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Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 8:54 am
by hord
thaniz wrote:Great thread. If allowed, I want to develop this a bit further.

I live in Europe, started watching NFL 2-3 years ago. I have never seen an NFL game live, I have no attachments to a team whatsoever, so I find it very difficult to choose. Somehow got caught with the Browns but man I don't know. Its really difficult.

Say you lived in Europe, and discovered football when you are over 30 years old, how would you choose your favorite team?

first of all, yes great idea for a thread!
I figure their are many different ways that people choose a favorite team when they aren't "born" into it....
my family was never a football family. I'm from a small town in NB Canada, so football was never huge other then a few pats fans. I didn't know a single thing about football, and never really paid any attention to it all through school. We did have a football team in high school, and in my senior year, my buddy's convinced me to try out for the team. like I said, I knew nothing about the game, didn't really want to play, but I was a bigger kid, and they really wanted me to join. so I did... well I fell in love with football, and started watching the game a little bit on tv as our season went on
(ended up winning our provincials too "Canadian equivalent to state championship") problem was, i didn't have a team to cheer for.

I don't remember exactly when or how I ended up with this, but one day I discovered a blue and white jersey with a horse shoe type symbol on it, and the back had number 18 on it and the word manning. I had no idea who this was, or why I had this jersey in my closet, but from that point on, that was the team and player I looked for on tv. once I knew a little more about the game, and got to watch manning play, I was hooked!!! been a die hard colts fan ever since, and really only because of one player. I will admit, I have been cheering for the broncos since the move, and am really praying that they get it done this weekend so peyton can retire with the respect he deserves. so i guess i am a manning fan really, but I still consider myself a colts fan, and the minute manning is done, the broncos will be off my mind!!
so that's my story! sometimes it just happens by chance of finding a jersey! haha

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:06 pm
by Martpe
I am from Denmark, so American football was not promoted much when growing up - however as we had a kicker who did well (hall of fame tonight???) sometimes SB was shown. In 1994 my best friend then took a year at a US high school - and as a decent soccer player became kicker also :surprised: :surprised: his host family were big steelers fan and he went to some games. I heard quite a bit on this team... so without being a fan of either I was positive against Steelers and Saint (MA). Turn was then when I saw Kordell Stewart play QB :lol: :lol: somehow that and the fact that an arrogant Cowboys team beat the Steelers blue and yellow in the SB resulted in me never looking back (the underdog symptoms maybe)
However tonight I just a MA fan :pray: :pray:

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 12:39 am
by cucamonga
Friction wrote:I always liked random teams from different place than my home state. As far as NFL, I became a Bills fan a year or so before the start of their Super Bowl runs because Thurman Thomas was the first athlete to personally respond back to an autograph request letter I sent him. He sent me back his rookie card with his auto on it and a short letter. He was not a star yet or really known at all. That got me glued to their games when I could. It meant a lot to me and since it was hard to get any type of legit response from any athlete back then, I felt some strong loyalty towards them/him. Them getting good obviously helped, but even at a young age, I never jumped on or off a bandwagon no matter what, and I have stuck with them through four Super Bowl losses and then the futility since. Playoffs this year for the first time since 1999 Music City Debacle.
That's awesome! I love Thurman

I became a Bills fan when they started their super bowl runs also. I became a fan because my name is Bill and Thurman is my all time favorite player.

Something about losing 4 in a row seems eerie and curse like......

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 2:06 pm
by Dookmarriot
Moody wrote:Spite.

My older brother was a Miami fan from the heyday. My first pack of football cards had Bob Griese and Nat Moore in the same pack.
I refused to trade them out of spite, claiming to be a Dolphin fan too.
This is amazing.

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 12:20 pm
by nokoryous
Not a lot of people can say their team has won the SB 3 times in their lifetime. Texas born, Cowboys forever!

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:42 am
by bobandrews
I born in Baltimore but I grew up in NYC/NJ and my dad was a serious NYG fan. I decided early on that I'd be 'independent' and the Colts were 'my' team. I can remember being in church on Sunday mornings and praying for Johnny Unitas and the guys. The Baltimore Colts became my religion. When they left for that other city it tore my heart out. I tried rooting for the Oilers since I was living in Houston by then and then even tried rooting for the Ravens but that felt wrong. They were Cleveland's team that had been taken just like my Colts.

