To me, if you are fan of multiple teams in a league you are a real fan of no teams. Not that a real fan is somehow better than a casual fan but I find that casual fans have favorite teams, hardcore fans have one team and couple other teams they'll root for if their team is out.
Italian football fan since the 94 world cup when we lost to Brazil on penalties. The 2006 world cup was pretty sweet. Oddly enough the other half of my nationality is Irish who beat the Italians in the 94 world cup IIRC.
yep in the group stage, then they lost to Holland in the second round.
To me, if you are fan of multiple teams in a league you are a real fan of no teams. Not that a real fan is somehow better than a casual fan but I find that casual fans have favorite teams, hardcore fans have one team and couple other teams they'll root for if their team is out.
I dont know, I only sort of half agree with this, I found that when the NHL was heavily division centred having an Eastern Conference team was a necessity or else you really only cared about half the league. Its part of why I really like the Flyers, despite being in an extreme minority in that capacity.
Its something that I refer to as "England" syndrome. I'm not british in any form, but as the most popular country for soccer with a media hype machine thats second to none, I've always found that a lot of people cheer for the English soccer team, myself included occasionally, even though they suck, and have sucked for a long time and likely will continue to suck compared to the major European soccer nations.
I define "England" syndrome as hoping for a team to do well, so long as its not at the expense of 'your' team, or possibly the team you would cheer for if your team is out. Although, thats often England lately.
England syndrome infuriates me. Thankfully I've been cured, but I've contemplated renaming it "Senators" syndrome out of pure hate/spite.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
Its something that I refer to as "England" syndrome. I'm not british in any form, but as the most popular country for soccer with a media hype machine thats second to none, I've always found that a lot of people cheer for the English soccer team, myself included occasionally, even though they suck, and have sucked for a long time and likely will continue to suck compared to the major European soccer nations.
What do you mean? We won the World Cup back in 1966 you know. That's not that long ago. And don't you say it is 'cos that's the year I was born and I still feel young darnit!.
Heck who's kidding who. You're right, they suck....
What do you mean? We won the World Cup back in 1966 you know. That's not that long ago. And don't you say it is 'cos that's the year I was born and I still feel young darnit!.
Heck who's kidding who. You're right, they suck....
They're actually not too bad under Capello, but they havent really been tested either.
The problem with English soccer is the English. They think the EPL is the be all and end all of everything. How many English players are there in Germany, Italy or Spain? Couple their lack of diversity with their penchant for only hiring English managers and voila, you have a team that cant adapt to other styles of play.
/rant.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
Italian football fan since the 94 world cup when we lost to Brazil on penalties. The 2006 world cup was pretty sweet. Oddly enough the other half of my nationality is Irish who beat the Italians in the 94 world cup IIRC.
Italy's run in 94 may have been the craziest/exciting run in any sport.
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Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire
tell that to a guy i know. i think he has 20 teams in the NFL LOL.
I dont get him, but he says he likes those 20 and hates the other 12.
To be clear, I don't like 7 NFL teams.
I like watching Favre and Garcia. So... that's 2 teams. All the other teams I mentioned were teams that Favre, Garcia or Flutie used to play for. Since they no longer play for them, I no longer watch them.
It's not like the NFL is an overly exciting league to watch.
NHL and CFL are the only two leagues that I can actually watch any team play and still be entertained. NBA too, but I just don't have enough time for three "full-time" sports, so I just stick to the Suns for the NBA.
What do you mean? We won the World Cup back in 1966 you know. That's not that long ago. And don't you say it is 'cos that's the year I was born and I still feel young darnit!.
Heck who's kidding who. You're right, they suck....
BTW, '66? My parents werent married then, hell, they were still kids living in different countries.
'66? Wow. I bet you watch a lot of the Antiques Roadshow for stuff that you bought new.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
Became a fan of the Flames when I moved to Calgary in 1981. Did not get to go to many games until they moved to the Saddledome, although my company bought season tickets when they were still in the Corral, so they could get an option to buy at the Dome. I think that year, they threw in some deal about Wranglers games, because I remember going to lots and lots of those games that year.
When the Dome opened we went to a lot of games, there were only 8 people in our office and we rotated the tickets amongst the 8, except when they were given to clients.
