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

[Big Turk]

2 hours 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 am from Buffalo and my best friend growing up was a huge Raiders fan as a kid and now has been a Colts fan for a long time...I don't know how you do it either...

 

[PrimeTime101]

5 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

I am from Buffalo and my best friend growing up was a huge Raiders fan as a kid and now has been a Colts fan for a long time...I don't know how you do it either...

 

without digging deep into politics... My brother n law is a Dem, and Sis is a Rep. One rule in their house... no talk about politics. I have a close friend that loves Miami. I spend time with him on his pods... but when we together for real? The one thing we do not talk about is football.

 

I like to call it respect

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

2 hours 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. 

 

 

 

 

have to think this happened to quite a few people ….  And then neck tattoo….

 

🤔 

 

Die hard may or may not be meaningful but It’s gotten easier to care little for the Sabres with all the years of ineptitude and at the same time local interest and going to caps game help shift that fanhood. 
 

The Bills are a different kind of obsession imo. 

[Simon Says]

I grew up here in Western NY and lived in Houston back in the 70s and 80s.

Worked for a sporting goods company and was at the Astrodome and other spodts venues regularly.

I moved to Houston about the time OJ got traded and the Bills were dreadful. 

Followed all the Houston teams but they were all my second choices to the Bills,Mets,Yankees and Clippers . ( I don't really follow hockey).

[msw2112]

I'm a die-hard Bills and Sabres fan.  I've lived away from Buffalo for 30+ years, but my loyalty has never waivered.  I've tried (not very hard) to like the teams in the cities in which I've lived, but just can't do it.  As a kid in Buffalo, after the Braves were gone, I enjoyed the NBA era of Magic-Bird/Lakers-Celtics.  I became a Celtics fan and liked them for many years.  As things changed over the years, I started liking the Celtics less and less.  Maybe as I grew up and learned about "Mass-holes" I decided that I couldn't support one of their teams.  I'm now enjoying seeing them getting thrashed by the Miami Heat in the playoffs.

 

I'm a Syracuse and Michigan fan, college wise.  Years ago, the Miami drafted Rony Seiklay from Syracuse and Glen Rice from Michigan, so I became a Heat fan.  After LeBron James went there, I started to dislike the Heat.  Now they have an undrafted guy from Michigan, Duncan Robinson, and lots of other unheralded undrafted guys, so I like the Heat again.  When in doubt, I usually support "underdog" teams from smaller markets.  Was happy when the Milwaukee Bucks did well.  Was hoping the Sacramento Kings would win in the playoffs.  My exception is baseball, where I grew up a Yankees fan, as my dad and brothers are all big fans and I grew up in Buffalo watching them on cable on "11 Alive" (anyone remember the days of broadcaster Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto?).  Outside of that, I like seeing smaller market teams succeed.

 

So what I am getting to, is that in leagues where you have hometown teams, people tend to be lifelong, die hard fans.  In leagues where your hometown doesn't have a team, you find connections to a franchise (could be certain players, could be a city you've visited or lived in, could be you like the uniforms, etc.) and can be a fan, but it's not necessarily lifelong or die hard fandom.  For those of us from Buffalo, I would guess that most love the Bills and Sabres as die-hards, and for the NBA and MLB, your allegiances may exist, but are not as strong.  If you went to college and your school had a big-time sports program, you're probably a die-hard of that team, but otherwise your allegiances are probably more like your NBA and MLB ones.

Edited May 23, 2023 by msw2112

[Saxum]

3 hours 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 can understand that if their team made a morally objectionable decision and they could no longer be a fan of that team.

I know several Browns fans who got rid all of their stuff for Browns with one of them being a Browns fan prior to moving to Baltimore and being fan of no team in interim period.

I know some Washington fans no longer being fans anymore with one who burned their jersey and hangs it as a flag on their car.

I can understand some not agreeing with their stances but their definition of ethics is probably different.

[Patrick Duffy]

42 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

I am from Buffalo and my best friend growing up was a huge Raiders fan as a kid and now has been a Colts fan for a long time...I don't know how you do it either...

 

Now in this type of circumstance I can get it and see some reasoning behind a person for saying that. In this instance your friend was a kid, which I get certain kids that may be younger liking a team and as they get older that easily can change. But this was a man that was in his late 50's up to mid 60's 

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

Yes you're right.  It is a vague title.

[Gugny]

3 hours 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. 

When rumors were heating up that Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez were going to buy the Mets, I was 100% prepared to dump the Mets if it came to fruition. 
 

My mind was made up that I’d switch to the Red Sox (because Fenway is the same distance from me as Citifield and I love Fenway) and only switch back if the team was sold to someone else. 
 

Luckily, it didn’t happen. 
 

Had it happened and I jumped ship, I would not consider myself disloyal, given the context. 
 

 

[Saxum]

10 minutes ago, Gugny said:

When rumors were heating up that Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez were going to buy the Mets, I was 100% prepared to dump the Mets if it came to fruition. 
 

My mind was made up that I’d switch to the Red Sox (because Fenway is the same distance from me as Citifield and I love Fenway) and only switch back if the team was sold to someone else. 
 

Luckily, it didn’t happen. 
 

