When Did Your Team Become Your Team?

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Everyone has a team they cheer for and love. What I want to know is when did you figure out who your team was? What drew you to them, was it a certain player, a game you saw, or just growing up in the area made your team your team by default.

I have two teams that I live for the first isn't just one particular team but you know what I mean by it. My first team is Mizzou. The Missouri Tigers have a spot in my heart that most everyone has for their college atheltics. I sadly wasn't able to attend the University, but I always follow the sports teams. I knew they were my team when I was watching March Madness with my dad back in 1995. I knew because my heart broke. Here's what I'm talking about.

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]pHceOvR464s[/YOUTUBE]

In those 4.8 seconds I felt so much emotion from joy and happiness to complete and utter defeat that I knew I was attached to this team.

My other true team is the Cardinals, I say true team because I love them, I hate them, I live for them. My other home teams are great and all, but I'm just not as emotionally invested into them.

Now growing up in St. Louis it's pretty much a birth right to be a Cardinals fan, they're everywhere and everyone loves the Redbirds. I remember going to my Grandpa's house when I was young and he would always have either the Mizzou game or the Cardinals game on, depending on the season. Watching Ozzie Smith play Shortstop is what hooked me at first but truthfully I had no choice in the matter. I was born a Cardinals fan, and I will die a Cardinals fan.

 

[future admin]

Well, my team, (the Brisbane Lions) are an Australian Football League team. I was born in Brisbane, and I have followed them since I could talk! The fact that I was born there makes that team my team.

 

[Da Prophet]

Again I will be taking this from a Nation Rugby League view, so my team is the Melbourne Storm.I was not born in Melbourne or even in the state, but since I was a young boy my dad had a Melbourne Storm logo on the table.It was a little small paper logo and I was draw to it.Since the first day I saw it I loved it and wanted to know more and what is was about.Then I found out it was a football club and was a fan from that day.Something about me finding it as a child makes gives it a special place in me.

 

[King Patrick Star]

My teams are the 4 “Major” Professional Sports teams in Philadelphia, namely the Phillies in Baseball, the 76ers in Basketball, the Eagles in Football, and the Flyers in Hockey. These teams became my teams before I was born. It was your typical, “My Dad loves them, so I’ll love them too, because I love my Dad” cases. The fact that before cable had 1,000,000 channels, all you could watch was your local team on TV, probably enforced the love for my teams, win, lose, or draw. We, in the 80s, had Mike Schmidt, Charles Barkley, Ron Jaworski, and Ron Hextall as our heroes.

 

[INDYjon22]

When I went to a Baltimore Orioles game when I was 8 or 9. I had been a big Cal Ripken fan before that but had never actually gone to a game, probably since I don't live anywhere near Baltimore. However, my family and I were vacationing out there and went to a game. The Orioles were playing someone who I don't remember anymore but the game went into extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th Cal Ripken Jr., came up to bat and hit a walk off home run. From that moment on The Orioles became my favorite team in all of sports.

A few years later I was at another O's came against the Yankees and Brian Roberts did the same thing.

 

[The People's Peep]

When I was about 8 or 9, I actually grew up with a pretty even mix of Yankees and Mets fans and they were all trying to get me to join their fanbase. I had Mets stuff and Yankees stuff all over my room, but in the end, I chose to be Yankee fan. I think that turned out ok.

The reason behind me being a Devils fan is a little odd. No one else that I know was a Devils fan. In fact, most of my family are Rangers fans. I never was a big hockey fan growing up, but I always watched the playoff because of the excitement. While watching the playoffs, the Devils were always there are they really stuck with me. I finally got into hockey when I used to watch it on ESPN while I went to bed (I dont watch anything but ESPN while I go to bed). All those nights peaked my interest and so I started watching hockey and immediately declared myself as a Devils fan.

 

[Megatron]

Oddly enough, I was attatched to the Tigers during their terrible 43-119 season. Even though they never seemed to win, I always liked watching their games on TV, especially during the summer when I could stay up late and watch them. Then when they finally made the WS in 06, I was on cloud nine. Especially with the run that they had, beating the favorites Yankees and Athletics in a combined 7-1 run. And when Magglio hit the Walk off HR to win it, god I was on such an emotional high. I've experienced a lot of heartbreak with them over the past few seasons, including losing last year in #163, but I still always like watching them, since it is my favorite sport as well.

The Michigan State Spartans are my other true team. I was a few years too young to see them win the championship in 00, but I did enjoy their runs to the final four the past 2 seasons. As for football I've enjoyed their resurgance of sorts, making 3 straight bowl games, even though they haven't won one yet, and 08-09 may have been my most favorite season watching them 9-4, had some great wins.

