What is your policy for cheering for other teams?

[ruxpin]

@ruxpin

 

 

 I'm not sure I'd cheer for them if they moved. I guess it would actually have to happen to know for sure. The only thing certain is, i wouldn't become a Sabres fan.

 

Yeah, I guess it would actually have to happen to be sure, even for me.  I *think* I'd instantly wash my hands of them, but on the other hand there would still be players I'd be "invested in" as a fan so I guess it IS hard to say unless it happened.  I will say I'm "pretty certain" I'd ditch'em like they ditched their fan base, but even that leaves an opening of possibility.

[mojo1917]

@ruxpin

 

i lived that with the colts, as a kid i had a lydell mitchel and bert jones jersey they were my team.

I still love that color blue, but i just can't root for them. inspite of the fact that i know robert irsay is in hell and they have some players i like.

[jammer2]

  Maybe posing the question differently would provide different *second* team results?

 

 If the Flyers moved out of Philly, who would you cheer for?

 

 For myself, *if* they moved *and* changed the Flyers crest, I would then *probably* break all ties. That crest means a lot to me, to see it taken out of circulation, put in mothballs, would be to much for me to endure.

 

 Maybe it would be like one member of a long time marriage and the survivor never re-marries, cause it would never be the same? Maybe I refuse to pick a new team on those grounds?

[ruxpin]

  Maybe posing the question differently would provide different *second* team results?

 

 If the Flyers moved out of Philly, who would you cheer for?

 

 For myself, *if* they moved *and* changed the Flyers crest, I would then *probably* break all ties. That crest means a lot to me, to see it taken out of circulation, put in mothballs, would be to much for me to endure.

 

 Maybe it would be like one member of a long time marriage and the survivor never re-marries, cause it would never be the same? Maybe I refuse to pick a new team on those grounds?

 

You would *think* they would need to change the crest in the case of the Flyers.  I mean, a flying "P" doesn't make much sense in KC or Seattle or Quebec City or wherever.  Then again, the Utah "Jazz" or LA "Lakers" never made any sense to me either.

[jammer2]

@ruxpin  Not that I don't love the crest, but it is kinda dumb when you think about it. Just what is a flying P? I know a kid won a contest many years ago and that's where the idea was introduced....but damn, when you really think about it, it was kind of an odd choice.

 

 On the bright side, if the Flyers move to Princeton or Pensacola, they are good to go!!

[radoran]

@ruxpin  Not that I don't love the crest, but it is kinda dumb when you think about it. Just what is a flying P? I know a kid won a contest many years ago and that's where the idea was introduced....but damn, when you really think about it, it was kind of an odd choice.

 

 On the bright side, if the Flyers move to Princeton or Pensacola, they are good to go!!

 

Peterborough says "hello"

 

[yave1964]

I ALWAYS have picked an Eastern conference team to follow as well as my Wings, last year i picked the Ottawa Senators as my team away from the Joe to watch on the nights the Wings were off. I was delighted with my pick, they had a solid season and look like a team ready to take the next step. That is what worries me the most about picking them as the beast from the East this season, i am not sure if i am being objective enough.

  This year i have to choose a Western conference team to follow and root for, I have settled on the Nashville Predators as my team to watch out west for this season when the Wings are not on. Love Weber and Rinne, now that my Wings are not in the same division i can root for them. Unlike a lot of the pundits i actually love their offseason as well. Like others have pointed out however, you never root for another team when they play your club, no matter what.

[flyercanuck]

@radoran

 

 If they moved to Peterborough the logo would have to change to "Petes". It just would. Of course the P could still have wings on it though. The Flying Petes, now theres a name. Doesn't quite roll off the tongue as well as Guelph CMC Biltmore Mad Hatters, but close.

[ruxpin]

@radoran

 

 If they moved to Peterborough the logo would have to change to "Petes". It just would. Of course the P could still have wings on it though. The Flying Petes, now theres a name. Doesn't quite roll off the tongue as well as Guelph CMC Biltmore Mad Hatters, but close.

 

 

The Flaming Peters  would work better.   The only way you could beat their burny itch is with a Lindane shampoo or lotion..

[yave1964]

The Flaming Peters  would work better.   The only way you could beat their burny itch is with a Lindane shampoo or lotion..

The Flaming Peters??? You either need to get that checked or it might be a Gay hockey team.....

[radoran]

The Flaming Peters  would work better.   The only way you could beat their burny itch is with a Lindane shampoo or lotion..

 

You changing your NAHANA team to the Flaming Willies?

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Thread **BUMP** !!

 

I say root for whomever you want. 

There may be lots of reasons for supporting a certain team, switching allegiances, etc...

I WILL agree that front runners are annoying as all get out...and you can usually tell those over time, or even withing the course of a season as team's fortunes ebb and flow...the true fans may be disappointed, yet passionate, the front runners simply lose interest..until the team starts winning again.

 

Heck, most front runners can be outed simply by the way they talk sports...most aren't the most knowledgeable people you're gonna find on any given topic...particularly related to the team in question.

 

As for me personally, I was born n raised in the Tampa Bay area in Florida, and I grew up basically cheering teams from the area. I fully support the Lightning, through the good n bad, same with the Rays, and to a lesser extent, the Buccaneers. Why the Bucs to lesser extent? Well, I simply am not as big of an NFL fan as I am an NHL and MLB fan.

 

I have married, then moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota. 

