Are your hometown teams your favorite teams?

[JS19]

My first attempt at a poll, which I'm sure will end horribly, much like everything else I try to do when it comes to these here crazy computer machines.

Anyhow, in wake of "RomaGoth bandwagon" accusations in the MLB playoff thread, I started to wonder how many people aren't fans of their hometown teams.

Considering the 4 major sports, I'm 4-4. Mets (unfortunately, but I just can't shake them), Giants, Rangers, although I really only watch playoff hockey, and the Knicks. I should add I don't follow basketball anymore, but I sure did have a lot of fun watching the Knicks back in the days of Ewing, Starks, Chuck Oakley, Mason and the likes. Maybe if they ever become relevant, I'll start to watch again.

[Kodos]

I almost always hate the hometown teams.

[molson]

Yup, 4-4 with the pro Massachusetts teams. Once I went to school, Syracuse replaced any MA college team. Once I went to law school, Oregon became kind of my B-college team.

[CraigSca]

Grew up in Baltimore and my allegiances have stayed there. So much so that I can't get into the Ravens because the Colts were my team (and no longer are). Yeah, loyalty is big with me.

[spleen1015]

It is hard for me to define my hometown.

The Redskins were my first ever favorite team because I lived in DC for 6 years. Then, Duke became my favorite team because I liked Grant Hill. Then, when I got interested in baseball later in life, I went Orioles because my father was/is a huge Orioles fan. I'm a Colts fan now since I've lived in Indy longer than any other place in my life.

There really hasn't been a 'hometown' for me because before Indy, I hadn't lived any where longer than 6 years.

Edit - I have never stopped being a fan of any teams. I have stayed fans of all of these teams.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I almost always hate the hometown teams.

KoGoth.

[illinifan999]

I'm 3-4. Cubs, Bulls, Blackhawks, and Dolphins.

[Swaggs]

The three Pittsburgh teams (Steelers, Pirates, Pens) are my favorite. Although, I'm not from Pittsburgh or PA, my location in WV uses the Pittsburgh affiliates for television, so I'd consider them my local team.

I started liking the Utah Jazz in Jr. High and it kind of stuck, although I really don't follow the NBA very well. And, of course, I follow WVU college sports.

[PackerFanatic]

I'll go with home state. Packers and Brewers for me (don't really follow basketball, so I don't have a team, and hockey sucks - plus there is no team in this state anyway)

[stevew]

Where is the "I am RomaGoth" option.

[RedKingGold]

I live and die with three teams: Phillies, Villanova Men's B-Ball, Penn State football.

As far as professional football, I consider myself a hybrid 49er's-Eagles fan. As I started liking football, I was a hardcore San Francisco fan but have drifted because its hard to follow a West Coast team on the East Coast. So, I've been following the Eagles a lot more over the past three years (since I moved closer to the city), but I still feel my heart leans towards the 49er's.

I'm really more of a casual fan towards hockey and professional basketball, so I don't follow the Flyers/76er's all that much.

EDIT: So, to answer the poll....uh, maybe?

[JediKooter]

I voted yes, but, I consider my home town San Diego. So yes my favorites are the Chargers and Padres and I still have a soft spot for the Clippers.

[stevew]

I follow the Steelers/Pirates/Phillies/Yankees(cause my dad has for 50+years)/Cavs(Cause I like Ron Harper)

[Dr. Sak]

Nope...grew up 20 miles east of Pittsburgh and hate all the Pittsburgh teams.

My favorite teams are on the eastern half of the State.

[sabotai]

Sorta....

NY Giants for football - I live in NJ but the Philly teams are considered "hometown" in South Jersey.
Philadelphia Flyers - "hometown" team

[JS19]

Originally Posted by stevew

Where is the "I am RomaGoth" option.

Haha. It seriously took me about 15 minutes to figure out this whole pole nonsense. Now you want me to edit a pole? That's just crazy talk.

[Passacaglia]

I grew up rooting for Detroit teams, even though I was probably equidistant from Detroit and Chicago, since I was in the same state as Detroit. Now that I'm in Chicago, I root for both pretty equally. For college football, though, I root for my alma mater above all.

[claphamsa]

Im tough on this one... I grew up in Cleveland to a southern ohio family, and I have lived all over, before settling in DC. I was here when the nats came to town so I chear for them... but im a life long Bengals fan... and the Avalanche come from left field.