I was at the Stanley cup final game in 86 when Montreal won the cup, and I will never forget the "thank you Flames" chant that broke out after the game, it gave me goosebumps! Our whole office went to the Stampede grounds for the celebration that took place a day or two after the game.
Been a Flames fan since around '96 when they started their decline to terribleness and went 7 years without a playoff spot. The ol 'rents got seasons so I would be pretty lucky to go to lots of games.
Been a Bruins fan too since the Cam Neely days.. that guy was awesome.
But Flames first. Don't agree that you can't cheer for more than 1 team... if there are aspects you like about a team, why can't you cheer for it? Doesn't take away from cheering for your favourite team or whatever. Example... I think the Blackhawks are an exciting story this year- I like to see them be successful, does that take away my love for the Flames? Not at all.
Calgary Flames: I think I first took notice of the Flames in the 80's because I was young and really liked their jerseys. I was a casual hockey observer but not really a "fan" until I got together with my wife. She has family in Lethbridge and Crossfield, and they are Flames fans.
Spending time in Canada increased my interest in hockey, then seeing the excitement of the City during the 03-04 season turned me into a fan. Hockey is quickly becoming my favorite sport.
New Orleans Saints: I became a fan of the Saints during their days with the "Dome Patrol" defense back in the late 80's. I had always been football crazy, but never had a true allegiance to a team. I had the pleasure of living in New Orleans later on in my life and enjoyed watching quite a few games. Even if it was during the "Ditka era."
Rickey Jackson is a Hall of Famer.
Portland Trail Blazers: My family moved to Beaverton, OR when I was grade 6. The Blazers are the only major pro team in town, and back then in the late 80's they were very successful. With players like Drexler, Porter, Kersey, etc. they were a very exciting team to watch. I don't follow basketball much anymore, but I still hope they win.
Cincinnati Reds: I was a huge fan of Eric Davis. He's my favorite player of all time. Their rookie league squad plays here in Billings as well. I also root for the Mariners, but Cincinnati is always #1.
LSU Tigers: Louisiana is football crazy!!! LSU is the focus of most of their passion, the Saints will always play second fiddle. I was always a college football fan in general and followed the local teams in my area, Oregon/Oregon State, Wyoming, etc.
When I moved to Louisiana, LSU was at one of their lowest points as a program (mid 90's). The people were still crazy about them, and I jumped along for the ride! Since then, it has been good times for the most part, and the most successful of all of my favorites.
I was fortunate enough to be in Tiger Stadium in 1997 when LSU beat an undefeated #1 Florida team which had beaten them in 9 straight. Probably my best sports memory to see live.
Oh, and there is nothing better than an LSU tailgate party...
I became a Flames fan in 1997. Living in Winnipeg, I was a Jets fan pretty much until they left. Following the Coyotes a bit, but generally pissed off at it all. In 1997 I found out I was moving to Calgary, so I vowed to support the hell out of the team, because if you don't, they could leave.
I became a Liverpool FC fan probably around 2002, but never really followed it until the beginning of last season. While I like LFC more than I hate Man United, one of the reasons I picked the Reds was because Man U and their fans are annoying.
Roughnecks+Hitmen because I live here.
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"Correction, it's not your leg son. It's Liverpool's leg" - Shankly
Calgary Flames - 1986. I was actually a Habs fan since the late 70's and my favorite player was The Flower, but by the mid 80's, they were languishing in mediocrity. I've always hated the Oilers and when the Flames beat them in 7 games in dramatic fashion, I jumped on the bandwagon and have not been off since.
Stampeders - The same year, I went Calgary all the way. Cheering for the Stamps was really tough before 1990 when Normie Kwong took over and hired Wally Buono, the rest is history.
Washington Redskins - Loved Mark Rypien and their magical season in 1991 which ended up with a Superbowl in 92. They have been very hard to cheer for since the turn of the century, consistently overpaying for over-the-hill veterans with little results. I hate the owner and the team seems to be going nowhere, even with Joe Gibbs back the last 3 years.
UANL Tigres - I went down to the World Series of Football in July 2007 and saw them dismantle the LA Galaxy. Loved them ever since and have been a big fan of The Mexican Primera.
