I have a friend who likes 4-5 college sports teams and I believe 2 pro football teams, 2 baseball and 2 or 3 nba teams. I personally think that you should be a fan of one team. It just seems like it makes it easier to root for whoever is doing the best that year. He disagrees.

thoughts?


and it was a bad title. it should be fans of more than one sports team.



[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 12:06 PM. Reason : dgs]

5/6/2007 12:05:24 PM

some people are bandwagon fans and some arent

5/6/2007 12:10:39 PM

you can "like" several teams, but only truly support one per sport. unless you're mormon.

5/6/2007 12:19:44 PM

I'm gonna have to agree with you on this, especially regarding pro teams. The only reason I could see being a "fan" of multiple college teams would be if you went to several schools while obtaining your education.

Now granted, I pull for some college teams because parents, family, friends went there but I'm not a "fan" per se.

5/6/2007 12:19:47 PM

I would guess there are a lot of us on this board that pull for two NFL teams--Panthers (or whoever else your main team has been) and the Chargers.

5/6/2007 12:23:04 PM

Although this is not the case with me, I can understand if someone is torn between teams in different conferences. (East/West in nhl,nba, afc and nfc). And it is 100% ok with me to have a favorite AL team and a favorite NL team. I think you should still have a clearcut #1 team for each sport, otherwise it's just weird.

budman97420 is right about college though, if you went to 2 schools, then you can/should support both.

5/6/2007 12:30:34 PM

sounds like your friend is trying to cover all his bases so he can be a winner at any given time

5/6/2007 12:42:15 PM

Quote :

"you can "like" several teams, but only truly support one per sport. unless you're mormon."

totally agree with this

Quote :

"budman97420 is right about college though, if you went to 2 schools, then you can/should support both."

I agree with this too unless you went to school at UNC and NC State (or Michigan and Ohio State or Duke and UNC, etc.). I think it would be real hard to be a diehard fan of two rival schools.

5/6/2007 12:42:22 PM

what you can't do, though, is pull the 'i went to nc state, but i grew up a michigan/ohio state/southern cal fan, so they're my favorite team, not state'

b/c that shit is ridiculous, and i want to punch everyone who subscribes to this in the stomach.

5/6/2007 12:52:26 PM

When it comes to baseball, football, etc. when one team wins and one loses I have to pick one team and stick with them. I do have second favorites but they're a distant second. But I like some sports like golf or motorsports where only 1 of about 50 people can win and you better have more than one favorite in those or you will only celebrate a few wins a year. When it comes to college sports I only pull for NC State and whoever's playing those blue teams though

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 12:54 PM. Reason : :]

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 12:55 PM. Reason : :]

5/6/2007 12:53:58 PM

Quote :

"you will only celebrate a few wins a year."

that's the case for lions fans anyway

5/6/2007 12:55:38 PM

As long as they are in different conferences.

And as long as you have one team that you will pull for over any other team, then I think it's fine. I would call myself a Chargers fan, but if they were to ever meet the Panthers in the Superbowl I would cheer for Rivers to throw a last minute, game ending interception, and he's my favorite NFL player by far.

5/6/2007 12:56:42 PM

^^^^ I agree. If you were a student at more than one school fine, but where you go to school should trump any past affiliation with a team. Sure you can pull for them, but they're not "your" team anymore. Unless that team happens to be UNC-CH, then you're just an asshat.

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 12:58 PM. Reason : ...]

5/6/2007 12:57:14 PM

^ wtf just happened? i saw your post right under mine, went to respond and it's 3 under mine.

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 12:59 PM. Reason : tdub is morphing spacetime]

5/6/2007 12:59:14 PM

yeah, same happened to me...twilight zone man

5/6/2007 1:02:20 PM

i'm a raiders fan, but i like to see the jets and eagles do well, also. i'd never root for them over oakland, though.

in college, i'm a nc state and penn state fan, but i wouldn't root for penn state over nc state.

5/6/2007 1:17:13 PM

There's gotta be one clear-cut favorite for anytime you'd have a game between two teams you like. I'll root for the Bears, but if they're playing the Panthers, screw Chicago. Same with the Hurricanes over the Craphawks (Chicago does not have an NHL team, I say).

