon trade? IMHO, the Royals would’ve been much better served to take Grieve themselves. Then, if they were still desperate for help in the bullpen and at shortstop, they could’ve traded Grieve or even Jermaine Dye. Either way, they would have received something better than a 36 year old closer, I think. Do you read Rob Neyer?

[/hijack]

6

NFL - The Green Bay Packers. No other team will ever hold my heart. I was born and raised in Green Bay. I saw my first game at Lambeau Field when I was seven years old. I’ve faithfully watched them through the lean years (David Whitehurst anyone?) and the good years. I grew up with the lilting music of Jim Irwin and Max McGee filling my Sunday afternoons. Ahh, memories. You suck, Wayne Larivee.

For some strange reason, I have also always had a soft spot for Tampa Bay. I was sad to see them bow out of the playoffs early.

MLB - The Milwuakee Brewers. No question. Sure, they really stink, and they have stunk for many years now. But they are such a part of my childhood that I will always be a fan. Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Gorman Thomas, Cecil Cooper…I spent countless summer nights listening to the games and my family usually drove down to County Stadium a couple of times each summer to watch one in person. Even now, summer evenings are still better with Bob Uecker’s voice coming out of the radio.

NHL - Eh. Don’t really follow it.

NBA - Can’t stand it.

NCAA Football - The Wisconsin Badgers. But I’m not really die-hard or anything. I don’t like that they play on astroturf. That’s the kind of thing that can turn me off to a team.

7

MLB: New York Yankees.

NASCAR: Evernham Motorsports (hey, they’re running Dodges and he’s got Casey Atwood, plus Ray is a Mechanical God), Wood Brothers Racing (family affiliation), Joe Gibbs Racing (I’m not really a fan of the drivers, I’m a fan of the team)

8

Bottle of Smoke: Your damn Badgers cost my Ducks a chance at a BCS bowl. :slight_smile: I like Wisconsin, actually; I’m sorry to see Bennett leaving early.

racinchikki: Joe Gibbs! Now there’s a good guy.

9

I grew up in Baltimore, and even though I haven’t lived there in eight years, I’m still loyal to the local teams.

MLB - The Baltimore Orioles. No reason to apologize, Gadarene. At least you’re not a fair weather fan. And they WILL rise again!

NFL - The Ravens. Yeah, they weren’t even in existence when I moved from Baltimore. But still. I’m a Baltimore boy at heart.

NHL - The Washington Capitals. I’m not as big of a hockey fan as I used to be, but I’ll still try to catch a Caps game when they’re in town.

10

Footie (soccer):

Football League Division Two: Oldham Athletic AFC

Plus soft spots for:

Ryman League Premier Division: Farnborough Town FC
Serie A (Italy): Brescia
Premier Division (Scotland): Dunfermline Athletic FC

Aussie Rules:

I like to keep an eye out for Sydney City (backpacking memories).

11

NHL: NY Rangers
MLB: NY Mets

NFL & NBA: What’s that?

XFL: I’m curious about that one… I think there’s a NY/NJ team.

12

It’s not bad, but not very well known. (Although the Hoops team making the Sweet Sixteen a couple of years ago actually helped that to some extent.) Reading some of your posts regarding law school, I’d say it’s a bit below your talent. I went there when wait listed at Wisconsin and just never bothered to leave.

This is one of the reasons I don’t follow MLB all that much lately. I loved Damon, and wanted him to stay, but, of course, there’s no way they’d be able to afford him when his contract runs out. I would rather they picked up Grieve in the deal, too. I hope they hold on to Dye for as long as possible. Sweeney too.

13

Baseball: The Cubs. I’ve always loved the cubs, since I was about eleven and living in New York, and I love them for the sport and because I’m loyal. Nothing steams me more than Sox fans telling me only drunk idiots like the Cubs. Mark Grace…my first sports related crush, is a traitor, and can burn in hell.

Football: This is lengthy. I’m a die hard, every week, every day Bears fan, always and forever. ** Bottle of Smoke ** I hope we can manage to occupy this board in peace. But I also love the Broncos because that’s my husband’s team, and I love the Jaguars because I’m in love with Mark Brunell.

Hockey: The Blackhawks. I love love love love Hockey.

Swimming: Pieter Von Dem Hoogenband. THE flying dutchman.

jarbaby

14

NFL - Washington Redskins, baby!!! Been a DC fan all my life. And dammit, they WILL get better. Someday.

College Football - Penn State. Both my parents went there, so I got indoctrinated at an early age. And since I grew up in Annapolis, I also have a soft spot for Navy.

NHL - Washington Capitals. Just getting started being a hockey fan, so I figured I’d go local. :wink:

MLB and NBA - Who cares?

15

Anamorphic, hey, welcome to the SDMB. C’mon over and crack open a Natty Boh!

Football: Baltimore Ravens, headed to Festivus Maximus, baby!

Baseball: The BALTIMORE Orioles, not this Mid-Atlantic crap espoused by King Peter, who has totally ruined a once proud franchise. I’ll always be an O’s fan, but I don’t care much anymore.

NBA: shrug…yawn

NHL: Don’t care much either. Falcon is supposed to be indoctrinating me to the Caps, but it hasn’t happened yet.

All College Sports: gotta go with the Alma Matter, Towson University.

16

NHL: Edmonton Oilers. I was in elementary school during the Gretzky years. I’ve stuck with them since.

