NFL fans claiming to be a loyal fan of a team but switch teams, your thoughts

[Patrick Duffy]

 

I have to think this has happened to quite a few ppl here before at some point or other.....

 

Anyways, to quickly set the scene for you just a bit, stopped for gas while I was out running some errands and have one of my many Bills shirts etc, and have a smaller 3-4in tattoo of Bills charging buffalo on the back of my neck people notice sometimes that often is the first thing they comment on getting my attention starting a little football talk....

 

Told him I was a loyal die hard Bills fan for almost 40 years now and he was a die hard fan of the Packers for however many years, but at some point is now a die hard Raiders fan lol 

 

So how can one be a "loyal die hard" fan when you switch teams like that? I could never do it, I can't imagine myself being a fan of any other team besides Buffalo. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Patrick Duffy

[Simon]

[This is an automated response]

 

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[ddaryl]

If the Bills left the city of Buffalo I would stop following the NFL all together.

I'm not a football fan, I am a Buffalo Bills fan

 

same thing goes for hockey. If the Sabres leave town I will no longer even follow the NHL

Edited May 23, 2023 by ddaryl

[StHustle]

Anyone who claims to have been a diehard fan of one team, then switched and became a diehard of another team, is a person I'd never trust and consider disloyal. I would seriously call their ethics into question. 

[BillsFooteball]

Yeah I can’t buy into that. That’s just not a “die hard” fan then. It’s ok but people like that can’t just they are a casual fan or of course so many that would never admit to being bandwagon fan. That is not a die hard fan 

[BillsFooteball]

More so I will never understand those that say they have a second favorite team. Once again I heard all reasons and cases and whatever makes you happy. But no die hard is ever rooting for another team unless it benefits their #1 team in a particular week.  Everyone was a “diehard” bengal fan then when they beat the ravens which ended bills drought

[Patrick Duffy]

1 minute ago, BillsFooteball said:

Yeah I can’t buy into that. That’s just not a “die hard” fan then. It’s ok but people like that can’t just they are a casual fan or of course so many that would never admit to being bandwagon fan. That is not a die hard fan 

 

Agree, I have heard a few different people say that type stuff on other occasions. After I hear someone say that I'm immediately done with the conversation. I just can't have a genuine football discussion with that person

 

[Fleezoid]

Well, the term is 'die hard fan', not 'die never fan'. Maybe when it happened it was an extremely difficult and slow process. The guy might say, "it just started happening, and I couldn't stop it."

Edited May 23, 2023 by Fleezoid

[Logic]

I generally agree with you about fandom, and I, too have trouble relating to people like the one you mentioned in your post.

With that said...

To play devil's advocate, I think it can be tough for people born and raised in or near a passionate football city like Buffalo to understand what fandom is like for fans who don't.

For instance, was born and raised in Rochester, NY -- solidly Bills country. Nowadays I live in Portland, OR. No football team here, obviously, and not a very passionate football town. When it comes to football fandom, it's a mixed bag. People either like the Seahawks, some other random team, or don't follow the NFL at all, and are instead Oregon Ducks or Oregon State Beavers fans.

Perhaps when one's fandom is not innately related to the region in which they were raised, it's easier to switch allegiances. I've met people over the years who particularly liked one specific player, and would follow that player from team to team, and thus switch allegiances. So a Tom Brady fan goes from being a Pats fan to a Bucs fan to....God knows what, once the player retires.

Along these lines, having been raised in western NY, I don't have any passionate college football allegiances. I could root for Buffalo, or Syracuse, or maybe Ohio State, but...meh. I don't feel passionate about any of them. I could see, then, rooting for different college teams over the years based on players, coaches, play style, etc.

Edited May 23, 2023 by Logic

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Life happens - I would avoid getting a tattoo of any sports team.

 

Oh wait that wasn't the question 

 

As others have said, I'm a Bills fan not a NFL fan. If Bills left Buffalo even though I have not lived there since 1988 I would stop watching NFL. I'd casually watch college football but not follow any one team. There is a game of the year every weekend in college football to entertain me.  I would not give up 3 or 4 hours of my weekend for any NFL team besides the Bills. 

2 minutes ago, Logic said:

I generally agree with you about fandom, and I, too have trouble relating to people like the one you mentioned in your post.

With that said...

To play devil's advocate, I think it can be tough for people born and raised in or near a passionate football city like Buffalo to understand what fandom is like for fans who don't.

