Why do people care about their local sports teams?
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Why do you care what other people care about?
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I grew up in Oklahoma where at the time there were NO professional sports - so we cheered for the colleges and that is a blast
Then 15 years ago I moved to Minnesota and went to my first NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB games over time and I can tell you the atmosphere is contagious and just FUN - also the economic impact is HUGE creates jobs, brings in revenue - the owner of a bar in St Paul sent a letter to the NHL commissioner in regards to how much the lockout was hurting his business and the overall income of downtown st paul - It means a LOT to people not only for the fun but for other reasons also!
I didnt live in MN in 89 or 91 BUT people still have so much pride in those Twins teams its cool to hear stories and it gets you excited!
Im a die hard Vikes fan - :sad: BUT I care because in addition to fun its also fun to see some "local" Adrian Peterson (OU grad) have great success...0 -
yupIn Detroit, it's all we have.0 -
Gotta say, being raised atheist as well, it's no surprise I have no level of connection to my fellow man. If it wasn't for food, I would have nothing to talk about with anybody.
Being an atheist doesn't make you an anti-social outcast unless you choose to be. What a silly comment.0 -
Players can move around a lot. This is why it is better to support the team, usually where you live.
Nothing sucks more than going to a hometown team game and being outnumbered by fans of the other team.
Besides, how would the sport build a fan base if every year the teams moved cities? Gotta stay in place to build and grow a fan base. I can't imagine liking a league where every year a team or two moved cities. You'd be constantly changing conferences and divisions etc.
Teams don't relocate that often because of things like tv revenue (want to stay in large tv areas), fines/fees to move a team, schedules, conferences/divisions. And if you are unable to change conferences and divisions because the BOG votes it down, you end up with Winnipeg in the Eastern Conference with a whacked travel schedule! :laugh:0 -
I cannot comprehend not understanding why. You either get it, or you don't.0
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Thirdly - fandom is often passed down from generation to generation. People will tell stories about going to games with their dads (or moms) and so on.
Good point ^^ my kids talk about the games they have been to and they are only 9 & 11 - more to come - like a T'wolves game this Saturday!!0 -
Sports are just another form of soap opera....0
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I would bet that it has something to do with a few things -
First - people weren't always able to watch any game they wanted. Until recently (within the last 10 years or so) you were pretty saturated with teams that were around you. Sundays, for me growing up, was the Steelers every week. And baseball was the pirates, and so on.
Secondly - those were the teams primarily covered in the area by the newspapers (remember those?), so you learned more about the players, regardless of where they were from. I should state that I am not a fan of the Steelers, and it was extremely difficult with the lack of TV exposure and internet to be a Lions fan in the early 90's (it's still difficult, but for other reasons - like they suck).
Thirdly - fandom is often passed down from generation to generation. People will tell stories about going to games with their dads (or moms) and so on.
I would add local marketing/community relations by the franchise to this0 -
Because rooting for a team makes it more fun. I had to pick my teams somehow, so why not the ones whose home games I can go to? Plus, the Twins were awesome when I was a kid and it was fun rooting for World Series winners. Now it's kind of sad, but it would feel like treason to root for anyone else.0
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I'm from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Seriously...it's the Packers and snow. That's all we've got. Don't take it away....0
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Have you ever been to a game with real diehard fans? It's an entirely different experience.0
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“No baseball fan has to explain his mania to any other baseball fan. They are a fraternity. It is less easy, often it is hopeless, to try to explain it to anyone else. You grow technical, and you do not make sense. You grow sentimental, and you are deemed soft in the head. How, the benighted outsider asks you with no little condescension, can you grow sentimental about a cold-blooded professional sport?” --John Hutchens0
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Then 15 years ago I moved to Minnesota and went to my first NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB games over time and I can tell you the atmosphere is contagious and just FUN - also the economic impact is HUGE creates jobs, brings in revenue - the owner of a bar in St Paul sent a letter to the NHL commissioner in regards to how much the lockout was hurting his business and the overall income of downtown st paul - It means a LOT to people not only for the fun but for other reasons also!
