Pro or college, did you ever root for one team growing up and then switch to pulling for a different team as your primary team? If so, what was the impetus? I assume either enrolling in college or moving will be the answer in most cases.
Ever switch team rooting interests?
- Thread starter TheWerewolfFromTwilight
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The Pirates as a kid, then switched to a rooting for a localized earthquake that swallows the stadium.
The stadium is the only thing I don't want to see engulfed by the Earth. The owner, on the other hand... I wouldn't mind seeing him tied to a rocket and blasted off into space.
That’s pretty good, but I made one switch.
I’m rooting for a localized earthquake to suck up Bob Nutting. I would never wish death upon someone, but just to cause him to vanish to Parts Unknown.
Never really switched but I have backed off completely to apathy in some cases.
Sadly, I feel the same way. Even though I feel like Pitt football/Pitt basketball and the Pirates are inherently disadvantaged, I can't pull for anyone else. I was a Pitt fan long before college, so I'd still be rooting for them even if I went elsewhere. And I made a concerted effort to become an Indians - I mean Crossing Guards, or whatever they are now - fan when I was dating someone from Cleveland, but I couldn't pull it off.
Sucks, because Pittsburgh sports are in a pretty ugly place now.
Pittsburgh teams have always been my primary loves. But my secondary teams have changed over the years. As a kid I rooted for the Yankees as my American League team because I liked Reggie Jackson. I also loved the Showtime era of the Lakers and was a big Kareem fan and hated the Celtics for some reason. Probably because they are pretty hateable. Still hate them today. In the 90's I liked the Indians as my American League team. While my passion for them waned after I moved up here due to their fans', they are still my secondary baseball team. I only root for one other team outside of the Indians and the Pittsburgh teams. UC Irvine Anteaters baseball. I go out to that area once in a while for work and take in games from time to time (I'll be there Sunday in fact). Pretty good baseball there, nice stadium and campus. Fantastic concession stand.
I also watch games on ESPN+, usually Friday nights if I'm home. Kind of fun to follow a team that not one other person I know cares about.
I used to watch baseball and root for the Braves for a couple reasons:
- they were good with the Crime Dog, Justice, Maddux, Smoltz, etc
- they were on TV through TBS everyday when there were only 20-30 channels
- everyone was a Charlotte Hornets fan with Grandmama, Zo, and Muggsy.
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By far. Not old enough to see the 60's and obviously 50's, but people say what about the mid 80's?? I said it is not close.
1) Steelers. Not too far removed from the Dynasty and still managed to make an AFC Championship game.
2) Pirates. Only a few years removed from a WS championship and also had a young Barry Bonds in the system. And a different owner.
3) Pens. Mario. I mean you can tell this franchise was building towards something great.
4) Pitt football still nationally relevant and had cache in the college football world.
5) Pitt hoops, embarking on a 5 year recruiting run not seen before nor since.
Now is much, much worse where in some cases, there is little hope.
In this day and age, moving away doesn't really require a change in primary rooting affiliations. You can watch whatever pro teams games you want to anywhere. Switching based on college still makes sense though.
Yeah, it was a bit of a lie though because I thought it was funny.
Actually a White Sox and Bulls fan because I was a kid growing up in the Chicago suburbs during the reigns of Jordan and Frank Thomas. But I'm pretty sure my dad would have disowned me if I rooted for anyone other than the Steelers and Penguins.
But I definitely fall into the apathy camp because I tried switching allegiance to the Pirates when we moved back to Pittsburgh but just ended up ignoring baseball.
The stadium is meant to be a distraction from the mess that lures you to games anyway and that's why part of me resents its existence.
Man, I freaking hated the Braves. Baseball was my first love, and I was young but I very much remember those playoff series with them in the 90's. I brought a sign for one of the playoff games with an X drawn over a tomahawk (I'm sure they saw it, too, from my seat up in the 500 level).
Charlotte Hornets was a popular Starter jacket. I think my brother had the Hornets and Vikings and I had the Dolphins and Carolina Panthers. Kind of hilarious to think back on wearing other teams' outfits - usually based on who had the brightest colors. I also remember owning multiple Florida Gators jerseys, as well Florida State, the Chicago Blackhawks, and I'm sure quite a few I'm forgetting. Then you always had to get a new NBA jersey before Kennywood day. I remember having Orlando Magic Shaq, LA Kings Mitch Richmond, and Memphis Grizzlies Big Country. I'm sure I'm forgetting quite a few.
