Question about chosen team/player to root for...

[dare2be]

at least not while you are looking

well played sir.

 

[ELYEAH82]

I am a Pens fan but going to the NHL awards show I certainly have gained and lost respect for players by how they act. I wouldnt say I root for players, but I like seeing the nicer players do well if that makes sense. On the same token I like seeing the assholes have issues

 

[Darkstone42]

There are a lot of players I like. The Avalanche are my second-favorite team because of Joe Sakic. He retired and I stuck with Colorado as my Western Conference team. I figure they can't really hurt the Penguins, so why not root for them? Therefore I have no problem with rooting for a player.

I also root for players when I have no vested interest in a team. In college sports, I can only like Pitt basketball, and I really can't attach myself to any other college team in any other college sport. I usually root for Princeton or Cornell in lacrosse, but I don't follow them. I like seeing underdogs win in college football. But when Colt Brennan was playing in Hawaii, I followed him. The same with Tim Tebow in Florida. I loved watching Brennan's delivery and Tebow's grit. So I watched them both every chance I got. In the NBA, I cheer for Steve Nash. I'm not particularly fond of the NBA, since to me it's not real basketball, but I've always liked watching Nash play. I half-heartedly root for the Mavericks and Suns because of him.

I guess what I'm saying is, root for whoever you want to. Except the Flyers.

 

[quoipourquoi]

Without reading every post, I have to say that if you are only interested and following hockey because of a player, then you're not really a fan of hockey in general.

You should have 1 team that you root for no matter what, and it's ok to have other players that you enjoy watching play.

Here's the thing though, IPW: I used to be a big time Cleveland Browns fan. I ate dog treats during games as a child. I watched every game. And then a total fucktard named Art Fucking Modell lied to us and moved our team to Baltimore. I went to the final game in Jacksonville wearing a shirt that said "I Hate Art Modell."

I can't cheer for a team anymore, unless I'm a member of the roster itself. Ever since the Browns, I don't see it as cheering for a logo; it's ownership. Owners are douchebags that care about money. Players- the good ones- are douchebags that care about winning. I got just as much satisfaction watching Teemu Selanne win the Stanley Cup as anyone who followed the whims of Disney and the Samuelis. Same for Patrick Roy, and maybe more so for him, since he was blatantly mistreated by both his ownership in Montreal and the fans in the city who put "the logo" over him despite his contributions to the franchise. Patrick Roy was my idol- not the Molsons.

And I get legitimately offended to be told that I am not a "fan" of hockey. Ever since I learned how to butterfly in my driveway, I've dedicated an unhealthy portion of my life on this sport that might have been better spent on women, education, and work. I love the sport so much that I care more about seeing a good game or a good story unfold than seeing any team win. Would I have loved to have seen the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2002? Absolutely. Did I laugh my ass off when Patrick Roy dropped the puck during a Statue of Liberty? Absolutely.

I care so much about hockey that I don't care who wins. Canada or USA? Chicago or Philadelphia? Pittsburgh or Washington? Bowling Green or Michigan State? District 5 or Team Iceland? I don't give a fuck. Just have a good game on my DVR when I get home.

 

[HonusWagner66]

Here's the thing though, IPW: I used to be a big time Cleveland Browns fan. I ate dog treats during games as a child. I watched every game. And then a total fucktard named Art Fucking Modell lied to us and moved our team to Baltimore. I went to the final game in Jacksonville wearing a shirt that said "I Hate Art Modell."

I can't cheer for a team anymore, unless I'm a member of the roster itself. Ever since the Browns, I don't see it as cheering for a logo; it's ownership. Owners are douchebags that care about money. Players- the good ones- are douchebags that care about winning. I got just as much satisfaction watching Teemu Selanne win the Stanley Cup as anyone who followed the whims of Disney and the Samuelis. Same for Patrick Roy, and maybe more so for him, since he was blatantly mistreated by both his ownership in Montreal and the fans in the city who put "the logo" over him despite his contributions to the franchise. Patrick Roy was my idol- not the Molsons.

And I get legitimately offended to be told that I am not a "fan" of hockey. Ever since I learned how to butterfly in my driveway, I've dedicated an unhealthy portion of my life on this sport that might have been better spent on women, education, and work. I love the sport so much that I care more about seeing a good game or a good story unfold than seeing any team win. Would I have loved to have seen the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2002? Absolutely. Did I laugh my ass off when Patrick Roy dropped the puck during a Statue of Liberty? Absolutely.

I care so much about hockey that I don't care who wins. Canada or USA? Chicago or Philadelphia? Pittsburgh or Washington? Bowling Green or Michigan State? District 5 or Team Iceland? I don't give a fuck. Just have a good game on my DVR when I get home.

/thread

 

[IPostedWhat]

Here's the thing though, IPW: I used to be a big time Cleveland Browns fan. I ate dog treats during games as a child. I watched every game. And then a total fucktard named Art Fucking Modell lied to us and moved our team to Baltimore. I went to the final game in Jacksonville wearing a shirt that said "I Hate Art Modell."