When the NFL awarded the Texans franchise to Houston I ponied up for season tickets on the first day they were put on sale and have been to every game ever since. They will never replace my Baltimore Colts and they have put me through a bit of misery but it's good to have a team again.

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 3:29 pm
by ELSOUZA
As an Australian we never got much exposure to NFL. In 1991 I stumbled across a TV show repaying some highlights of that weeks games. It was (& stil is ) a niche sport in Australia. The gladiatorial nature of the sport interested me as did the notion of being one of the few down under that knew of the sport. Made it feel like I was part of a secret club.

In any case, had no idea who the teams were but the was a lot of talk of the niners... That was all it took.

Pretty dumb story but there you have it

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 10:32 am
by 93devil
I was born outside of Pittsburgh.

That plus their consistent success makes it easy to stay their fan.

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 7:25 pm
by DBass218
Dad grew up in Buffalo so I grew up a Bills fan. When they lost 2 straight Super Bowls to the Cowboys I asked him who the Cowboys rival was.

Became a Redskins fan then and still one today. Sad to admit I became a fan because I was a hater!!

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 10:58 pm
by ColdZealDonkeyStrike
I am from the middle Michigan. When I was 4 or 5, all my friends were UofM fans and Lions fans. I HATED Michigan, so I didn't want to be a Lions fan either.
Around then I watched a Dolphins game and really liked how hard Marino threw the ball. So I became a Dolphins, and still am. Until a few years ago I was making a road game every year, but kids and then moving out of the country has made that not feasible of late.

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 7:24 am
by GridironGuerilla
I reside in the bay area and grew up going to games and watching the 9ers win Superbowls. The rest is history.

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 3:31 pm
by nathanq42
Live in Vancouver Canada
Uncle is from Seattle
Seahawks have been my team since I was a kid.
Plus my first year of fantasy I had marshawn lynch when he became beast mode. The 3 years of dominance, I loved how the legion of boom played so physically and would sacrifice for each other (specifically bam bam kam). Things aren't looking too hot but gotta rep the squad.

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Thu May 25, 2017 3:33 pm
by osubuckeyeman
My Dad was A HUGE Reds fan and during football season it was all the Buckeyes and Bengals. I went to my first Reds and Bengals game at old Riverfront Stadium and I was hooked. I take my son to one or two games a season at Paul Brown Stadium and have passed down the sickness to another generation.

Buckeye love is on another whole different level though you have to cut your arm off and sell it plus some blood to get tickets these days to see the Buckeyes unless they are playing a team like UTEP "no offense to UTEP fans."

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Sat May 27, 2017 9:32 am
by Space Cowboy
94 super bowl was the first SB I watched and Young and Rice tore it up. I was a fan.

Re: So what made you a fan of your team?

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 3:12 pm
by roughrider1
Growing up in ND and the proximity to MN and the exposure made me a Vikings fan at a very young age. Lots of heartbreak over the years but it's been pretty fun at times too. The defenses they had, the Herschel Walker trade that at the time seemed like a no brainer, honestly at the time all they needed was a running back.. The carters (Anthony in the 80s and Cris in the 90s) knocking the 49ers out of the playoffs in the late 80s then losing to the Redskins the following week in heartbreaking fashion.. Randy Moss in 98.. 15-1.. Gary Anderson in the NFC championship game.. Drafting AP in 2007... the Favre year in 2009.. Blair Walsh wide left from 27yards out a couple years ago.. it's football.. it highs unbelievable highs and terrible lows.. the lows seem to stick out more than the highs but have had the joy of seeming some pretty tremendous players wear my favorite teams colors. Had the joy of traveling to TX with my brother to see his favorite team the cowboys take on the Vikings a couple years back and to see that stadium was just unreal, this past year the Vikings and Cowboys played in the Vikings new stadium and it was just as awesome, both times my team lost but both games were very close contests. Just to be there, both places and to take it all in and to be among all the fans cheering on their favorite teams is something hopefully every fan no matter the sport or contest can experience.