I understand why this gets called into question. I understand how people who are from a certain geographic area or who were spoonfed teams by their family don't understand us vagabond sportsfans.
Geographic area has a lot to do with the teams you follow. If you live in a city with sports teams, you will more than likely root for those teams to be part of that city. There's a feeling of unity and honestly you're kind of a dick if you fight that feeling of belonging. If you live in Boston, you should be treated like a dick if you do not like the Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, and Patriots.
Family influence is another aspect that plays a role in the teams you follow. If your dad is a die-hard fan of one team and he gets you involved with that team at an early age, it sticks. And again, you're kind of a dick if you intentionally don't fit in with the rest of your family.
College sports teams are often based on the 2 above elements, but also can be based on where your family members attended college - then later in life, where you attend college. If your whole family attended a certain college, and roots for said college, then again you are kind of a dick if you don't like that college.
Well, I might be a dick anyways. In fact, I'm sure that I am. But here's my deal......
I grew up in an area that is a no-mans land of sports teams. Harrisburg is 1.5 hours from Baltimore, roughly 2 from Philly and D.C., 3 or so from Pittsburgh, and even just more than 3 from NY City. Harrisburg is a free-agent sports town. So do I need to choose one of the local teams then? I say hell no.
The most local team for Harrisburg is Penn State. Although my parents rooted for Penn State when I was a child, it was never forced upon me. We also never attended any games, so I never felt that sense of a bond to Penn State. My parents attended a small school that has no major sports, and although my mom ultimately got a degreee from the Harrisburg branch campus of Penn State, it was later in my life and it's really not the same thing as the main campus. The local paper LOVES Penn State and gives them pages and pages of coverage. As I searched for the one sentence it might have on my team, I grew tired of all the Penn State-ness and rebelled against them. Now, though, I've developed a respect for Penn State football and I pull for them to do well enough but to not make any major dents. NOTE: the majority of those who love Penn State football could give two shits about Penn State basketball.....should we mention anything here regarding fair weather fandom?
My dad was a Baltimore Colts fan, but they lost their team to Indianapolis when I was only about 6 or 7. He then also became a vagabond football fan because he had nowhere to turn. Most Colts fans didn't know what to do, while some, like my one friend's dad actually still pulled for the Colts even though they were no longer local. By the time Baltimore got a team back, the Ravens, I was already entrenched in fandom of another team - I was also not living in the area as I was at school in North Carolina.
My dad wasn't a big sports fan outside of football. My grandfather (Pop-Pop, dad's dad) watched a shit-ton of baseball, and I remember watching with him in his basement, but he really would watch any game, and I never found him rooting for one specific team. My other grandfather (Pap-Pap, mom's dad) was more of a grouchy sports fan who didn't like how they played his sports in the modern era compared to the way he and his buddies played them. However, it would be Pap-Pap who would have the greatest influence over my sports fandom.
Onto the teams I like and the reasons why...........
My Pap-Pap lived in Carlisle, PA. When I was young (ages 9-12), they had a dominant high school basketball team. On the team; Jeff Lebo, Billy Owens, Michael Owens, Lee Woodall, Sid Bream's brother Sheldon, as well as other key players. Coached by Dave Lebo (Jeff's dad), the team won 4 straight state championships, coinciding with each of the 4 years that Billy Owens played. Pap-Pap used to take me to a lot of the games, and Billy Ownes absolutely amazed me. When he chose to attend Syracuse, I became a Syracuse basketball fan. The fact that Billy's brother, Michael, was at Syracuse playing football (as a running back wearing #44, kind of a big deal), made me also become a Syracuse football fan.
Sidenote on the Carlisle team: What's killer now is that Jeff Lebo is in his first year as the head coach at East Carolina, where I went to college!
I went to school at East Carolina. I love it, and I love my peeps. Being there was the first time I really got to experience watching division 1 college football live. When ECU and Syracuse used to play each other, it was tough for me to decide who to pull for - that was back when the 'Cuse was actually good (McNabb) so there was more at stake.
Again due to my Pap-Pap's Carlisle connection, I actually came up as a Washington Redskins fan. They held their training camp at Dickinson College in Carlisle, where my Pap-Pap is in the sports hall of fame for both football and basketball. He used to take us to camp, and we used to get some of the players' autographs. They were really good back then.....the days of Theismann, Monk, Darrell Green, Dexter Manley, and The Hogs. I remember crying the night my brother Deke told me that Joe Theismann got his leg broken by Lawrence Taylor.
As my brothers and I got older and busier with our own activities, we stopped going to training camp. I had a period where I watched less and less football, and when I was getting back into watching it I no longer felt connected to the 'Skins. I declared myself a free agent. I had a thing for loveable losers, and the Packers were just that! They sucked! But they had this QB that caught my eye named Don Majkowski, nicknamed the Magic Man. I also liked their colors since my little league baseball team was green & yellow. Shortly after I chose that team, the Magic Man would get injured. His replacement = Brett Favre (before all the drama). I've been a Green Bay fan ever since......Yesterday was a good day for me!
Does the line "Up your butt, Jobu?" mean anything to you? It does to me.....Major League, starring Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, & other greats, was my favorite movie. That coupled again with the loveable losers theme, and the Cleveland Indians became my squad. Now that players aren't allowed to do 'roids, I don't really give a crap about baseball. It's still fun to go to games, and I'd like to get to Cleveland for a game & for a visit to the Rock'N'Roll hall of fame, but I don't really follow how they perform anymore.
I don't follow hockey or the NBA. I don't care at all about most other sports either. My next favorite sport would have to be women's tennis......
So root for who you want to root for, sportsfans! Just don't tell us you've always been a fan of that team when you just began.
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