For instance, was born and raised in Rochester, NY -- solidly Bills country. Nowadays I live in Portland, OR. No football team here, obviously, and not a very passionate football town. When it comes to football fandom, it's a mixed bag. People either like the Seahawks, some other random team, or don't follow the NFL at all, and are instead Oregon Ducks or Oregon State Beavers fans.

Perhaps when one's fandom is not innately related to the region in which they were raised, it's easier to switch allegiances. I've met people over the years who particularly liked one specific player, and would follow that player from team to team, and thus switch allegiances. So a Tom Brady fan goes from being a Pats fan to a Bucs fan to....God knows what, once the player retires.

Along these lines, having been raised in western NY, I don't have any passionate college football allegiances. I could root for Buffalo, or Syracuse, or maybe Ohio State, but...meh. I don't feel passionate about any of them. I could see, then, rooting for different college teams over the years based on players, coaches, play style, etc.

What part of Portland?

[Logic]

4 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

 

What part of Portland?

DM'd ya.

[Bongo]

21 minutes ago, BillsFooteball said:

More so I will never understand those that say they have a second favorite team. Once again I heard all reasons and cases and whatever makes you happy. But no die hard is ever rooting for another team unless it benefits their #1 team in a particular week.  Everyone was a “diehard” bengal fan then when they beat the ravens which ended bills drought

I think this depends on what you mean by second favorite team. I lived in Wisconsin for several years and attended several Packer games at Lambeau. I consider the Packers my second team and would root for them if they were playing somebody besides the Bills unless it were going to hurt playoff ranking or something. 
 

That said, I don’t root for them on anywhere near the same level as the Bills. And if they play us, especially in a Super Bowl, there would not be one ounce of me that wanted them to win. 
 

So second team, yes. But second team on the same level as your number one, “die hard” team, not a chance. 

18 minutes ago, Logic said:

DM'd ya.

I watched a game at the Cheerful Bullpen a couple of years ago. Good time and good crowd. Enjoyed it! 👍

[Patrick Duffy]

4 minutes ago, Logic said:

I generally agree with you about fandom, and I, too have trouble relating to people like the one you mentioned in your post.

With that said...

To play devil's advocate, I think it can be tough for people born and raised in or near a passionate football city like Buffalo to understand what fandom is like for fans who don't.

For instance, was born and raised in Rochester, NY -- solidly Bills country. Nowadays I live in Portland, OR. No football team here, obviously, and not a very passionate football town. When it comes to football fandom, it's a mixed bag. People either like the Seahawks, some other random team, or don't follow the NFL at all, and are instead Oregon Ducks or Oregon State Beavers fans.

Perhaps when one's fandom is not innately related to the region in which they were raised, it's easier to switch allegiances. I've met people over the years who particularly liked one specific player, and would follow that player from team to team, and thus switch allegiances. So a Tom Brady fan goes from being a Pats fan to a Bucs fan to....God knows what, once the player retires.

Along these lines, having been raised in western NY, I don't have any passionate college football allegiances. I could root for Buffalo, or Syracuse, or maybe Ohio State, but...meh. I don't feel passionate about any of them. I could see, then, rooting for different college teams over the years based on players, coaches, play style, etc.

 

See I can completely understand where you're coming from in those certain situations and I basically wouldn't question the issue regarding the circumstances you stated. However, if that's the case then they should not claim to be a "loyal die hard" fan of said team I would think.

 

 

[NewEra]

13 minutes ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

I have to think this has happened to quite a few ppl here before at some point or other.....

 

Anyways, to quickly set the scene for you just a bit, stopped for gas while I was out running some errands and have one of my many Bills shirts etc, and have a smaller 3-4in tattoo of Bills charging buffalo on the back of my neck people notice sometimes that often is the first thing they comment on getting my attention starting a little football talk....

 

Told him I was a loyal die hard Bills fan for almost 40 years now and he was a die hard fan of the Packers for however many years, but at some point is now a die hard Raiders fan lol 

 

So how can one be a "loyal die hard" fan when you switch teams like that? I could never do it, I can't imagine myself being a fan of any other team besides Buffalo. 

 

 

 

 

I guess I can relate.

 

The backstory:  I’ve always been a huge basketball fan. The UNC Tar Heels beating Georgetown in the 1982 title game was the game that really got be excited.  I fell in love with the Tar Heels and James Worthy that game.  I also formed a dislike for Patrick Chewing. 
 

I didn’t have an nba team at the time so when worthy was drafted to the lakers, they became my team. As Worthy retired, in came Kobe a year later.  I would consider myself die hard for sure. I’d take off work in order to watch playoff and finals games.  I went to a couple playoff games.
 