Since marrying a Minnesotan, and one who is passionate about sports himself and his hometown teams (Vikings, Twins, Wolves, and Wild), it was only logical and natural that I follow and support some of those teams myself....particularly when teams like the Twins and Wild aren NOT Tampa Bay rivals in their respective sports.

I don't care for the Timberwolves, and I DO follow the Vikings a bit, but again, I am more a casual fan of the NFL as opposed to passionate about it.

 

Now, what happens when say the Wild play the Lightning? Or the Twins play the Rays? 

In my case, I root for the TB team. 

But you know, there is no 'etched in stone' rule set for how one should root.

 

I simply have had more time invested as a fan of the Lightning and Rays than I have as a fan of the Wild and Twins.

Some ppl may say, "Well you SHOULD root for the TB teams because you are from there".

Well, ok, that's usually how it is, but if I were born n raised in TB, but didn't follow sports particularly closely...THEN moved to Minnesota, started following a given sport much more closely, and living with a person who is a rabid MN sports fan, I could very well have become MORE of a Minny fan than a TB fan, simply because of the conditions. The fact that I was born n raised in the TB area would have no bearing in that particular instance.

 

In the NHL, I also happen to be a fan of certain players, and yes, I DO become a pseudo-fan of a given team for a bit, if certain players, or in the case of the Rangers the last two seasons, when SEVERAL players I like played for the team (and coach..I LOVE John Tortorella).

Once those players move on, or that particular coach has moved on, I may follow that team less n less, or lose interest altogether.

 

I LOVE Brad Richards. Broke my heart when he was traded to Dallas, but I followed the Stars a bit when he was there...then followed him (and still do) as a Ranger, when he joined up with John Tortorella, Ruslan Fedotenko, Marion Gaborik, and for a short while, Derek Boogaard (RIP)...all players and coaches I like.

 

These days, I follow the Blue Jackets a little bit for Marion Gaborik, and I took a liking to Brandon Dubinsky and Sergei Bobrovsky.

Follow the Rangers just a bit because Brad Richards is still there, heck, even the hated Flyers (to a Bolts fan like me anyways), because they have my Vinnie Lecavalier and more recently Steve Downie, who I thought turned into a pretty good player since his move from Philly-to-Tampa-then-to-Colorado, and now back to Philly.

Vancouver Canucks? Couldn't stand them for years. Still can't. But Coach Tortorella is there now, and I find myself interested in what the Nucks are doing these days more then I ever have before.

 

Does this mean I proclaim myself a fan of any of those teams? Not really. Do I follow them a bit and the players? Absolutely.

And make no mistake...I support my Lightning through the good and bad (and BOY have that team seen lots of bad over the years!), and I support my Wild since 2005 and will root for those teams over any of the others I mentioned.

 

Now should someone find that I seem to follow certain teams only when they are playing well or proclaim myself a fan of them simply because they have won a championship, then I fully expect people to be thoroughly annoyed with me and want to throw fruit at ME, as the OP originally said    .

 

But bottom line: Root for who you want. Everyone is different. Some annoyingly so, but that is their prerogative.

I know how I root...and no one can tell me that I am doing it wrong...unless I become that dreaded "front runner"..then I'd have to agree with them that I am quite annoying...  

[goalnut3133]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  Welcome to the board! I admit I was a bit surprised seeing at first that you root for TB & not for the Wild. But your explanations & reasons make a lot of sense. I agree, root for whomever you wish...everyone has their own personal reasons. I admit I wrestled a lot with sticking with rooting for Van at the start of the season, due to how poorly they'd been doing, esp last playoff round being swept in the 1st. But I stuck with them, as they are my home team & have an affinity with them. Lately, I've been happy with their progress under Tort's new system, & how quickly they've adjusted to it--  the shot blocks, the more aggressive forechecking, etc. A far cry from what Vigneault had done with them of late. I am enjoying watching how Torts interacts & implements this team & how he's risen to the challenge. I admit, I didn't like him before & how he'd treat the Rangers, but I have now become a fan of his.

 

I also enjoy watching the Wild (hf101 sorta got me interested..lol), I've become a fan of Parise, & my biggest hero on the team (& possibly the whole NHL) is Josh Harding, not just for his talent in net but even more so, for the physical challenges he's had to overcome, & still come out at the top of the league in SV% and GAA, just amazing!  So for me, Josh is the reason I root for Minny, probably as my 2nd fave team. I also like watching the Blues (much to the anger of my Nucks friends) for Yaro Halak & his talent in net & the records he's broken in that franchise. Also cuz they're a talented club, & also why I admire a team like the Hawks & have fun watching them too (even tho they're such a rival...lol).  In other cases, I will root for the underdogs, like Columbus (I'm a fan of Bobrovsky) & Philly (& enjoy watching Mason) & happy for them when they pull out of a slump. 

[Chicago Hawkie]

"Also cuz they're a talented club, & also why I admire a team like the Hawks & have fun watching them too (even tho they're such a rival...lol)".

 

I wasn't about to let this get by me. 

[Chicago Hawkie]

VERY GOOD TOPIC! 

 

I don't have any issues with anyone cheering for other teams.  I've had discussion board friends in the past who cheered for 3 or 4 teams!

 

Truth be told ... I had a soft spot for the Edmonton Oilers, that still is evident, as I read about their 1980s dynasty (I even recently bought a book about their dynasty years) and when they pulled off back-to-back 1st-round playoff upsets in the late 1990s.