I can't cheer for a team anymore, unless I'm a member of the roster itself. Ever since the Browns, I don't see it as cheering for a logo; it's ownership. Owners are douchebags that care about money. Players- the good ones- are douchebags that care about winning. I got just as much satisfaction watching Teemu Selanne win the Stanley Cup as anyone who followed the whims of Disney and the Samuelis. Same for Patrick Roy, and maybe more so for him, since he was blatantly mistreated by both his ownership in Montreal and the fans in the city who put "the logo" over him despite his contributions to the franchise. Patrick Roy was my idol- not the Molsons.

And I get legitimately offended to be told that I am not a "fan" of hockey. Ever since I learned how to butterfly in my driveway, I've dedicated an unhealthy portion of my life on this sport that might have been better spent on women, education, and work. I love the sport so much that I care more about seeing a good game or a good story unfold than seeing any team win. Would I have loved to have seen the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2002? Absolutely. Did I laugh my ass off when Patrick Roy dropped the puck during a Statue of Liberty? Absolutely.

I care so much about hockey that I don't care who wins. Canada or USA? Chicago or Philadelphia? Pittsburgh or Washington? Bowling Green or Michigan State? District 5 or Team Iceland? I don't give a fuck. Just have a good game on my DVR when I get home.

I guess the sarcasm is only detected when a smiley face is used?

Sheesh.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Here's a good reverse litmus test on determining whether you care more about "the crest on the front" vs. "the nameplate on the back":

Think of one your most hated players on another team that eventually joined your team. If you hated them as an opponent but then liked them as a teammate, then you are team centric. IE., I hated Kasparaitis as an Islander but loved him as a Penguin.

That said, no Cooke jokes please.

Does this mean Rangers fans love Avery? I'm so glad I'm not one. I couldn't be a fan of the guy.

 

[JustAsking]

Hmm, I never really thought about this... but, I guess, I 'root' for people that have been a part of the Penguins, or more recently, were born in Pittsburgh. I always liked Rob Brown, Jagr, Recchi, Francis, Gonch I hope does well... but all of those players were Penguins. Know what I mean. I'll watch the Caps, now the Lightning, the Hawks, Wings, Canucks... actually I watch alot of hockey, but have no real interest other than being a fan of the sport... since I have been in LA, I watch alot of the Kings games and they have captured a tiny portion of my heart. Scuderi on the Kings helps. I don't follow high school, college, jrs, or developmental leagues, so I never get attached to players before they become pros. However, once you wear black and gold, I pretty much will be a fan of yours, with some exceptions of course...

 

[Dacks]

I'll fully admit that when it comes to basketball, I'm a Steve Nash fan and will just cheer for whatever team he is playing on.

Does that make me less of a basketball fan? Yes. Should anyone care? No.

I think the issue is that hockey is a team sport, you win and lose as a team, and in general North American sports espouse the concept of team before individual. That belief system carries over to fandom as well. When we see another fan who cheers for an individual instead of a team, we associate that with a player who plays for him or herself instead of for the team. The negative feeling carries over.

We shouldn't care who or what another fan cheers for, or why, but we do, and I think that's the reason.

 

[loki604]

I'm not a fan of people making rules for who other people can cheer for in the first place. But even if I was, I don't think I would have a problem with people following a certain player. At least they are being consistent. Remember that guy who followed Hossa (of all people) and certain people insisted he was a bandwagonner because he played for 3 different teams in under a year? Well at least he remained true to his word and followed that player. It wasn't his choice to have him keep switching teams. I had a friend who was a life-long Yzerman/Red Wings fan. He always said that if Yzerman ever went to a different team they would become his new #1 team but would still have a soft spot for the Wings. Well as it turned out he never played for another team so he stuck with the Red Wings. Is this guy who followed Hossa really anymore of a bandwagon fan than my friend who would have followed Yzerman? But I think when you are a local fan its a bit different and you should be expected to support the local team. There is no clear team to root for where me and my friend live and I'm pretty sure that was the case with the Hossa fan as well.

Good post. I agree with you regarding local teams. I just think it is extremely arbitrary and if I lived somewhere that didn't have a hockey team, I would probably get into the sport by being interested in a particular player...and I don't think that's a big deal.

 

[h X c Chris]

I dont care what people do, but when they go team hopping chasing after a player I consider them fanboys.

I'm a fan of the Flyers.

 

[pixburgher66]

My issue with these type of fans is the way they *typically* carry themselves. They aren't usually the most humble, and they seem to act like they've been a fan of their players particular team for ages...and usually they're also not well educated on the particular team. So, if someone who has read up on their players team and is willing to adopt that team's fanbase's mentality, than I'm fine with it. I mean, I certainly have soft spots for former Pens and a few scattered players, but when it comes down to them versus the Pens, I wanna see them lose.