My team, the Miami Dolphins, are not in the Superbowl this year. I grew up in Southern California, yet I follow the Miami Dolphins. Go figure that one out. In fact, I joke that I have three favorite teams. The Dolphins and whoever is playing the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders that week.
I've come up with a theory on why people root for certain teams. They are either indoctrinated by their family, or they glom on to the winning team at the time they become aware of the said sport. The other two jerseys are my two sons' jerseys. Obviously, I didn't do a very good job of indoctrinating them correctly, especially since one roots for a divisional rival.
The Dolphins were just coming into their own about the time I was in 6th grade, so I started to follow them. Two years later, they were in the SuperBowl against the Dallas Cowboys and lost. Gee, I wonder why I don't like the Cowboys? Actually, I was a Rams fan as well and the Cowboys used to beat up on the Rams in the playoffs on a regular basis in the 60s and 70s, so there are several reasons why I don't like them.
As for the Dolphins, the next year was the year of the perfect season and the rest is history. I've followed them ever since. Three SuperBowls in the early period cemented it and two more while I was in college. It's been a long time since they've been to the big one. I'd like to see them get back there again.
And my other favorite team (whoever plays the Oakland Raiders)? It's probably because I've never really liked Al Davis, the owner of the Raiders. It's a silly reason not to like a team, but then liking a team and "bleeding" silver and black or whatever color your favorite team happens to be is pretty silly too.
I just hope the SuperBowl is a good game. Most in the past couple of years have been pretty good affairs. And if it's not, then I hope the advertisers come up with some good commercials.
Heh heh heh; some very funny comments in here, Paul :-) At least son #2 roots for another Florida team, although how you two wound up rooting for teams from the Sunshine State is really beyond me. Although, thinking about it, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl about the time he was at the age for developing such passions, so maybe that apple didn't fall so far from the paternal tree ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs for my own sporting passions, they are, in general, very simple: I grew up in the Los Angeles area, so I tend to support the L.A. area teams. This includes the Chargers, who started in L.A, and if they wind up moving, I'd be thrilled to see back in L.A. And it still includes the Rams, who should never have left L.A. in the first place. One might think that, having been born in Oakland, I would be a Bay Area-team supporter, but aside from Cal when they play Stanford (Dad went to Cal), I don't root for much of anything from up there. I'm an Angeleno, not a Bayite. My parents, naturally, still root for the S.F. Giants and the 49ers, which caused all sorts of interesting conflicts when I was growing up.
There are exceptions to the L.A.-area rule, though, especially in college football. I have a favorite team in just about every league, mostly for no particular reason other than I liked the way the coach acted, or because I didn't like the coach of the main rival. Never liked Woody Hayes, hence my rooting for Michigan, except when they play Michigan State. Don't try to figure it out: it's sports!
I have a soft spot for the Cubs because I loved to watch Ernie Banks play when I was a kid. And I think the Cincinnati Bengals' helmets are cool, plus Boomer Esiason was one of my favorites back when he played, so I root for them. Besides which, no one in their right mind is a Steelers fan ;-) Yeah, you can tell her (you know who I mean) that I said that.
I'll be rooting for the N. Y. Giants in two weeks, although I think that the Patriots are going to exact revenge for 2008. Hope not, though. I don't like the Patriots, although it isn't with the strong disdain in which I hold the Raiders and the Yankees. Why, you ask? Well, some brat named Tom Brady led the upstart Patriots to victory in Super Bowl XXXVI against... yeah, the Rams. Such is the love 'em or hate 'em nature of sports fandom.