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Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Everyone certainly has their own reasons for who they cheer for. I have lived in the US for almost 20 years now but would never cheer against Canada or Calgary in any athletic competition. Most of my reasoning is probably rooted in nostalgia. Bigger fan now than when I lived in Canada.
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I wonder how much your long residence in the United States has affected your own personal strong feelings. If you are anything like me, this certainly plays a part: my own seething hatred of the Vancouver Canucks has definitely been fuelled by my +15-year sojourn in the Lower Mainland area.
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I do find your reasoning rather clinical for describing your "rooting interests" which I consider to be more of an emotional consideration. How the competition factors into international rankings means little to me. I like the experience of seeing Canada win things.
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I would consider my own rooting interests intensely emotional, but the rankings reflect my attempt to rationalize why I behave differently in different situations. I am never unhappy when Canada wins, and I always want my country to perform well in sports. But there are other considerations in various circumstances which foster conflict relative to my own perceived view of their importance. How upset are you when the Flames lose a regular season game in late November, and how does this compare to your feelings about a loss in the second round of the SC playoffs in May? This is similar to how I measure the range in strength between my own emotions produced by Canada winning/losing in the WJC and the Olympics.