Lockout definitely hurt businesses here too. The city claimed a new outlet mall would bring people to the restaurants during the lockout but it did not. These businesses are already commenting about how much their business has increased in the week since Coyotes training camp started.0 -
Well... whatever the world's reasons are... mine is I'm from NY and we have the Yankees. Enough said.
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Plus, the Twins were awesome when I was a kid and it was fun rooting for World Series winners. Now it's kind of sad, but it would feel like treason to root for anyone else.
I will forever be a Twins fan, but when they traded Ben Revere, they lost a lot of my love. T_T0 -
Have some kids and let them play team sports and then come back and tell us you still don't root for a team.0
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I am from Manchester. I feel my explanation will suffice. :P
No, I wonder about all you English football nuts most of all.
Haha. I suppose here football isn't just a sport, it's a culture. You go down the pub with your mates and watch the match at the weekend... It's just what you do.
And supporting your home team is like supporting your country. I'm proud to be from Manchester, just as much as I'm proud to be from England.
United 'Til I Die!0 -
Detroit would be a perfect setting for real life "Running Man" or "The Most Dangerous Game" events.In Detroit, it's all we have.0 -
You know what is FUN is to be in that environment. Cheering on a team. You have the food, a beer. Thousands of other screaming and standing fans.
You might even hug and kiss or high five strangers.
It's hard to explain but there is nothing in the world like it. Fack.. I want to go to a game now.0 -
Sports are just another form of soap opera....
I always called it the original "Reality TV"
before reality TV became less real.0 -
I can KINDA see your point. I understand the need to root for your team and it is always great to be passionate.
But people get too involved (reminds me of some members on MFP honestly). These players honestly most of the time don't even care and would very likely hate you if you try to talk to them. But you see people spending billions of dollars and being violent and in some cases, committing murders over their teams (football world cup. Players got murdered for making a goal against his own team by mistake and causing the team championship)0 -
You know what is FUN is to be in that environment. Cheering on a team. You have the food, a beer. Thousands of other screaming and standing fans.
You might even hug and kiss or high five strangers.
It's hard to explain but there is nothing in the world like it. Fack.. I want to go to a game now.
I've got to find me some Penguins hockey tickets.0 -
Gotta say, being raised atheist as well, it's no surprise I have no level of connection to my fellow man. If it wasn't for food, I would have nothing to talk about with anybody.
That's kinda ridiculous to me. I'm an atheist as well, and I love going to sports games and being part of my community.
Being an atheist doesn't make you an outcast unless you choose to be.
Being an atheist isn't what disconnects you from people. I'm like pregosaurus (awesome name btw). I'm an atheist, a sports fan and a community member.0 -
I wish we had local sports teams! Damn hick town.
I root for teams nowhere near me (ex: Steelers), which makes it hard to see the games without crazy expensive cable channels.0 -
Raised a Steelers/Pens fan... friends are Steelers/Pens fans... Town has Steelers/Pens bars...
But we don't talk about the Pirates.....:ohwell:
They're the *kitten* child of Pittsburgh.0 -
Have you ever been to a game with real diehard fans? It's an entirely different experience.
Agree. Steelers fan for life!0 -
It has so much less to do with where the players are from than being a member of a community. Attending baseball games is one of my absolute favorite things to do for this very reason. The game is only part of the experience. The banter with the folks around you, the food, giving the umpires hell, seeing who can come up with the wittiest insults -- it's great.0
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i just think its fun. its fun to have your whole city and outlying areas rooting for the same team.. it makes everyone so happy when they win.
when the giants were in the world series, it seemed like everyone in the bay area had a connection to each other. we were all smiling at each other and saying "go giants!"
for me, i was born and raised on the san francisco teams. i've loved them all my life, even when they sucked. they are my teams.
GO NINERS!!!0 -
When it's baseball season, I bleed red, white and blue.
When it's basketball season, I bleed green and blue
And when it's football season.... I pretend I don't live in Dallas.0
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