[claphamsa]

and there needs to be a trout option!

[stevew]

I don't get how people get all geeked up for college football games. If you went to the school, it's one thing. If you're a Notre Dame fan living in PA and never went to the school. And aren't even Catholic, how/why the fuck do you care about that college football team.

[JS19]

I'm actually starting to wonder how I came about being a Mets fan. Growing up I spent a good deal of time with my grandfather, who is a diehard Yankees fan, as is the rest of my family for that matter. He used to take my brother and I to Yankees games when we were much younger, I even remember this set of Yankee figurines he gave to us. I always see pictures of me from when I was 3 and 4 just decked out in Yankees gear. My father was never really a huge baseball fan, not until I really started getting into the Mets did he follow, so I didn't get it from him. He always tells me that his father, who passed away long before I was born, was a big time Mets fan, he would keep the boxscores of every game. Never really thought about it before, having the Yankees pushed upon me and I end up a Mets fan, I suppose it is the rebel inside me.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by stevew

I don't get how people get all geeked up for college football games. If you went to the school, it's one thing. If you're a Notre Dame fan living in PA and never went to the school. And aren't even Catholic, how/why the fuck do you care about that college football team.

Because Notre Dame is God's team....dummy! Do you want to rot in hell???

[larrymcg421]

I grew up in Florida and root for the Dolphins and Hurricanes. However, there were no NBA or MLB teams in Florida at that time, so I started rooting for the Celtics because I liked watching Larry Bird play and the Atlanta Braves because I liked Dale Murphy and also I could watch all of their games on TBS.

I always hated bandwagon fans so I was determined to stick by my teams no matter what, so I never switched when Florida started getting NBA and MLB teams.

[Subby]

I grew up in Richmond and started paying attention to baseball in the mid-70s. Naturally I was drawn to the Yankees. Plus I loved all of the historical stuff associated with baseball and the Yanks had plenty of that, too.

I started liking the Steelers, but eventually gravitated to the 'Skins in the early 80s. Now I live outside of DC and I am hardcore 'Skins and Bullets fan and I like the Caps as much as a non-hockey guy can like them.

I also grew up a fan of UVA basketball and the ACC - the 70s and 80s were the heyday for that conference. I just don't follow it as much as I used to, however.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Where's "some of them" or "sorta"?

If I isolate down to a single favorite team in a sport based on "who would I really want to see win most if they played each other" then I get a mixed bag. That matters since there are a couple of teams I actively cheer/follow/like in some of them.

College sports - Georgia Tech scores "hometown" over UT
NHL - Thrashers gets hometown
NFL - Push come to shove I'd want the Colts to beat the Falcons so out of town on that one
MLB - Again, push come to shove I'd probably prefer the Dodgers to beat the Braves if a WS berth was on the line
NBA - I'm hard pressed to care here, but there's not a team that I'd actively pull for against the Hawks either

So that leaves me with 3 for the hometown teams, 2 for the away teams & the WNBA would probably be very close to a push if the Lady Vol laden Sparks played the Dream in the only other team sports niche I really follow where there's a home team that I can think of unless you want to get into counting minor league hockey & baseball.

Which brings me back to an answer something like "more often than not but definitely not always".

[Mustang]

Yes.

Brewers, Packers, Bucks. Although, I guess Marquette/UW-Milwaukee would be the hometown selection for college, but I root for Wisconsin. Although, if the Bucks pulled up tent stakes and left town, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by Mustang

Although, if the Bucks pulled up tent stakes and left town, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Ain't that the truth.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by stevew

I don't get how people get all geeked up for college football games. If you went to the school, it's one thing. If you're a Notre Dame fan living in PA and never went to the school. And aren't even Catholic, how/why the fuck do you care about that college football team.

I've thought about this and I find there is really no difference between getting "geeked up" for professional football games and getting "geeked up" for college football games. Fandom is not really a rational thing and people are fans of teams college or pro for various reasons.

Obviously if someone went to a specific school that gives them a good reason to be a fan of that school, but even if they didn't go there, any reason why someone would be a fan of a professional team is pretty much an equally applicable reason for being a fan of a college team. e.g., proximity to where you live/grew up, parent was a fan of the team, favorite player played there, liked the uniforms, they were good when you were young, etc.