The Lions are my third, but they've been terrible ever since I've been watching them. But I always liked watching football and like to see that they appear to be turning the franchise around.

 

[CraigThe13th]

My team of choice is football club Manchester United. Background to that is that I live in Stretford which is the home of Man U and also gives me better claim than most glory hunters from other parts of England who support them, also I come from a long line of Man United fans so I guess it was in my blood.

I started to proper follow them when I was about 8-9 years old but was always told by my dad that I was a United supporter before then lol. The arrival of Eric Cantona and the drama of the year we won out 1st Premiership in the 92-93 season is what truly cemented my love for them

 

[Father Uncle Oscar]

My parents say the first Celtics game I watched was the day after I was born. Of coarse, that's when they couldn't win a game for their life, but I didn't know that. I guess that team became my team my second day of life. Well, then again, my dad waited until after the first half of the game they went to before bringing my mom to the hospital to bring me into the world. With that said, the Boston Celtics have been my team since before I was born!

 

[Ty Burna]

As far as my teams are concerned, it's mostly due to the geographic area. But at the same time it's also been due to family influence as well. My father was born the same year the Vikings first started playing in the NFL, and he has been a fan all his life. He's been through all the heartache of the four Super Bowl trips the Vikings have made and we've both shared the good and bad moments of the last 20 years together. But I can recall when I was one of the few true Vikings fans in school and I would always have to stand up for them and have everyone around me mock me for being a fan. Fast forward to 1998 and suddenly everyone was a Vikings fan. The fair weather fans disappeared afterward, but I never stopped supporting them. They have really become my team rather than the family team after that point.

The Twins are again based on the geography, but also holds a unique spot. They won their first World Series the year I was born, and then again 4 years later when my middle brother was born. That is a pretty unique circumstance if you think about it. We've been Twins fans for as long as I have lived.

I am also a Celtics fan, due mostly to KG being on the team. But I have a feeling that even after KG retires I will remain a Celtics fan. It's not to be a bandwagon jumper or anything of that nature, I just have grown to cheer for all the Celtics players like Rondo, Pierce, Big Baby, and Ray Allen. That and I need one sport where I can actually disagree with my entire family with (my dad being a Lakers fan and my youngest bro being a Magic/Heat fan).

 

[Theo Mays]

I always feel I have one of the more interesting reasons as to why I'm a Vikings fan. Growing up in PA, you'd assume my love lies with the Eagles, but that isn't the case. I was always a big sports fan, but I never really had a baseball team that was my favorite nor basketball or hockey. Football I always had the Vikings. Reason being, they were people. As a tike I was obsessed with Barney and seeing as he was purple the Vikings were by default my team, because they were the only purple team around at the time. I knew the Vikes were my team when this one time we played the Bears (can't recall the year), but I was sick as a dog. It was as if I was dying. Couldn't move and was only capable of eating soup. The Vikes happened to be on TV and I'm pretty sure the Bears kicked our ass, yet seeing the Vikings made me feel a bit better.

My love for the Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers just hit me one day and being the local teams it made sense for me to be able to see most of the teams I love, but in the end no team receives love from me like the Vikings.

 

[tinybignuts]

when i was a kid my dad was a bears fan & my mom was a cowboys fan. i was a big ron jaworski fan so i started liking the eagles around 1978 & i have been an eagles fan ever since

 

[The_Misson]

In 2000 my parents bought me my very first jersey and it just so happened to be a Donovan Mcnabb jersey. Ever since then I've loved the eagles and root for them hard. Also when i was a lil kid I used to go up to Nebraska what seemed like every other month just about and would go see my aunt who loved Nebraska Cornhuskers and all her family that loved them too and well... they got me into liking them too and I've loved em ever since then.

 

[Davi323]

Today, I am a huge football fan. That wasn't always the case though. I was one of those kids that didn't give a damn about sports. Had no team. Didn't watch it on my own, just if dad had it on. And I happened to be there...Even in 1984, when the hometown Detroit Tigers (okay, not exactly hometown, I am from the Grand Rapids area) won the World Series, once the excitement wore off, so did my attention to sports.

And then, in the spring of 1989, something magical happened. The Detroit Lions drafted Barry Sanders. I had no idea who he was, I was 14, and the only college team I had any clue about was Michigan (go blue!). No clue about this absolutely amazing running back from Oklahoma State...all I knew is that my dad was pissed that this guy held out, and didn't play until week 3. He called me down into his TV den, and told me about this kid. I was like, whatever. And then I actually saw him run. Needless to say, I haven't missed watching a Lions game on TV since, even through 0-16.

