Now I do agree with my fellow brownie that there are many people out there that go for the best team at the time they start following sports and then ride into the sunset. However, I do not feel that this is the majority and this sure as hell is not me!
Lets start with baseball. My favorite team is the Atlanta Braves, who I started watching religiously starting at the age of 4 (circa 1986) mainly because of the national coverage of TBS. Now lets take the win-loss records of the Braves from 86-90 (before 1991, the first year of Atlanta's started their run of 14 consecutive division titles).
- 1986: 72 wins 89 losses (last place in division)
- 1987: 69 wins 92 losses (5th place in division)
- 1988: 54 wins 106 losses (last place in division)
- 1989: 63 wins 97 losses (last place in division)
- 1990: 65 wins 97 losses (last place in division)
Lets go to basketball now. My favorite team is the Chicago Bulls, who I started watching in the late 80s on WGN. I will admit that I was completely mesmerized by Michael Jordan, but who wasn't? Yes, the Bulls do differ from the Braves in that they were a legit team in the NBA when I started watching. However, they were not the best in the late 80s. MJ was not even known as the best player back then. He did not get that label until they won their first championship in '91. Before that, they were losing to the Pistons in the playoffs year after year. Again, more tears and heartbreak. Any Orlando Magic or Miami Heat Sighting? Not until 1990, but my 'loyalty' to the Bulls had already been established.
Now the last of my favorite teams, the Miami Dolphins. Wow, a Florida team? But why? Maybe its because they were the only professional sports team to exist in the state of Florida 20 years ago. And this team has not even come close to winning a championship in my lifetime (poor Dan Marino). Yet more heartbreak, but in this case, still waiting for the euphoria.
My fellow brown guy has a bit of point, as I mentioned earlier, but he is talking about a small minority of fans. People connect with their teams in various ways. Something always sparks the bond, and it does not always have to be the city, town, or country you live in. It could be a nation wide cable network where you just see more of a particular team on television, it could be a player that catches your eye, or maybe you just like that team's style of play. No matter what your reason or story is for picking your favorite team, I think most of us struggle before we feel the euphoria of winning it all. And its that struggle that makes us cry over them even more, makes us hope even more, makes us love them even more, and makes us become more and more 'loyal' to them, as each disappointing year passes.
So to all of you "Speaking of Fanfare" and James Harrison fans, I am not a fan!
First of all, I never said anything about the Braves. I know your fav teams and your reasoning for liking them. Second, you contradict yourself. Your reasoning for not liking the Marlins or the Rays is because they did not exist and you justify it by saying, “Hey, its ok, the Braves still sucked.” But wait, the Magic AND the Heat existed when you started watching the Bulls AND they sucked, yet you still chose the then very exciting Bulls. How much more exciting can it be, Mr. Late 80s, than having 2 new teams right in your back yard representing YOUR City!!! (Magic in 1989, and Heat in 1988). You can’t justify your excuse for liking the Braves with a contradiction for liking the Bulls. I just think the Bulls excuse is just that...BULL
ReplyDeleteWhen I started watching the Bulls, the Magic nor the Heat DID NOT EXIST! I can promise you that. If they did I guarantee you I would be an Orlando Magic fan today. I probably would not have been a Heat fan because they never have and never will televise the Heat games in Sebring, Florida. So how the hell can I develop loyalty to a team I don't even get exposed to. Back then, there was no Friday night "The NBA on ESPN". So yeah, I can justify it because I can't root for a team that does not exist! I despise bandwagon fans just as much as you do. You should keep me out of that group because I am not the fan you claim that I am!
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't seem to quite understand is why you are not a real fan simply because you were attracted to a team for no other reason than the fact that they were good when you started watching the sport. Isn't the real test of "fandom" whether you stick by that same team through thick and thin? If you do stick by 'em, how are you any less of a fan than someone who grew up watching their "hometown" team, but now strays across the border more than Eliot Spitzer??
ReplyDeleteMaybe an analogy is useful.
Think of "fandom" like a marriage. You might intially begin dating a girl because you are, while sober, physically attracted to her (parallel: those fans who became Bulls fans because of MJ). Eventually, the physical attraction expands to include an emotional attraction and includes all the ups and downs inherent in a relationship (parallel: Bulls in '89 and '90 playoffs. FUK DETROIT!). Things then progress to a state of relative euphoria (parallel: six titles in eight years). However, as life becomes more complex--add mortgage, kids, career demands, and "other issues"--the euphoria fades (parallel: Corey Benjamin and Fred Hoiberg are your starting guards; oh, your big free agent splash is...Ron Mercer).
The bad husbands (fake fans) will ditch their marriage (teams) at this stage faster than Rafer Alston hoists up (and misses) another 3. The good husbands (true fans) stick until the end.
Thus, the issue really isn't how you picked your team, but whether you stuck by them through thick and thin.
RDS ... I agree. But what if you weren't sober when you started dating the girl? Not that I've been there or anything ...
ReplyDeleteApat ... I have the feeling that even if there was a Friday Night "NBA on ESPN" you still would have watched the TGIF lineup of Family Matters, Step by Step, Full House, and Boy Meets World. Don't worry, me too. That Topanga still cracks me up ...
Mrinal ... It seems like what you're saying is that you can't be a fan of a team if they happen to be good at the time you become a fan, unless you have another reason. But what are the other reasons? Whats the criteria of who you should be a fan of? I assume your first standard would be geography, but what comes after that? Suppose I start watching hockey and want to pick up a team. Am I forced to be Thrasher fan (because I now live in Atlanta)or a Panther fan (because I was born and grew up in Jacksonville, which btw, is probably still closer to Atlanta)? Am I allowed to like the Red Wings without being criticized as a bad fan, even though they are probably one of the best franchises in hockey, because my girlfriend is from Detroit and she's a huge fan? As Roshan says, shouldn't the judgment of my "fanaticism" be based on whether I stick by that team as the times get tough (which all teams experience)?