As far as colleges go, I root for two schools: (1) NC State and (2) whoever is playing Carolina. Those won't change if I go somewhere else for grad school. I'd add another school to cheer for, but 1 and 2 would trump the new school

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 1:25 PM. Reason : college]

5/6/2007 1:22:33 PM

It seems like a lot of you are rooting for players more than a team. If P-Riv was on the falcons would you root for the falcons?

5/6/2007 1:32:20 PM

oh, and one more thing.

DO NOT EVER say that you are a fan of a particular college in only one sport. EVER.

^ i would, but i think pro sports are shallow and stupid. priv is more important than the nfl imo.

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 1:33 PM. Reason : good god priv owns]

5/6/2007 1:32:41 PM

^ unless your school does not have a particular sports team. I love watching Johns Hopkins lacrosse. but like I said, that is because state doesn't have a varsity team.

5/6/2007 1:34:58 PM

who the hell cares. I can't believe this is something that you are actually asking/talking/discussing

5/6/2007 1:42:44 PM

^it's just a covert way to hate on bandwagon fans

5/6/2007 1:46:27 PM

i have to say that the NBA is the only league where i am a fan of more than one team

thats because I can't really find a team i want to follow (i dont want to jump on a spurs/suns/pistons/cavs bandwagon)

so i find myself watching the lakers but i really cant say i am sad or disappointed if they lose.

i root for the bobcats but with it being UNC-Charlotte, it is hard for me to be a fan

5/6/2007 2:00:02 PM

My entire family is a huge supporter of syracuse. Every single relative I have is from upstate NY and thus I grew up a Syracuse fan watching every football and basketball game that was on TV and listening to the others on the radio.

Additionally, I grew up < 10 mins from UNCC. Being a huge sports fan overall when I was a kid my dad would take me to the basketball and soccer games. For several straight seasons I did not miss one home soccer game and even traveled for some of the big out of town soccer games and a few basketball games.

And for the past 4 years (graduating this coming week) I have been at NC State. 'nuff said.

So personally I feel justified to be fans of all 3 of those programs (even tho State is my top).

For pro football, I grew up a Minnesota fan (dono why my dad was a huge viking fan so i was ). and at the time we never had a team around here. So i grew up a big viking fan...and then the panthers came around and naturally i followed them a lot as well and would say they are my favorite NFL team now with the vikings being a not so distant second. Im a huge fan of both.

basketball...im a CHARLOTTE hornets fan through and through. screw the bobcats. i have no one to root for now

5/6/2007 2:05:08 PM

It depends on the situation. In the NHL, I pull for the Hurricanes and the Rangers. I was a Rangers fan growing up since my family is from the NJ/NYC area, but after the 'Canes showed up down here, I started following them more and more. When they play each other, I pull for the Hurricanes, but other than that I want both to do well. For NFL, I never developed much of a connection with the Panthers, so I'm still a Giants fan. And of course I want to see San Diego do well ever since Phil went there.

However, I don't think you can do it with rivals. I was a Duke fan when I was younger. Ever since I decided I was going to State, fuck Duke. I'll still root for them over UNC, but otherwise, forget it.

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 2:29 PM. Reason : d]

5/6/2007 2:28:48 PM

I only support the Philadelphia Eagles... even in the NBA, NCAA, PGA, NHL, etc.. no matter what the sport is... I always want the Eagles to win.

5/6/2007 3:22:07 PM

^ it's too bad they've never brought home the larry o'brien trophy, the afca trophy, the wanamaker trophy, the sterling trophy, or the vince lombardi trophy

5/6/2007 3:29:01 PM

Quote :

"It seems like a lot of you are rooting for players more than a team. If P-Riv was on the falcons would you root for the falcons?"

Yes.

5/6/2007 3:29:29 PM

i grew up liking unc. if i stopped liking them just because i went to state then i never really would have been a true fan of unc. i pull for state cuz its my school. screw anybody who doesn't like it. i also cheer for any nc team out of conf. im from charlotte so i dont have the whole trianlge insecurity between ncsu and unc fans built into my dna.

5/6/2007 3:32:51 PM

I went to Navy and am a huge fan of the teams there...but I'm also a huge NC State fan (my bro went there). They operate on different levels and I don't see a problem cheering for both...but I would cheer for Navy should they face off again.

I'm a lifelong Redskins fan but became a Chargers fan when I lived there (before Philip got signed)...right now I'd probably take the Chargers over the Skins just because they have a better shot at the SB and Phil's on the team. Dan Snyder has kind of pissed me off at the Skins lately.