As for me, I am a fan of the teams where I grew up (and happen to live now): all Detroit teams. As for college, I am a Michigan fan because I went there. Twice.

[Dutch]

Born in Orlando, grew up in Mississippi/Germany...

NFL -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
MLB -- Philadelphia Phillies
NHL -- Philadelphia Flyers
NBA -- Philadelphia 76'ers

Don't ask me why, I have no real good answer for you. Just that I started getting into sports in the early 80's and those teams were all pretty good then.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by stevew

I follow the Steelers/Pirates/Phillies/Yankees(cause my dad has for 50+years)/Cavs(Cause I like Ron Harper)

Originally Posted by stevew

Where is the "I am stevew" option.

fixed that for you

[MizzouRah]

I'm a huge homer.

[Lathum]

4-4 with pro sports. Mets, Giants, Nets, Devils. I grew up in central Jersey, right on the border of where the Philly fans start creeping in. Having all those conflicting alliances made for great fun.

I am also a die hard Rutgers fan, my dad went there and I have been going to games with him for years and one of my best friends works for the football team. I am also a University of Washington fan because I go there.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Dutch

Born in Orlando, grew up in Mississippi/Germany....

I call BS, anyone who grew up in Mississippi, knows its really pronounced Mizzippi.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Mostly. The only Detroit team that lost me along the way was the Pistons. They started playing soft & changed the colors to teal & maroon. I moved to NY in 94 when the Knicks were playing the Pistons style of basketball & switched allegiance then. It's funny, if I watch an old Pistons/Knicks game from the 80's I love the Pistons. From the 90's, it all Knicks. Now I'm torn... hate the way the Knicks play, but still can't get warm & fuzzy over the Pistons.

[BYU 14]

Grew up in Utah so only the Jazz and BYU qualify, otherwise I am all over the place. Vikings, Yankees and LA Kings.

[Scoobz0202]

I am 3 for 4.

Reds, Cavs, Blue Jackets, and then the Cowboys are the outcast. My dad and uncle were Cowboys fans growing up so that is where that comes from.

[ColtCrazy]

I live in Indiana, close to the border with Kentucky. I love my home state teams, but HATE the teams in Kentucky....probably because of the way the local media treats them and seems to belittle Indiana teams despite a huge portion of their viewing area coming from Indiana.

NFL: Colts
College: IU (all sports), Notre Dame (football)
NBA: Pacers, though not as much as I used to be, kind of over the NBA
I don't follow baseball or hockey.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

fixed that for you

actually all of those teams except the Yankees are reasonably local to me. And I don't live or die by the Yankees anyways.

[Thomkal]

Born and raised 90 minutes north of NYC, yet I'm not a fan of the New York/NJ teams in the major sports. In fact for those sports I've never been to the city I'm a fan of. My mother was born and raised in Missouri, my dad in Kansas, but I've never lived in either state, just visited grandparents a couple times. So I think that's why I'm a St. Louis fan in the major sports-with the NFL Cardinals from the days they were in St. Louis. How odd is that? For basketball I'm a Pacers fan because Rik Smits from Marist went there back when I lived in NY State still.

For college sports, its local teams from where I've lived and Missouri and Kansas State I've been a fan of. My Dad went to K-State. Marist and Coastal Carolina are the two local teams I follow.

[Big Fo]

MLB - Braves fan. They were the closest team when I was a kid and still are today.

NBA - Magic fan. Mapquest says Orlando is 30 miles (driving, not as the crow flies) further away than Atlanta and 50 miles further away than Charlotte (Hornets were there when I was a kid, not the Bobcats). I liked Shaq and Penny. The cities are a pretty similar distance from where I grew up anyhow.

NFL - Dolphins fan. Atlanta is three hours closer but Dan Marino was my favorite player when I was nine or ten. The Jaguars are the closest now but I don't care for them. Actually I resent them, the Dolphins used to be on local TV more often before them and the Panthers showed up. Fuck off to London/LA already.