MLB: Toronto Blue Jays. Grew up watching them on TV with my Dad. I was ecstatic When they won the World Series (both times).

NFL and NBA: Eh. Don’t care much about either league.

CFL: BC Lions. This years Grey Cup champs! Yeah, baby!

English Premier League Football: Newcastle United. Don’t really care, but I have family in Newcastle, and I think my crazy great aunt would have a heart attack if I cheered for another team.

CHL (Canadian junior hockey): Vancouver Giants. Sure, they won’t exist until next year but how can a team partially owned by Gordie Howe be bad?

17

MLB: Atlanta Braves. I grew up a St. Louis Cardinals fan, but got in the habit of going to Braves games after moving to Atlanta in the mid 80s. After attending 20 games a year or so from 1987 to 1992, I feel entitled to continue riding the wave, especially since I’ll still be a fan once the inevitable decline comes. I also like that it’s just about the best organization in baseball now (though much to my chagrin, I have to admit that Brian Cashman, Joe Torre, et al. are giving them a run for their money these days, and both Bay Area teams are enjoying the fruits of wise player development and trade/signing decisions).

Southern League (AA): Chattanooga Lookouts. Didn’t manage to make it to a game last season, their first in the new ballpark, but I’d been to several games a year for the last several years before that. I loved Engel Stadium, but there really was nothing more they could do to prolong its life, and they seem to have done a good job with the new park, and it was built with private funds, so it’s hard to complain about the loss (at least they didn’t tear down Engel yet, and plan to continue using it for high school games, etc.).

Texas League (AA): Arkansas Travelers. My longest-standing team affiliation. Attended my first professional baseball game at Ray Winder Field, and followed the Travs’ fortunes every year as a kid. One great benefit of the Internet for me has been that I’ve been able to keep up with the Travs without having to subscribe to The Sporting News or Baseball America. Part of the reason I was a Cardinals fan growing up was that I’d seen a lot of the mid/late 70s and early 80s Cardinal players as minor leaguers with the Travs. Ray Winder Field, with the demise of Engel as a minor league park, is one of the last great 1930s-era mid-sized minor league parks, and Bill Valentine and company do a fabulous job of maintaining the park and giving people value for their money.

South Atlantic (Sally) League (A): Asheville Tourists. Since Asheville’s my wife’s hometown, I get to see several games a year at McCormick Field. The Tourists did a great job when it became necessary to replace the old McCormick Field facilities; they left the layout of the playing field and dimensions essentially unchanged, tore down the old grandstand, locker rooms, etc. as soon as the season was over, and had a new brick, concrete and steel version built before the next opening day. It has the retro feel of most of the current crop of major league parks, albeit on a smaller scale (and without the luxury boxes). First class facility, and GM Ron McKee and his team also do a great job. Since it’s not really traditional to have a rehearsal or rehearsal dinner for Jewish weddings, we elected to have an outing to a Tourists game at McCormick Field for family and friends the night before our wedding (the one aspect of my wedding that had more to do with me than my wife).

What? Other sports? What other sports? I can’t stomach either pro football or pro basketball, and I rarely bother to watch college football. I will watch college basketball, and typically try to keep up with and root for the University of Arkansas once tournament time rolls around, but that’s all. Never got into hockey.

18

MLB: The White Sox. 'Nuff said, since I’ve been watching them since the waning days of Minoso (the single nicest player I’ve ever met). They are the heart of my living in Chicago. Just rememember: only 38 days until Spring Training!

jarbabyj, I apologize for my rude fellow fans. I think the greatest problem the Cubs face in support is the small percentage of drunken idiots that file into Wrigley. The vast number of Cubs fans are well-informed baseball fans that are steadily getting more ticked off at the poor performance of their team. The Cubs organization needs to serve your needs rather than the few jerks. As for Mark Grace, I wish him well and say we owe him a vote of thanks for his long term of service (which was wonderfully long considering today’s MLB labor market).

NFL: The Bears. Have to, even though there were times I wanted to come up behind Jauron and yell “TAKE MCNOWN OUT.”

NBA: Who cares, right now? That said, I still follow the Bulls. See why I’m apathetic?

NHL: Hawks, I guess. I much prefer the:

IHL: Go Wolves!

MLS: Go Fire!

19

Thank you Joseph. It means a lot. I go to Sox games, for sure, but they’re just not my team. In fact, I was at the Sox/Tigers BENCHCLEARING BRAWL last season and I almost had to get into a fist fight with a bitch from naperville because I was cheering on the Tigers :smiley: She couldn’t believe someone would root against her precious sox!

I wanted to go up behind Brian Urlacher and suggest that he “sweep the shoulder” to take McNown out. Jim Miller is the future.
jarbaby

20

MLB: Toronto Blue Jays. Geographic proximity. I have a second love, the Phillies, because Mike Schmidt is my favourite player. So 1993 was a major kick for me.

NHL: Ottawa Senators. Again, proximity; I used to live closer to Ottawa than I did to Toronto. I became fond of the Sens because I like the way they run the team.

NBA: Toronto Raptors. Even pre-Vince. They’re the only NBA team on this side of Canada.

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals. I liked the striped helmets when I was a kid and I’ve stuck with them through some thick and a lot of thin.

CFL: Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Just a coincidence that I like them and the Bengals; my Mom’s family is from Hamilton and my grandparents were huge Ticats fans, so it rubbed off.

Soccer: The Riot Police.