5/6/2007 3:37:34 PM

Quote :

"if i stopped liking them just because i went to state then i never really would have been a true fan of unc."

do not ever act holier than thou b/c you continue to be a fan of carolina whilst attending state.

and if you chose to go to state, then i would say that you are correct, you were never a true fan of unc. queue the 'but i can't base my career on sports teams' argument. (you base your team on your alma mater, not the other way around)

Quote :

"They operate on different levels and I don't see a problem cheering for both...but I would cheer for Navy should they face off again."

is the appropriate mindset .

5/6/2007 3:45:42 PM

Quote :

"i root for the bobcats but with it being UNC-Charlotte, it is hard for me to be a fan"

You know that there is a UNC-Charlotte already, that has nothing to do with the Bobcats, right?

5/6/2007 4:13:10 PM

Quote :

"For pro football, I grew up a Minnesota fan (dono why my dad was a huge viking fan so i was ). and at the time we never had a team around here. So i grew up a big viking fan...and then the panthers came around and naturally i followed them a lot as well and would say they are my favorite NFL team now with the vikings being a not so distant second. Im a huge fan of both."

I agree with this. I think if you grew up rooting for a team and then your area acquires a new team later, then it's okay to cheer for two teams. But that's really the only way to cheer for 2 pro teams.

I grew up cheering for the Miami Dolphins and after the Panthers came into being, I started cheering for them too.

5/6/2007 4:52:58 PM

i like lots of sports

5/6/2007 6:39:40 PM

i'm a fan of NC State because, well, it's who i've supported since i was in 1st grade... but i also cheer for UVA becuase of a family history...

i've been a fan of the Panthers since they started, but that doesn't mean i gave up being a fan of the Cowboys, i cheer for both (although, admittedly, i have more panthers related attire than cowboys stuff nowadays)...

i've been a fan of the Hurricanes since they moved down here, but i didn't give up cheering for the NJ Devils... the Canes just take precedence, as to the Panthers and the Pack...

i don't see why you can't cheer for more than one team under certain situations...

5/6/2007 6:58:27 PM

i completly understand pulling for multiple teams, i pull for Purdue (parents), Notre Dame (Great Uncle played football there), and various other colleges that i have family ties to, but none compare to how much a fan i am for NCSTATE. As for NFL, i pull for the panthers and the raiders because the panthers are the NC team and my dad loves the raiders.

5/6/2007 9:40:13 PM

College sports allegiances should be pretty clear cut, at least for people who went to a major college. I pull for my undergrad alma mater first (NC State), grad school alma mater a clear cut second, and may pull for other teams in unrelated games for various reasons but doesn't compare to schools I have true allegiances to.

Pro sports is a bit more fluid, as there is not the same connection to bond you to a pro sports team. I may pull for pro sports teams based on geography or personnel, and have my allegiances but it is certainly not the same.

5/6/2007 9:54:28 PM

^nailed it

5/6/2007 10:16:31 PM

Quote :

"I may pull for pro sports teams based on geography or personnel, and have my allegiances but it is certainly not the same."

exactly, it's a whole nother level. that's why i personally don't like pro sports, and believe that pro championships are all but meaningless. but that's just me.

where'd you go to grad school? i'm going to have to guess unc since you avoid it in the post and in your profile

5/6/2007 10:23:51 PM

College I pull for NC State, against UNC, and for whoever helps out NC State's ranking or beats UNC or whatever other over ranked team that needs a beat down. There are other teams I like to watch but dont really give shit if they win or lose.

Pro...I'll pull for St. Louis teams and NC teams as my top 2, and I follow my favorite college players and kinda hope their team does well or at least hope they play well even if want their team to lose. When the rams and panthers play, I'll go with panthers since I've been to more panthers games and I've been in NC for a long time now. Baseball I dont have to worry about it.

And I couldnt give a shit less about the UNC bobcats. Only reason I watch NBA is to keep up with college players I liked.

5/6/2007 11:14:37 PM

Kansas actually. The last time that I know of NCSU played Kansas in anything was when Philip Rivers raped them in the Tangerine Bowl (which was before I chose them or enrolled).

5/6/2007 11:15:07 PM

Quote :

"that's why i personally don't like pro sports, and believe that pro championships are all but meaningless. "

I don't know. I think that a pro sports team can embody an entire city. The Red Sox ARE Boston. The '01 Yankees and the '06 Saints. I guess it's just a product of where you are from. I grew up around New York City at a time when the Mets were the biggest thing in town and the entire area would stand still for playoff or big games. If I had a choice b/t State winning a NC in bball or the Mets winning a World Series, I'd take the World Series ten times of ten. Just the area I'm from..

