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I always get criticized for rooting for the teams I root for. People ask, ???How can you like the Patriots and the Yankees???? And theirs the guy that just meets me that calls me a front runner.
When I first picked my favorite teams, I didn???t have a clue where teams were from. I just knew them by their nickname. The Patriots were just the Patriots. Not the New England Patriots. And what really turned me on to a team was the players. I would have a favorite player that would then lead to me liking the team they played for. In my mind, teams always change. There are always different players on different teams from year to year. So the team you like one year, in some cases, would be completely different from the following year. So for a long time I would just root for players not teams, since the player was always the same.
As for rooting for the home team. I always wanted to like a team that nobody liked. Growing up in California I was constantly surrounded by; Lakers, Dodgers, Giants, Raiders, and 49ers. Every time I turn around someone would always have these teams on their hats or shirts. And not really understanding the geographical sports fan, I would always be annoyed by seeing these teams everywhere, especially when it seemed to be the only games on TV.
I understand now why people root for their home team. But it still bothers me to a certain existent.
Take the Cleveland Browns for example. In 1996 the team moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. Meaning ALL the players and coaches from the Cleveland Browns, were now the Baltimore Ravens. Then in 1999, the NFL brought the Cleveland Browns back into the league.
Now as a fan, were is your elegance? Do you root for a COMPLETELY new team, or stick with the team that changed nicknames? Only thing that makes the Ravens the Ravens is the nickname. The Ravens are the Browns. In my opinion, you stick with the Ravens. That???s your team. It shouldn???t matter were the stadium is located.
Another example is the Charlotte Bobcats, which hits home a little. The Bobcats came to Charlotte in 2004. ???TWO YEARS??? after the Hornets moved to New Orleans. So if you live in Charlotte or are just a Hornets fan, who do you root for? I stuck with the Hornets, which is exactly what you should do. Just because my team now plays in a different city, doesn???t mean that I should just dump them and hop on the Bobcats wagon, does it? I LIKE THE TEAM, NOT THE CITY. I don???t care where they stadium is located.
Which brings me to my point. It???s fine that you root for all the home teams. I just think there should be more incentive in picking a favorite team than just the fact that they play down the street from your house. You should like a team for the players, coaches, how the organization is ran, how the team / organization treats their fans, and how neato the prizes are for the first 50,000 fans!