Lots of Chicago Bulls (Jordan, obviously), UNC, and Michigan gear being worn back in the 90's, also. I don't recall as much Duke stuff at my school, but I know that was another popular one.
This is where I'm at. I can't watch the Pirates. They're not even trying. Pens are trying to milk every last ounce of the core's existence. Steelers are heading the wrong way as a franchise. I surprised myself by not watching nearly as many games as I normally would. Pitt is just in a weird place in an evolving landscape so I am selectively apathetic.
Rooting interest has stayed steady..The word "diehard" is self explanatory. Only change comes with disdain for others or new found lack there of....Used to absolutely hate all things Notre Dame with them coming in a close second to Penn State. In the age of the SEC/Big Ten who has the biggest dick pissing match I find myself rooting for the Irish over whomever they play coming out of there...
Steroid baseball era was so great. Canseco, McGwire, Albert Bell, Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr., Bonds, Sosa, Cecil Fielder, Juan Gonzalez, Mo Vaughn, etc., etc., etc.
Not interested in debating who was or wasn't on the juice, but watching those guys hit massive jacks on SportsCenter every morning and then emulating the batting stances was so great as a kid.
Not interested in debating who was or wasn't on the juice, but watching those guys hit massive jacks on SportsCenter every morning and then emulating the batting stances was so great as a kid.
Maybe the NBA, as a kid I rooted for players more than anything but became a pretty big Memphis Grizzly fan when I lived there for a few years.
As a young kid, I was a NY Yankee fan mostly due to my father and grandfather, who would take me to Cleveland by train to watch the games. I still am a NYY fan. But, my father was a Penn St fan originally, and it was helped by Joe Paterno's Italian heritage. But he became disgruntled with Paterno later because of his arrogance. When I accepted the offer to go to Pitt, the family was all-in for Pitt and still is. In the NFL, I liked the Jets, as Joe Namath was a local boy, who had competed against the hometown team. Since, my allegiance is to whomever is a Pitt star in the NFL. Cowboys during Dorsett days, Dolphins during Marino days, etc, until lately for Pickett and Steelers. I now do not root for the Steelers, even though I wanted them to be successful previously as the Pittsburgh team. My main love is Pitt, so anything associated with the university is a rooting interest.
For one game yes. I had Larry Johnson as one of my fantasy football running backs. The Chiefs were near the Steelers goal-line late in the game. If Johnson scores, the Chiefs win and helps my fantasy league team.
I was so conflicted in rooting against the Steelers thinking this is nuts, that I gave up doing fantasy leagues after that.
Feel the same way. I'll never root against the local pro teams, but I've managed to wean myself off of them. Concerning college athletics, I'm hanging on by a fingernail. I am gone when NIL dominates the discussion on our forums.
I was a huge Notre Dame fan growing up. But went to Pitt and now love Pitt (unfortunately for my sanity). I stormed the field the last game at Pitt Stadium during my first year against Notre Dame and that was probably my first great Pitt memory.
not yet but the more i read about us being stuck with capel for the forseeable future, im going to have too..
cant do wvu, hate psu. not an ohio state fan. no other team in the acc really interests me. im at a loss man cause i like college hoops.
cant do wvu, hate psu. not an ohio state fan. no other team in the acc really interests me. im at a loss man cause i like college hoops.
I would say I adopted other teams based on moving.
It’s hard to root for the Pirates because of just had bad they operate and play. I adopted other teams but not necessarily root for them with the passion I did for pirates as a kid.
Penguins? Always a fan. Doesn’t matter where they are at in terms of level of play.
Steelers? Still mostly passionate but their treatment of James and Kenny, and their absolute stubbornness makes me less so.
College. I am live and die with Pitt and unfortunately it’s mostly die.
Charlotte was unstoppable on NBA Live 95. That was my team. I actually started Tony Bennett because he was automatic from 3. Then you had Dell Curry, who also never missed. Then if you did, Zo and Grandmama would clean it up. Best video game time of all time.