They remained my team until the Lakers signed dwight Howard.  For whatever reason, I had always hated. Dwight howard.  I thought he was a joke (albeit a very good rebounder and defensive player) that didn’t want to be great and I couldn’t take him seriously.  they also traded for Steve nash and named Mike dantoni the HC.  3 moves that I couldn’t get behind and found myself not being able to root for them.

 

While at the same time, my favorite UNC basketball player, supposed Tar Heel savior and #1 rated HS player, Harrison Barnes  had been drafted by the warriors that same offseason. I’d watch both teams’ games to start the season. After a couple weeks I found myself not watching laker games and watching every GS game.  OT just happened. 30 years of being a laker fan was over and I was a big warrior fan.  I went  to 3x as many warrior games as I did laker games over the next 4 seasons.  Wore their gear.  Took off work to watching playoff games. I was all in on those teams.  I was die hard for sure…..until Barnes rebuffed the warriors contract extension, wanting more $ while also choking on his in the finals and forced the team to move on and snag KD.  
 

Barnes signed Dallas and they drafted luka after a couple bad season.  I watched their games and Luka became one of my favorites. I liked the team, but wasn’t really excited about them.  Then Dallas traded barnes to Sacramento where he and the team had wallowed in its suck for 3 years before finally getting things together this year.  Since the trade, I had been rooting for Dallas and Sacramento for the last few years but I seldomly watch regular season games.  Definitely not die hard for either team.
 

So I know what it’s like to be a die hard and a casual.  I know that it’s possible to be die hard for 2 different franchises playing in the same league (but not at the same time of course). I have definitely been a die hard lakers and warriors in my lifetime.  
 

If Buffalo still had an nba team, everything would’ve been different.  Rooting for your home town team is different.  If you don’t have a home town team and love the sport you can find a way to become die hard for a team….. but without the family roots, I don’t think that bond is very strong and can easily be broken.  
 

living in Vegas for the last 20+ years, i can’t stand the VGK or the Raiders.  I’ll always be a Bills and Sabres fan as long as they remain in Buffalo.  Eager to see if I jump to the A’s (when they arrive in Vegas) and leave the Yankees behind.  🤷🏻‍♂️ 

[JerseyBills]

I've known a couple of these types. I couldn't change teams if I tried. 

 

I'm a Bills fan 1st by far more than these other sports , Knicks and Yankees forever.  Nothing could change that. These are my teams til I die, always found those type of ppl as not true sport fans

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

seems pretty simple but, to each their own. have as many team favorites as you want. seems many, like myself and including the OP are loyal to one team. good for us.  likely most nfl or even college fans remain loyal to one team. even if they move as I have, remained a  loyal bills fan.

 

I guess I can see why you question it, saying he's a loyal die hard fan to more than one team (loyal: giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution > singular) but is there a limit to loyalty? I know you can't be loyal to two wives but were talking football teams. I don't know, until now I'd never questioned or thought about how loyal a fan of their team(s) they may be or judge their loyalty for that matter. that's on them, I know what nfl team I have been loyal to for over a half century now, that's all that really matters.

 

 

[Dr. Who]

This whole thread a a quiet neck tattoo brag.

[WotAGuy]

I read these kinds of posts on the Next Door app when I’m looking for contractor recommendations. 

[Patrick Duffy]

2 minutes ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

seems pretty simple but, to each their own. have as many team favorites as you want. seems many, like myself and including the OP are loyal to one team. good for us.  likely most nfl or even college fans remain loyal to one team. even if they move as I have, remained a  loyal bills fan.

 

I guess I can see why you question it, saying he's a loyal die hard fan to more than one team (loyal: giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution > singular) but is there a limit to loyalty? I know you can't be loyal to two wives but were talking football teams. I don't know, until now I'd never questioned or thought about how loyal a fan of their team(s) they may be or judge their loyalty for that matter. that's on them, I know what nfl team I have been loyal to for over a half century now, that's all that really matters.

 

 

 

Well, you do make a point about if it's a limit for loyalty, so I guess one can look at it that way if he had given that impression. Thing with that though is he made it clear he cared nothing for Packers at all, the team he said he was a loyal die hard fan of.

 

If he said he still liked the Packers to some extent then I get it, not my thing, but least not as bad lol

 

[RoyBatty is alive]

1 hour ago, StHustle said:

Anyone who claims to have been a diehard fan of one team, then switched and became a diehard of another team, is a person I'd never trust and consider disloyal. I would seriously call their ethics into question. 

I would first  seriously question their IQ and common sense.  Apparently they dont know what "die hard" means or you are correct, you would have to question their "ethics".