Becoming a fan of a new team

[HFCS]

Not sure why this came to mind right now, but it's something I've wondered about. Has anyone else ever had trouble becoming a fan of a new team? I've been watching hockey since the 2010 Olympics, and in the NHL, the Blackhawks were the obvious choice to root for in Iowa City. But I wouldn't call myself anything more than a casual fan, despite genuinely liking the team and the sport. I just don't feel the same sort of connectivity with the Blackhawks as I do the Cubs or Hawkeyes, or even Iowa State or the Bears (I don't really care that much about the NFL, but I grew up with the Bears every Sunday because my dad is a fan). The highs don't feel as high; even during their Cup runs, I couldn't get *really* excited without it feeling a little forced compared to how I feel during Iowa or Cubs games.

For the people who started watching a new sport and picking a favorite team like that, did you have similar experiences? Does that ever change, or does it always just feel different than it does for the teams you grew up with?

I didn't have an NFL team, watched NFL football and lived in Chicago for 15 years. Could not become a Bears fan even when they made the Superbowl. Their fans were insufferable.

I need a personal attachment and sometimes living in a city isn't enough. On the flip side when I studied abroad in Rome I became a rabid fan of their local Roma soccer team and still follow them almost 20 years later. It was only 2 years before I'd be in Chicago but somehow I couldn't get on board. The fans were conversely awesome and unlike Bears fans realistic about their team's chances.

I find it pretty easy to be a fan of a fun team for a few years then move on. For example I listened to most Denver Nuggets games on my commute this year and have become a fan. They play a very fun style of basketball and a Cyclone has been playing great for them. If Monte gets traded and/or the team becomes less fun to watch I doubt I'll be a "Nuggets fan".

 

[HFCS]

Nothing compares to ISU, I wouldn't entertain the idea of rooting for any other school. Pro sports I'm much more casual, other than MLB, die hard Cards fan. The NFL and NBA were ruined by fantasy sports and free agency, now I'm just more in to watching players I like than teams. I consider myself a Bears fan but after Fred to the Bulls, I have no NBA allegiance, it was just too tough balancing the fact it was an awful hire for my favorite team and the obvious attachment ISU fans have for Fred.

I think this could change if I lived in a metro area with more pro teams but I'm just a much bigger college sports fan. It does seem like pro sports are more bandwagoney. I have friends that switch teams every few years but have remained loyal to their college teams for our entire lives.

I don't even like college basketball outside of ISU and the first weekend of the dance but ISU basketball is probably my most passionate fandom. That's how strong it is.

 

[tm3308]

Quite the stealth "I want to be a Cyclone" post.

I'll never be a full-fledged Cyclone, but I've always cheered for ISU outside of four days a year (vs. Iowa in FB, MBB/WBB, wrestling). It's more fun when both teams are good.

 

[ZB4CY]

I was a big fan of Baker and find myself more and more paying attention to the Browns.

I'd say I'm a fan of them, now.

 

[clones6421]

I am a free agent NFL Fan right now. Have been a Redskins fan since 1991, but I really cant stand them any more becuase they are terrible and I hate their owner Dan Snyder. I am leaning becoming a Bears fan, but open to other suggestions.

I am kind of in the same boat. Been a Cowboys fan growing up in the 90's with Aikman and Emmitt Smith, but do not care for Jerry Jones and they have been mediocre at best the last 20 years.

I have started to root for teams that have historically struggled and do not get much media attention.

The Chargers and Bills have been teams I have really began to follow. The Bills tailgates look wild, and root also for those die hard Buffalo fans to have some success.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I'll generally cheer for the underdogs in sports if one of my teams isn't involved, but ISU has been a part of my family since I was two, so the love runs deeper than anything.

We grew up listening to Twins games on the radio and watching the Vikings when they decided to air the games. When my brother graduated from ISU, he moved to Minny. I'd stay with him for a week every year and he'd take me to Twins game, which further cemented my devotion. My dad was always a big Notre Dame fan, so I've followed them as well. My dad, myself and my brothers went to a game at South Bend and it was a really memorable experience.

I became an Arsenal fan as my daughter got into soccer and her coach brought me on board. I've grown to really love the sport, even though I never watched it growing up. I loved Jordan and the Bulls when I was a kid, but I've never really had a strong tie to an NBA team due to not being near enough to a team. I liked the Red Wings due to Hasek and McCarty, but I haven't followed them as much lately. Playoff hockey is awesome, though!