When did my team become my team? As soon as HE stepped on the field.

 

[The Brain]

I'd like to say I have an intersting story about how I became a Cubs fan, but it's really about as simple as it gets. I live in suburban Chicago and everyone in my family are Cubs fans. They watched the games when I was young and I got into it too. That's really all there is to it. I would have to assume that's the story with most people. Sorry I couldn't be more interesting.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

The two sports I follow are football and basketball. Because my Dad was raised in Denver, I became a Broncos fan by default (I was even born in KC) I still remember watching Super Bowl XXII at my house, and watching Super Bowl XXXIII at a Holidome like it was yesterday. The Broncos have been a part of my life since before I can remember.

The same can be said for my other team, the Kansas Jayhawks. While I do follow the football team, the sport we excel in is basketball, I absolutley LOVE my Jayhawk basketball. Living in Lawrence my whole life, I of course followed the Jayhawks from a very young age, and never stopped. As far as NBA basketball goes, I currently root for the Thunder, and the Nuggets, just because they're as close to a home team as it gets. Back when I was younger, I was a fan of the 76's, just cause they had Iverson, and Iverson was basically god to me. I'm also a pretty big fan of the Kansas City Royals, I know we suck, but when we finnally do get out of this slump, I'll be proud to say I stuck with 'em.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

I started becoming a Bills fan (Yes a Bills fan) right around when they started becoming good in the late 80's. I was around 7 or 8 when I started to get into them. In fact I remember crying my eyes and stating I hate the Bills for like 10 mins. straight when they lost the AFC Championship game to the Bengals in 1988. Then we had a bunch of pretty good years, with the four Super Bowls and almost a decade of playoff apperances only missing the playoffs in 94' and 96'. I'm just glad I was young as I was during the Super Bowl years because I don't think I would've been able to cope with 4 losses in a row. Since 2000 we just pretty much suck. But at the end of the day as with my head hung low I'm still a Bills fan.

 

[The Crock]

I love my local teams with a passion and am the biggest University of Utah fan in existence, but I'm also a Packers fan and a Yankees fan. The reason being there are no NFL or MLB teams here in Utah and I've been to games with those teams a ton, and I really enjoy them. People always say, "bandwagon" but that is not the case. I've been a fan of all the same teams since I was a toddler, just the way I am.

 

[ThePeoplesChampion]

I have three teams...(one is above all them)...Michigan Wolverines..my story on this i live in Elkhart, Ind. just 10 miles away from Notre Dame so of coarse all i heard was ND this ND that my dad even tried to raise me as an ND fan but i rebelled and i saw this Michigan Team kick there ass and ever since ive rooted for them.

College Basketball I root for the my roots...I was Born a Hoosier and i will always be a Hoosier...Basketball is a way of life in this state (you cant go 2 house with out seeing a bball hoop). I just remember seeing Bobby Knight and the fire this guy had and i thought he was funny too and that was it. Granted we suck now but theyll be good again.

And anyone that knows me. (or has seen my car)..Knows I LOVE....DA BEARS!!!!!....i dont care if there 0-16 or 16-0 ill still be rooting and losing my voice for them every sunday...i was born a bear my dad is from Chicago so he tought me it..and it only got stronger with the Colts bandwagon picking up...i have bears stuff everywhere in my house car and self.

 

[The Bearded One]

One of my earliest memories is going to a Jags game. I was 5 and it was the first ever Jaguars home game. I remember being excited that we were going to a football game. It was so hot and muggy at the stadium, but I had a blast. I guess you could say I grew up with a team that was growing itself. I am part of the first generation of Jaguar fans who were basically born into fandom, meaning there were no previous allegiances. I've just always loved the Jaguars and I don't ever see that changing.

 

[People's Champ]

As the Redskins are concerned, my dad was a big Raiders fan when they were orginally in Oakland. Then they moved to L.A and my dad hated that they left. So he somehow got into the Redskins. Then I was born into a Redskins family. I was raised to cheer for the 'Skins. By the time I was old enough to understand football and teams and picking my own I was attached to the Redskins. Been my team ever since.

The Sharks are the only major sports team we have in SJ and I absolutely love hockey so that choice needs no explanation. Same for the Giants. They are my team by location. I loved going to Candlestick to watch them play. My first game I went to was when I was 9 against the Dodgers. The atmosphere was amazing. Had me right then.