Soccer - Manchester United fan. When I was in high school a good friend of mine had an exchange student from Thailand stay with his family for a year. He had a bunch of CDs with copied games on them that he bought on some street kiosk, one of these had Championship Manager 96/97 on it. I tried the game out, started a career with Manchester United (one of the few teams I'd heard of) and was instantly hooked. I played the game so much that I wanted to find out more about the club and players I had been using, started watching club soccer, and eventually found myself rooting for them. The closest team to me is the USL-1's Charleston Battery, and I have gone to see them a few times and do keep an eye on their results but am more emotionally invested in United. Like the Battery I also keep an eye on DC United's results, the closest MLS team to me.

So that's one out of four, I'll have to vote nay.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by stevew

actually all of those teams except the Yankees are reasonably local to me. And I don't live or die by the Yankees anyways.

So in order to be a fan of a team, one has to live reasonably close to them? Just curious.

[johnnyshaka]

I was born in Edmonton but grew up in Ottawa...at the time, Ottawa didn't have a hockey team, so I naturally started to follow the Oilers. I'm Eagles' fan as well as an A's fan probably because I liked Randall Cunningham and Rickey Henderson when I started following those sports...because I've never lived in either city...heck, I've never set foot in either city.

[JPhillips]

Grew up near Cincy and I've suffered for decades because of it. Regardless of how disappointing the Reds and Bengals are I still think it's unacceptable to change favorites. Suffering makes you stronger.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Grew up near Cincy and I've suffered for decades because of it. Regardless of how disappointing the Reds and Bengals are I still think it's unacceptable to change favorites. Suffering makes you stronger.

I agree, when I think that it has been 25 years since the Mets won the WS it makes me shudder and feel old.

Thank God I have the Giants and got some great years from the Devils.

[SportsDino]

Spartans everything!

Football I lean Lions/Steelers (I liked the Steeler look/team configuration so they are probably my Madden team more often than not).

Don't watch NBA or hockey, but obviously Pistons and Red Wings are the only ones I even notice. Particularly when they are winning.

Been to a few Tiger games, not into baseball at all, but its a fun experience.

[rjolley]

I grew up in Gary, IN, about 30 minutes from Chicago. I'm 4 for 4 in the major sports teams I follow: Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls. Yes, I am one of the few Chicago area fans that follow both the Cubs and the Sox. They're in different leagues and that's enough of a difference for me for them not to be a rival. Plus, when I was growing up, the Cubs and Sox only played in the preseason, so there was no real conflict for me.

[ISiddiqui]

I'm a mix. I grew up in Central New Jersey. So I root for the Mets in baseball and the Devils in hockey. However, in football I was never really big into one team (I liked the 49ers - total bandwagon pick - and the Jets, but not all that much), so when I got down to Atlanta, I chose to back the Falcons.

[cougarfreak]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Grew up near Cincy and I've suffered for decades because of it. Regardless of how disappointing the Reds and Bengals are I still think it's unacceptable to change favorites. Suffering makes you stronger.

Quoted for truth. Suffering Bengals and Reds fan here. I am in NKY, but can't stand UK anymore. I can't follow basketball, as college has turned into a mini NBA. I just started following the Blue Jackets to give me something in the winter other than weekend football.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I grew up in Florida and root for the Dolphins and Hurricanes. However, there were no NBA or MLB teams in Florida at that time, so I started rooting for the Celtics because I liked watching Larry Bird play and the Atlanta Braves because I liked Dale Murphy and also I could watch all of their games on TBS.

I always hated bandwagon fans so I was determined to stick by my teams no matter what, so I never switched when Florida started getting NBA and MLB teams.

I made the switch to the Marlins and the Heat the day those teams were awarded to South Florida. I don't think going from rooting for the Lakers and the Braves to those expansion teams would qualify for bandwagon status. Watching them go from expansion teams to champions was special.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by Dutch

Born in Orlando, grew up in Mississippi/Germany...

NFL -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
MLB -- Philadelphia Phillies
NHL -- Philadelphia Flyers
NBA -- Philadelphia 76'ers

Don't ask me why, I have no real good answer for you. Just that I started getting into sports in the early 80's and those teams were all pretty good then.

The Bucs were KINDA good between '79 and '82, but after that they sucked hardcore until Tony Dungy took over as head coach. They were SO bad that the Lions (no great shakes themselves) used to slap 'em silly most of the time.

Speaking of the Lions, my evil twin summed up my feelings well (though I changed a couple of the words around):

As for me, I am a fan of the teams where I grew up (and happen to live now): all Detroit teams. As for college, I am a Michigan State fan because I went there. Twice.