Following sports teams

[sloopjohnc]

Most folks on here who've I've been with on BCB know I'm a pretty big local fan of SF Bay Area teams or former Bay Area teams.

The SF 49ers and Oakland Raiders, SF Giants and Oakland A's and Golden State Warriors. And that's just pro teams. I follow Stanford University sports and other local college basketball teams: USF, University of San Francisco, St. Mary's and Santa Clara. Not so much my alma mater, San Jose State, but I do.

I know Toomanyhatz is the same with his beloved, but hated by me, LA Dodgers and I think Souphound's the same with the Montreal Canadiens and I assume Colin Occupants with his local pro hockey team.

I did have one friend I grew up with who was Dodgers and LA fan because his dad grew up in Brooklyn and he started with baseball and extended that to other LA teams. 

I get the impression that UK kids follow the football team their dad does and not so much local teams. Educate me.

[Deleted]

Sometimes kids follow the team's their family support, but often don't.
There's always been thing of following the teams that are doing well, so when I was at school there were a fair few Liverpool fans, despite being in the south of England, because they were the most successful club then.
These days the prominence, glamour and hype given to the top teams means this is even more likely.

[Half Machine Lipschitz]

After the Maple Leafs incredibly dismal showing in the National Hockey League playoffs last season after a fantastic regular season, I swore I'd find a new team to support this year, but I just can't do it.

I didn't grow up a sports fan, and only really got into hockey in the late 90's. My parents weren't sports fans (although my dad took me to a couple of Montreal Expos baseball games), so it's just something that happened to me that I can loosely tie to quitting my band and hanging with a different group of friends.

[DarknessFish]

With football, you have to figure in the absolute media dominance of the big clubs, and the fact that some places just don't have a football team. I mean, if you live in Cumbria, there are no clubs of any note in the entire county, so people there just tend to support Man Utd, or Preston if they're edgy real fans, cos it's the easiest club to get to down the M6.

Growing up in a town with a traditionally small team, everyone tends to support Wigan (currently storming League One - which is the thrid division), and have a second or third team for armchair support. For instance, the only teams my son has seen in home games are Wigan Athletic, Liverpool, and Barcelona. So he supports all of them. And I'm fine with that. The only time it's shit is when you get a home game against someone like Man U or Liverpool, and most of the fans in the home stands are supporting the mega-corporation cunts.

[souphound]

I have indeed been a Montreal Canadiens fan since birth. They're having a heartbreaking season this year. Abysmal really. When they are down, like now, I tend to follow them a lot less than when they are on a hot streak. But I still care for them and cannot cheer for any other hockey team I'm afraid.

Similarly, I used to be a huge Montreal Expos fan as well. When the team moved away, I stopped following baseball entirely.

I guess I'm a teams' fan, not a real sports' fan in that sense. I need some sort of emotional attachment or else I don't care really.

Another interesting question is about the opposite feeling: Which sports teams do you hate? There are usually natural-born ennemies at play in the grand scheme of things. Canadiens' fans usually hate the Toronto Maple Leafs and vice versa. It's the nature of the beast.

[Half Machine Lipschitz]

Feb 4, 2022 17:37:39 GMT souphound said:

Another interesting question is about the opposite feeling: Which sports teams do you hate? There are usually natural-born enemies at play in the grand scheme of things. Canadiens' fans usually hate the Toronto Maple Leafs and vice versa. It's the nature of the beast.

I can't hate the Habs due to my Montreal connections. For me it's the goddamn Boston Bruins.

When I was a kid and went to a few Expos games they always seemed to be playing the St. Louis Cardinals, so they're my go-to bad guys in baseball.

[souphound]

Ooooh! Everybody hates the big bad bruins. That's a given. I used to hate the Flyers almost as much.

Did you see the 'Spos at the Big O? You're probably too young for the Jarry Park days (I used to get in to the bleachers for $0.50 on wednesdays and saturdays (I think). It was $1 for the other days!!! Funny, I never really had a "hated" opponent. At least none that I can remember. My team was always the only ones out on the field anyway. The rest were just "there".

[Half Machine Lipschitz]

Feb 4, 2022 20:14:11 GMT souphound said:

Did you see the 'Spos at the Big O? You're probably too young for the Jarry Park days (I used to get in to the bleachers for $0.50 on wednesdays and saturdays (I think). It was $1 for the other days!!! Funny, I never really had a "hated" opponent. At least none that I can remember. My team was always the only ones out on the field anyway. The rest were just "there".

I only ever saw them in the Olympic stadium, yeah, mostly during the Gary Carter/Andre Dawson/Tim Raines years. I didn't know much about baseball. but I thought Carter was the greatest player in the world.