 

[Post]

I have also been influenced by geography and my dad.

I have lived in Dearborn, Mi. my entire life. My dad was a huge Red Wings fan, so naturally, I became one too. It wasn't always easy bein a Wings fan. I have had my heart broken so many times that I've lost count. Guys like Steve Yzerman, Gerard Gallant, Bob Probert, and Tim Cheveldae were my childhood favorites. Others that kept me going were Sergei Fedorov, Vladmir Konstantinov, Nik Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Slava Kozlov. I can't wait for the NHL reg. season to begin.

I also love the Detroit Tigers and Michigan football (I am a U of M grad).

My NFL team is the Green Bay Packers. I gave up on the Lions when Barry Sanders walked away. I liked Favre, but Aaron Rodgers has kept me a fan! One day I will see a game at Lambeau.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

Yankees - I got in to baseball (sports, really) around 2000. I was seven or eight. I had just red a book from the school library on Lou Gherig and I owned a small "biography" of The Babe. The Yankees were in the middle of a dynasty, and that combined with the history of the franchise that I had been learning about made me a fan. The Mariners are the "hometown" team, but no one south of Vancouver feels "obligated" to be an M's fan. I'd say there are more Yankee fans at my school than Oakland or Seattle. I've been a fan since then, suffering the playoff disappointments from 01-08 at a tender age. But the collapses and Giambi could NOT break me.

Red Wings - I'm not much of a hockey fan and would not claim to be diehard for Detroit. They were simply the best team to play with in NHL 2k5. Stevie and Nik ftw.

Seahawks - I never have been much of an NFL guy. I think the style of play is slow and the games are boring. But, the 13-3 season the Hawks had in 05-06, Shaun Alexander's MVP year, had me captivated. Superbowl 40 continues to haunt me. The next couple of years I had keen interest in the team, but they couldn't get it done in the playoffs. Holmgren's last year was awful. The draft was awful. Jim Mora Jr. is an idiot. I'm excited about Pete Carrol though. He had an excellent draft and the team is young and exciting. Hass needs to hang it up though.

Blazers -Oh, my love affair with Portland began in Roy's rookie season. Prior to that, I was a Shaq fan, both with the Lakers and the Heat. I remember enjoying games in the early 2000s with Sheed and Mighty Mouse (and ARRRRVYYYDYSSSS), but that Jailblazers, that was an ugly team to watch. So, as a youngster, I gravitated to something better. Now, though, I'm 100% on board and have a feeling this is going to last a lifetime.

Ducks - My #1. In Oregon, it's Ducks and Beavers. They are the be all, end all. Oregon and Joey Harrington reeled me in and I've watched every Duck game the past 8-9 years. I can't begin to describe my affection for each and every Duck team. Even 6-7 Duck teams.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

Although I played baseball thoughout my younger years I never could really get into watch it on TV. That all changed in 2005.

My family and I were attending a thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. Whenever there is any family function there is always some sport playing on the TV in the basement where all of the guys spend the majority of the time. This time it was the game four of the playoffs between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves. Game Four ended up being the longest (in both time and innings played) postseason game in history, finally ending in the eightteenth inning.

This exciting game was what got me into watching any baseball game on television.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I'm English so football (soccer) rugby and cricket are my sports

Football: Bolton Wanderers: My Dad and Grandad were big Bolton fans, so it was only natural that I followed in their footsteps. I went to my 1st BWFC game when I was 7 and loved it. I continued going to a few games a year until I was 11 and we got our first season ticket, which I have now held for over a decade. I am proud to support Bolton, as I live in Manchester now and am surrounded by Man Utd and Man City fans, and even at school, less than 20 miles from Bolton, there were hardly any other people who supported my team. As well as Utd and City, there were loads of Liverpool and Everton fans too. I think its cool not to follow what everyone else does just to be the same, I am a Bolton fan and thats what I will always be

Rugby: Wigan Warriors- I am from Wigan, so it is my hometown team. My family grew up there and are all big Wigan fans. One of my first sporting memories is lying on the carpet at home, I must have been about 6, and my Mum was doing the ironing behind me and cheering on Wigan against Leeds in the Challenge Cup Final.

Its great that we have just won the Grand Final after more than 10 years, after being the dominant team throughout the previous 15 years or so. Hopefully the glory days are coming back.

Cricket: Lancashire- I was born in the County, so thats why I support them. Plus, my favourite cricketers of the last 10 years have been Jimmy Anderson and Andrew Flintoff, both who played for Lancashire, so even if I had been born elsewhere I would still have been drawn to the Red Rose.