I don't think they did Conner wrong by any means. He was a good back here; he just couldn't stay on the field. Tomlin likes his workhorses (Bell and Najee, etc.), but Conner was going down even when he wasn't getting a lot of carries. I just chalk that one up to being a series of unfortunate events.
My aunt and uncle lived in Atlanta when I was a young kid, so I didn’t see them that much and they knew I loved baseball, so I got a whole bunch of Braves stuff for holiday gifts. I liked Chipper Jones and the guys on those 90’s Braves teams, but I don’t remember which was the chicken or the egg. My mom grew up and remained a Phillies fan, so as I got older and especially into the late 90s and the 2000’s, I ended up gravitating more towards them. And Brett Favre was my favorite football player growing up for reasons that I can’t really put my finger on, so I liked the Packers when I was young until that faded into the Eagles for similar reasons.
Notre Dame
Grew up in a large family of Catholics who worshipped ND. Mind you....no one went there...could get accepted there....or could afford there
But we lived and died ND every Saturday
It wasnt until I got older and realized the brainwashing that I walked away. That....and Tyler Palko's historic day.
Nowadays.....when i take a leak i visualize pissing into a golden helmet.
Grew up in a large family of Catholics who worshipped ND. Mind you....no one went there...could get accepted there....or could afford there
But we lived and died ND every Saturday
It wasnt until I got older and realized the brainwashing that I walked away. That....and Tyler Palko's historic day.
Nowadays.....when i take a leak i visualize pissing into a golden helmet.
Fun fact, my dad grew up in Oakland (the neighborhood) and when he was young, he thought that meant the Oakland Raiders played right down the road… so he became a Raiders fan. In fact, he got lost in one time looking for the Coliseum. And that is why he was the only person in Western Pennsylvania to be disappointed on the night of December 23, 1972.
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I would laugh, except I thought the same thing for most of my childhood. We didn't move back to Pittsburgh until later and my mom always talked about Oakland and Pitt, so I just assumed that's the actual Oakland. I even remember being excited when my little league team was assigned the Oakland A's uniforms even though I wanted the White Sox, because I assumed it was my parents' favorite.Fun fact, my dad grew up in Oakland (the neighborhood) and when he was young, he thought that meant the Oakland Raiders played right down… so he became a Raiders fan. In fact, he got lost in South Oakland one time looking for the coliseum. And that is why he was the only person in Western Pennsylvania to be disappointed on the night of December 23, 1972.
I don't think I knew the difference until I was like 14.
I was a Seton Hall Basketball fan growing up. There wasn’t really a local college football team in my area, but I actively rooted against ND, PSU, and Michigan who were the most popular. Became a Pitt fan when I enrolled. Obviously Pitt is by far my #1 now.
Fun fact, my dad grew up in Oakland (the neighborhood) and when he was young, he thought that meant the Oakland Raiders played right down… so he became a Raiders fan. In fact, he got lost in one time looking for the Coliseum. And that is why he was the only person in Western Pennsylvania to be disappointed on the night of December 23, 1972.
We always took the Birmingham Bridge on the way to Steeler games as a kid, and there was an "Oakland" sign on the exit. When I was about 6 or 7, it made sense to me. The A's were a damn good team, so you'd probably want to know how to get there.
As I got older, it began to seem a little random that of all the US cities they were telling you how to get to one that was 3,000 miles away.
I'm not sure how old I was before I knew what Oakland actually was. There's a chance I was already at Pitt (I commuted) and still didn't know. I was honestly that dense. I remember being near West Virginia in my late teens or early 20's and not knowing if I needed to take 79 north or south to get back home. It didn't occur to me that the roads actually aligned with what you would see on a map. I thought they just randomly assigned names/directions to everything and you had to memorize it all.
Also along the lines of being dense, I remember owning a WVU hat and a PSU jersey around the time I was at Pitt. I didn't root for either school, but it just didn't occur to me that you don't wear other teams' garb. Come to think of it, I also owned two Notre Dame hats and a Notre Dame shirt. I had grown up adorning sports apparel of just about any team in any league: if I liked it, I bought it. I now look back and wonder why in the world stores in Pittsburgh were even selling some of that stuff, haha.
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