I would be devestated if any of my favorite teams left NYC. It wouldn't be the same even though I don't live anywhere near there anymore. At least that can't happen with college sports!

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 11:22 PM. Reason : x]

5/6/2007 11:20:45 PM

yeah, you're definitely a product of the northeast

i live in pennsylvania right now when i'm not at school, but i grew up in charlotte, so i don't have the whole eagles thing going on. and don't get me wrong, my family owns front row psls to the panthers (45 yardline, i shit you not, just luck of the draw when they did the first psls). i went to nearly every game when i lived in charlotte, and went to every game the season they played in clemson. it's a good time, but it doesn't captivate me.

not to mention pro leagues are what? 30 some teams? i really enjoy baseball and watch mlb regularly, but the way these leagues are structured (especially the nfl, not so much mlb) where the worst teams get the best shot at improvement, winning a 32 team league just doesn't strike me as a big deal.

now winning an ncaa national championship on the other hand, is huge. one, b/c there are no rules making it fair for everyone, you really have to earn it, two b/c it's out of many many more teams, and three b/c, to me at least, your connection to your alma mater is so much more significant than that to a pro team.

but a lot of that is me being raised in the south.

either way, /rant.

5/6/2007 11:33:03 PM

winning in a 32 team league of the best players in the world...thats not something special?

5/6/2007 11:34:29 PM

i was over at crossroads earlier today and i saw a car with a hurricanes sticker on the back windshield of the car. then i saw a detroit red wings flag on the drivers side of the car and a new jersey devils flag on the passenger side of the car.

i was surprised that he didnt have a mighty ducks vanity plate

5/6/2007 11:37:37 PM

^^ if you're one of the players i'm sure it's quite gratifying. as a spectator it makes no difference. it's all relative.

5/6/2007 11:39:33 PM

I dont like pro sports as much as college sports...I'm just saying...thats not the reason I dont like them. Its incredible for a team to win it all against the best players in the world.


Its money that keeps me from liking pro sports as much. The players deserve a large paycheck, but not so large that it outprices the average fan. People would be more enthusiastic about their teams if they could actually go watch them play. This shit with Roger Clemens makes me sick.

[Edited on May 7, 2007 at 12:00 AM. Reason : ]

5/6/2007 11:59:49 PM

Oh you guys are gonna hate me then. I support:

NC State (obviously)
Michigan (bloodline, four cousins are UMich alum from ages 24 to 54)
LSU (my HS was an academic feeder school to LSU, and tons of my friends go/went there)
UCLA (srsly, fuck USC, UCLA is good for the insomniac in me when their games last til midnight eastern)
Morehouse College (Atlanta) and Univ. of New Orleans because I went to both.

I continue to follow all these teams to keep my interest fresh, having previously attended an HBCU and a Sun Belt school with no football team. Before 11th grade I had about two dozen choices for college, including the six schools named above. By about midway through, those six were the only I'd applied to.

in the NFL I cheer for the Saints, Dodgers in baseball (when I remember to tune in ), and while I don't have a "one above all" favorite team in the NBA, I do enjoy the game as a whole.

5/7/2007 12:11:03 AM

^ as long as you wouldn't pull for any of those teams to beat state, i don't care how many teams you like.

Quote :

"Its incredible for a team to win it all against the best players in the world."

i see what you're saying, but i disagree. if you take enough of the best players to make 32 teams, then obviously one of those teams is going to win, there's nothing incredible about it. there's no david vs. goliath aspect to it.

that logic does apply to college sports, however

[Edited on May 7, 2007 at 12:15 AM. Reason : i can't escape the superiority of ncaa!]

5/7/2007 12:12:11 AM

What about winning 3 super bowls in 4 years?

I prefer pro football because of the higher quality of play, and the fact that losing two games in the regular season does not end championship hopes. I actually feel more tied to my professional football team because I've been a fan of them for 14 years longer.

However, I prefer college basketball because I was never really a fan of a pro team, and I love the energy surrounding it. And I guess it helps that I was raised on tobacco road.

P.S. there is a big difference between a carolina panthers home game, and the home games of many other NFL teams.

5/7/2007 12:19:51 AM