Since moving to KC, I've become a fan of the Royals and Chiefs, but not in near the same way as my Vikes and Twins. I feel like I'm at my max of teams that I follow.

 

[CyGuy5]

I’m a relatively new NHL fan, and I chose the Wild as my team. I don’t feel the same connection to them as I do with Iowa State, the Royals, and the Cowboys. I’m not sure what it is about it. I’m still a fan, but I don’t care as much about the results like I do my other teams. The one exception to this was the AAF. I actually felt invested to the Commanders games, and I loved it

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Seeing a team live helps me get behind them as well. I understand how watching a game at home is a very enjoyable experience, but there is just something about a live sporting event that is special. When a group of friends went and saw the Red Wings play the Blues in St Louis, it really made me wish I could watch all hockey games in person.

 

[SolarGarlic]

I didn't really have a choice with the Cyclones. Grew up going to basketball and football games My dad is an alum. Most of my family are alums. I'm also an alum, didn't necessarily love my experience there. Not bad. Not great. Still love ISU more than almost anything.

I grew up a Bulls and 49ers fan and had the same intensity as ISU with the Jordan teams. You could say I was a frontrunner, but my older brothers were Knicks and Cowboys fans, and I've always had a contrarian streak in me.

I now live in Denver. I couldn't care less about the Broncos, and don't care much about the NFL in general. Rockies games are cheap and fun if you like spending a night at the ballpark. The Nuggets are the closest to my heart out here, and that's solely because of Monte. I don't really care about hockey although the handful of Avs games I've been to have been really fun.

There are so many transplants in Denver that the allegiance to the teams is very surface level. They go all in when they're good and don't care much when they're bad. The exception is the Broncos. I have friends that go all out on Sundays. I don't get it. Give me a fall college football Saturday over any NFL Sunday.

I don't think anyone can really fall into a team after a certain age. Or at least you don't have the life-or-death feeling you get with your real teams. I've seen people go nuts about European soccer, and I have no clue how they've made a connection without really living in the culture. How do you hate a rival when the only time you run into them is on the internet?

 

[Clonefan32]

I lived in Washington DC for about 6 months, and during that time I went to probably 8-10 Capitals games. Really enjoyed going and became a pretty big fan. Watched them relatively closely for the next couple years, but over time my allegiance died off a bit. When the won the Stanley Cup last year I was excited but nowhere near where I would be during a big moment for the Cubs or Iowa State.

 

[EnkAMania]

I grew up a Colts fan, when they moved to Indianapolis I became a Charger fan. Still a Charger fan, although the situation is nearly identical to the Colts.

 

[weR138]

Not sure why this came to mind right now, but it's something I've wondered about. Has anyone else ever had trouble becoming a fan of a new team? I've been watching hockey since the 2010 Olympics, and in the NHL, the Blackhawks were the obvious choice to root for in Iowa City. But I wouldn't call myself anything more than a casual fan, despite genuinely liking the team and the sport. I just don't feel the same sort of connectivity with the Blackhawks as I do the Cubs or Hawkeyes, or even Iowa State or the Bears (I don't really care that much about the NFL, but I grew up with the Bears every Sunday because my dad is a fan). The highs don't feel as high; even during their Cup runs, I couldn't get *really* excited without it feeling a little forced compared to how I feel during Iowa or Cubs games.

For the people who started watching a new sport and picking a favorite team like that, did you have similar experiences? Does that ever change, or does it always just feel different than it does for the teams you grew up with?

My interest in the NHL died with the Nordiques...and it was just because of their dope sweaters anyway...

I kept seeing Bundesliga all the time on TV and realized I was watching it so I figured I'd cheer for the team that's near where we're from in the old country. That's Dortmund. But I've kind of started to like Leverkusen more.

 

[kentkel]

Cyclones, Bucks, Broncos and Brewers have always been my faves (since childhood). However, my "second favorite teams" have almost always had a Cyclone connection (apart from baseball). Was a huge Suns-Sixers-then Jazz fan when Hornacek was tearing it up in the NBA. Now, I am rooting for Denver or Utah to be victors in the West because of Monté and Georges (unfortunately, that dream may be dealt a death blow soon).

 

[SpokaneCY]

I'll never be a full-fledged Cyclone, but I've always cheered for ISU outside of four days a year (vs. Iowa in FB, MBB/WBB, wrestling). It's more fun when both teams are good.