Had it happened and I jumped ship, I would not consider myself disloyal, given the context. 

 

Proper reaction if attempted to be beaned with a knuckle ball.

[Patrick Duffy]

3 minutes ago, Gugny said:

When rumors were heating up that Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez were going to buy the Mets, I was 100% prepared to dump the Mets if it came to fruition. 
 

My mind was made up that I’d switch to the Red Sox (because Fenway is the same distance from me as Citifield and I love Fenway) and only switch back if the team was sold to someone else. 
 

Luckily, it didn’t happen. 
 

Had it happened and I jumped ship, I would not consider myself disloyal, given the context. 
 

 

 

I get some situations can be different regarding different kind of sports leagues MLB/NFL/NBA.

 

I'm curious and if you don't mind me asking,  do you consider your level of fandom for the Mets the same as for the Bills? Or do you feel one means more to you than the other?

[msw2112]

18 minutes ago, SUNY_amherst said:

One thing that has been interesting to me about meeting others is that within the state of New York (where I live)  when you talk to folks about their favorite team their first answer is almost always professional. There is not a connection to the state's college team like seemingly everywhere else

 

 

No doubt.  New York State has very good universities, but lacks a "flagship" school and lacks a school with a big time sports program.  Syracuse is the closest thing, but it's a private school and doesn't contain the state's name in its own name.  UB has an occasional jaunt into the top-25 in football or basketball, but then its coach moves on to a more major program and things regress.  And as far as branding, when they tried to market UB sports as "New York" it went over like a lead balloon and they went back to "Buffalo."

Edited May 23, 2023 by msw2112

[Bobby Hooks]

3 hours ago, Simon said:

[This is an automated response]

 

As a courtesy to the other board members, please use more descriptive topic titles. A better title will help the community find information faster and make your topic more likely to be read. The topic starter can edit the topic title line to make it more appropriate.

 

Thank you.

Can we change the thread title to Neck Tattoo please? 

[Gugny]

Just now, Patrick Duffy said:

 

I get some situations can be different regarding different kind of sports leagues MLB/NFL/NBA.

 

I'm curious and if you don't mind me asking,  do you consider your level of fandom for the Mets the same as for the Bills? Or do you feel one means more to you than the other?

I think my level of fandom is equal between the Bills and the Mets. 
 

I am a lot more committed to watching every Bills game, but that’s only because there’s fewer than 20 in a season vs. 162+. 
 

I do watch at least part of most Mets games, though. 
 

Last year was probably the first year ever that I thought the Mets and Bills could both go all the way (before their seasons started). 
 

My expectations over the years have become much more realistic (outside of last year). 
 

Between a World Series Championship and a Lombardi?  That’s tough.  
 

I honestly can’t say which one I want more. 

[Beast]

3 hours ago, ddaryl said:

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

See, I’m the opposite. I’m a big football and hockey fan. If either the Bills or Sabres moved they’d still be my favorite team, though I wouldn’t live and die with them like I do now.

 

Kind of like Alabama football. I’ve rooted for them for over 45 years but I don’t have the connection to them that I do Buffalo teams.

 

 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

3 hours 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

It’s not more of a 2nd favorite team, but I do like to root for certain players especially around the time the Bills were out of contention. Usually guys I liked in college and interested in their progression.

[Bobby Hooks]

2 minutes ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

It’s not more of a 2nd favorite team, but I do like to root for certain players especially around the time the Bills were out of contention. Usually guys I liked in college and interested in their progression.

That’s how I felt about Adam Banks when he left the Hawks for district five. 
 

[CoffeeDrip]

My husband was a loyal Browns fan from when the franchise was revived. Through thick and thin, he endured, until they traded for Watson. That was the day he renounced his Browns fandom and became a full fledged member of our Bills community. However, living in WNY and being married to me, he’d always had a good knowledge of and love for the Bills anyway, so it was a natural transition. 

[Patrick Duffy]

7 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I think my level of fandom is equal between the Bills and the Mets. 
 

I am a lot more committed to watching every Bills game, but that’s only because there’s fewer than 20 in a season vs. 162+. 
 

I do watch at least part of most Mets games, though. 
 

Last year was probably the first year ever that I thought the Mets and Bills could both go all the way (before their seasons started). 
 

My expectations over the years have become much more realistic (outside of last year). 
 

Between a World Series Championship and a Lombardi?  That’s tough.  
 

I honestly can’t say which one I want more. 

 

I feel ya...was just wondering because I was always a die hard Charlotte Hornets and Bills fan only back in the day. The orignal hornets back in early 1990's. Anyway, as much as I loved my Hornets back then, my Bills always meant more to me than hornets did. 

[That's No Moon]

Bills and Sabres til death. Baseball I will watch and enjoy whatever team is local to where I live but football and hockey never change. Bouncy ball is irrelevant so I left it out.

 

There is vague talk that the family may relocate to Orlando at some point t in the future for work. If that were to happen I'd probably still roll with the Phillies because why bother rooting for the Marlins or Rays? Plus they are the only team I've ever had even a casual interest in that has won anything so they've earned a little loyalty.

Edited May 23, 2023 by That's No Moon