[toomanyhatz]

Similarly, I can't hate on the Giants, because I respect so many players that played for them, and have always enjoyed going to games in San Francisco. Drives Sloop crazy that I refuse to get into a flame war over it. I reserve my hatred for the Yankees. (Well, and Bumgarner, but that's not so much connected to what team he plays for - I just think the guy's a self-righteous ass.)

I do have a special connection to the Dodgers because my mom, like them, was born in Brooklyn and moved to LA in the 50s. And because, naturally, the voice of Vin Scully was always in my ear growing up.

[sloopjohnc]

Feb 4, 2022 21:36:37 GMT toomanyhatz said:

Similarly, I can't hate on the Giants, because I respect so many players that played for them, and have always enjoyed going to games in San Francisco. Drives Sloop crazy that I refuse to get into a flame war over it.

It does. LA has recently bred a different kind of sports fan. A 49er fan got fucked up in SoFi's parking lot last week and probably 10 years ago, a guy famously got beat up at Dodgers' stadium, he got brain damage.

[sloopjohnc]

Feb 4, 2022 20:14:11 GMT souphound said:

Ooooh! Everybody hates the big bad bruins. That's a given. I used to hate the Flyers almost as much.

Did you see the 'Spos at the Big O? You're probably too young for the Jarry Park days (I used to get in to the bleachers for $0.50 on wednesdays and saturdays (I think). It was $1 for the other days!!! Funny, I never really had a "hated" opponent. At least none that I can remember. My team was always the only ones out on the field anyway. The rest were just "there".

Dude.

Those Dawson, Raines, Cromartie years were the business. 

I played third base in little league and Tim Wallach was my man.

[sloopjohnc]

There are a lot of kids/people who root for the Manchester Uniteds of the US

Dallas Cowboys, LA Lakers, NY Yankees.

I can't see not rooting for a home team, but then I'm blessed with several.

It's interesting to live in a place like Eugene, OR, between Seattle and SF. Lots of Niners and Seahawks fans. Trailblazers are hoops team. Eugene has minor league baseball team affiliated with the Giants.

University of Oregon is their pro team, by all measures.

High school sports is on front page of sports section. Far cry from Bay Area metro papers.

[toomanyhatz]

Feb 4, 2022 22:25:43 GMT sloopjohnc said:

Feb 4, 2022 21:36:37 GMT toomanyhatz said:

Similarly, I can't hate on the Giants, because I respect so many players that played for them, and have always enjoyed going to games in San Francisco. Drives Sloop crazy that I refuse to get into a flame war over it.

It does. LA has recently bred a different kind of sports fan. A 49er fan got fucked up in SoFi's parking lot last week and probably 10 years ago, a guy famously got beat up at Dodgers' stadium, he got brain damage.

Recently? I'd say it's been going on for years. Made worse by the McCourt years when they refused to spend the money on better security. 

As much as I love Dodger Stadium, it's slipped in my estimation somewhat since the Stow incident. I feel like parking didn't used to suck quite so much either (not that it's any better in SF - it's a lot easier if you're willing to pay a fortune). 

[sloopjohnc]

All true. You should think about coming up for an Emeralds' weekend. I have a guest room with a nice bed. And I live five minutes from the airport.

Double if you want to bring Carolyn and go day tripping.

[souphound]

Feb 4, 2022 22:26:34 GMT sloopjohnc said:

Feb 4, 2022 20:14:11 GMT souphound said:

Ooooh! Everybody hates the big bad bruins. That's a given. I used to hate the Flyers almost as much.

Did you see the 'Spos at the Big O? You're probably too young for the Jarry Park days (I used to get in to the bleachers for $0.50 on wednesdays and saturdays (I think). It was $1 for the other days!!! Funny, I never really had a "hated" opponent. At least none that I can remember. My team was always the only ones out on the field anyway. The rest were just "there".

Dude.

Those Dawson, Raines, Cromartie years were the business. 

I played third base in little league and Tim Wallach was my man.

The reason I got in cheaply on those days I mentioned was because I was a card-carrying member of the Grand Orange (our nickname for Rusty Staub!!!  I was into them from day one.  Born in 1960, I was there for the 67 Expo and the subsequent arrival of our beloved Expos.


And I played third base as a youngster just as you did (and yes, Wallach was great).  And outfielder.  And first baseman.  

Montreal has a fairly long history with baseball.  Before me obviously, we were home to the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers' farm team, one-time nest for Jackie Robinson.  My father used to tell me stories of finishing school and gunning it to the ballpark on his bike, often getting a ticket for free from anyone leaving early.

Glory days.