I'm with you... I only care about Iowa when we play them. Other than that nothing but good pub for the state - which I haven't been to in nigh on 30 years.

 

[madguy30]

I have a hard time finding new teams, including local ones.

Pet peeve is people who jump right on the bandwagon of a local team just as long as they're doing well.

Former acquaintence made it a regular thing to not only jump on the bandwagon, but post pics of themselves at the bar with all the swag of that team without knowing anything.

 

[Peter]

I've lived in Madison, WI for 10 years and still can't get into Badger sports. I tune in to watch them crush the Hawkeyes and that's about it.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I am a free agent NFL Fan right now. Have been a Redskins fan since 1991, but I really cant stand them any more becuase they are terrible and I hate their owner Dan Snyder. I am leaning becoming a Bears fan, but open to other suggestions.

Also a free agent, and over the last 6-8 years I've tried to latch onto the Chiefs, Vikings, and Bears for various seasons. None of them stuck. I agree with the other poster that said it has to grow organically - at least for me, it hasn't worked to just pick one.

 

[stinkbaitcatfish]

My brother was always a front runner as a kid. Hawkeyes, Cowboys, Bulls, Red Wings. But once he had a reason to switch allegiances, he did.

When he decided to go to ISU, he became a Cyclone fan and is fully invested. When he moved to Minneapolis and decided to put down roots there, he ditched his childish attachments and went all in on the local squads. For him it was all about having a more genuine connection to these institutions than the previous ones

.... this.... after moving to New York City in 1988 I became a New York Jets season ticket holder when it only cost about $700 a season..... I got into a crew that renovaated a 1977 Winnebago into a sports bar with multiple TV screens inside and outside and one hell of a tailgating party scene.... we always enjoyed all 5 prime meat food groups ; in retrospect it was the tailgating party scene that I experienced at Iowa State that made me an infatuated J-E-T-S fan as of today.... So many, many great long and valuable relationships were initiated with the old Winnebago boys

=== the real kicker here is ; if I am a New York Jets fan AND an Iowa State fan... then I never have to take my titanium, nut cup off ! ....

 

[stinkbaitcatfish]

Seeing a team live helps me get behind them as well. I understand how watching a game at home is a very enjoyable experience, but there is just something about a live sporting event that is special. When a group of friends went and saw the Red Wings play the Blues in St Louis, it really made me wish I could watch all hockey games in person.

TV does not do hockey any justice at all... you quite honestly don't see plays or defense setting up 90% of the action ; you really have to see it live to enjoy the beauty of the sport.
Iowa State Hockey live was the absolute
best ....especially on 10-cent draw-night.
.... I still do not understand how the cheerleaders used to do splits on ice

 

[jdoggivjc]

Moved to Detroit in 2011. I'd say the only one of the Detroit teams I made any kind of emotional attachment to is the Tigers, but even then I wouldn't make the effort to watch all of the games. I'm not even sure I've watched a full game of theirs yet this year.

I became a Lions "fan", I guess. It's what's on TV on Sundays during the season, and I bought some gear, but as far as emotional attachments? Absolutely not. Somehow I became an Atlanta Falcons fan (1991 - Neon Deion, that team, etc), and shortly after I moved to Detroit I the Falcons and Lions played that season and that's when I decided, even when the Falcons were a **** team and the Lions were decent, I was still a Falcons fan at heart. Still am to this day. It helps that the Lions might have the worst ownership group in pro sports and most Lions fans actually have a "second" team that they cheer for.

Pistons? As far as worst ownership groups, the Pistons say "hold my beer". The way Gores is running that franchise into the ground, even if I was an NBA fan, not a chance. First, yeah, let's move them out of The Palace, right in the heart of their fan base, to downtown Detroit into the LCA (where they're not even the primary tenant - the Red Wings are), where nobody gives a crap. They literally had to change the seats from red to black after the first year because so few fans showed up for Pistons games that it was embarrassing to see all those empty red seats on TV. Not to mention the "win at all costs" attitude when they're barely an 8-seed. It's just "why?"

I've always hated the Red Wings. In fact, moving to Detroit made me become an even bigger Blackhawks fan.

The interesting one is I became a Michigan State fan after moving up here. They'll never replace Iowa State for me and I'd always cheer for ISU over MSU if the two ever played, but I absolutely hate Michigan (residual hate from when I was an Iowa fan) and I was either going to become a Michigan State or Ohio State fan. I just couldn't bring myself to become Buckeye, so Go Green.