I am a Red Sox fan. (Yankees fans, feel free to continue reading. I won't make any slights after this one: In 2004, your team blew a 3-0 series ALCS lead on Boston, who has won a World Series title more recently than New York.)
Whenever I tell people I am a Red Sox fan, they immediately ask why. I suppose it's not out of the question since I have lived in Virginia my entire life, but it's always been annoying. I counter that my mom's family is from the Boston area and that my dad and grandpa are lifelong Sox fans as well. I was born into Red Sox fandom. And in case you either a) forgot or b) live and die by what Bill Simmons says, there was no Major League Baseball franchise in the D.C. metro area when I was growing up, so I pass that hometown-team loyalty test.
Anyhow, I'm not sure I should have to justify why I like the Sox at all. If you follow a team, why does it matter how you became affiliated with it? It is absurd to pour your heart into a franchise and truly live and die with it only to be told that your passion is unfounded.
Most fans choose teams that are closest to where they live. The influence of parents and relatives can also account for team loyalties, though this argument is at times discredited for some reason. If both of your parents are Republicans, you are more likely to be a Republican. Likewise, if you have been dressed up in a certain team's gear since you were a toddler, you are more likely to follow that team. It's science. Look it up.
There are other common cases of random team loyalties. Some people follow teams simply because their favorite players are on them or because they were once among the top teams when they were young. The latter case is a bit sketch, but if the fan has been loyal to the team after it fell from prominence (like the Cowboys after the early '90s) then what's wrong with that?
Then there is the issue of simply pulling for a team that has a good story. The New Orleans Saints went 3-13 last season following the Hurricane Katrina disaster and almost didn't play in the Big Easy again. As their fortunes changed with off-season moves and a truly special return to the Superdome, people rode their bandwagon all the way to an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.
Another perfect example of picking up a temporary team is the NCAA tournament. People who fill out their brackets become instant fans of the teams they pick to go all the way; furthermore, most fans love to root for mid-majors and Cinderellas to upset bigger programs. When George Mason made its improbable run through the tourney last year, its bandwagon picked up more steam than the locomotive in "Back to the Future--Part III."
While fans may adopt other teams temporarily for whatever reason, they do not invest as much into them as they do with their favorite teams. I am pulling for the Colts this Sunday (for Peyton Manning), but if they lose it will be easy to shake off, whereas every Red Sox loss lingers like a bad toothache.
Sometimes it's interesting to see why people choose certain teams. For a quick case study on this subject, I picked out five sports-fan friends and analyzed their allegiances.
Rob Glory is from Northern Virginia and supports all of the Washington franchises. He never had a favorite baseball team until the Nationals moved to D.C., but now he supports them hardcore. Similarly, my first-year RA (and most likely my former friend, after those Yankees cracks earlier) Adam is from New York City and likes the hometown Yankees, Giants, Rangers, and Knicks.
My roommate Scuba Steve likes the Dallas Cowboys because his Dad is a Cowboys fan, but he follows the Orioles because it was the closest baseball team when he was growing up.
My friend Van James likes the Cardinals and Blues because he grew up outside of St. Louis, but roots for the Bills in football since there wasn't an NFL team when he lived there and he always played with Buffalo in Tecmo Super Bowl because they were so sick. Some might say that's a little weird (I think it's pretty cool), but the important thing is that the Bills are still his team now.
My buddy Sammy is a huge Red Sox fan as well. He also follows the Celtics and Bruins, but has never been a fan of the Patriots. In 1999, Fred Taylor led his fantasy team to the title and helped the Jaguars knock off the Pats in the playoffs. Since then, Sam has been a fan of Jacksonville. Interesting logic, but again, should it really matter since he is still a Jags fan now?
Actions speak louder than words, and if it's obvious you are a true fan, then you're fine in my book, regardless of how your connection to the team came about. Once you have a team, commit to it, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do you part.
Until then, I'll just hope these 850 words help deter people from continuing to ask me why I like the Red Sox.
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