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

[Zag20]

17 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

Where do you stand on the Seattle Kraken?  Just curious 

Love that we have an NHL team. I only know hockey from video games from the ‘90s and I have a lot to learn about all the nuances. The first Kraken game I watched was in this year’s playoffs and wow was it fun. Pretty cool to have a decent playoff run in their 2nd season. Tickets are very expensive.

[bearstobills]

I need to chime in here.  It happens.  

 

I grew up in Chicago. Bears, Bulls, Cubs all day (with some love for the White Sox and Blackhawks).  I moved all over the country and enjoyed some minor flirtations with other teams while remaining staunchly loyal to all jerseys  with Chicago on the front.

 

Moved to Buffalo in my late 30's.  The Bears had just signed Jay Cutler, and we were feeling Superbowl.  Trent Edwards was the QB for the Bills.  They were mired in a horrendous losing streak at the time and had just drafted Aaron Maybin.  I was at Bada Bing on a Sunday afternoon watching the Bears in a nearly empty bar.  The Bills game was also on.  My interest began to shift from the Bears game to the Bills game.  And low and behold, the Bills found a way to win and break the losing streak.  For some stupid reason, I began to clap.  And NOONE else in that bar seemed to care.  In fact, I sensed a deep resentment toward the Bills.  And I thought...."This team needs me."

 

After that day, I fell hard.  My love for the Bills exceeds any team I have ever rooted for.  And I was 12 when Michael Jordan came to Chicago, and would fall asleep at night with a transistor radio under my pillow listening to those games.  I grew up at Wrigley Field.  We soared with the 85 Bears.  And none of it holds a candle to my devotion to the Bills.

 

My friends were baffled.  But I moved to Buffalo....BUFFALO....from Los Angeles. And it quickly became my favorite city in the U.S.   I live in Japan now.  I wake up at 2 a.m. to watch the games.  I wished I cared less than I do, but dammit...I'm an addict.

 

Konichiwa from Japan Bills fans.   

 

 

Edited May 25, 2023 by bearstobills

[14774]

As a child I picked the Washington Redskins. I liked the uniforms. I stuck with them through the 80s and early 90s (sorry). Then...Snyder came along. I rooted for the Cardinals when they had Plummer. I follow the Bills because they are my local team. I don't really consider myself a fan of any team now.🤷‍♂️

[julian]

On 5/23/2023 at 1:35 PM, Logic said:

DM'd ya.

Witness protection hiding from the east coast mob ?

[BillsPride12]

5 hours ago, bearstobills said:

I need to chime in here.  It happens.  

 

I grew up in Chicago. Bears, Bulls, Cubs all day (with some love for the White Sox and Blackhawks).  I moved all over the country and enjoyed some minor flirtations with other teams while remaining staunchly loyal to all jerseys  with Chicago on the front.

 

Moved to Buffalo in my late 30's.  The Bears had just signed Jay Cutler, and we were feeling Superbowl.  Trent Edwards was the QB for the Bills.  They were mired in a horrendous losing streak at the time and had just drafted Aaron Maybin.  I was at Bada Bing on a Sunday afternoon watching the Bears in a nearly empty bar.  The Bills game was also on.  My interest began to shift from the Bears game to the Bills game.  And low and behold, the Bills found a way to win and break the losing streak.  For some stupid reason, I began to clap.  And NOONE else in that bar seemed to care.  In fact, I sensed a deep resentment toward the Bills.  And I thought...."This team needs me."

 

After that day, I fell hard.  My love for the Bills exceeds any team I have ever rooted for.  And I was 12 when Michael Jordan came to Chicago, and would fall asleep at night with a transistor radio under my pillow listening to those games.  I grew up at Wrigley Field.  We soared with the 85 Bears.  And none of it holds a candle to my devotion to the Bills.

 

My friends were baffled.  But I moved to Buffalo....BUFFALO....from Los Angeles. And it quickly became my favorite city in the U.S.   I live in Japan now.  I wake up at 2 a.m. to watch the games.  I wished I cared less than I do, but dammit...I'm an addict.

 

Konichiwa from Japan Bills fans.   

 

 

That's a pretty impressive story!  I loved those Chicago Bulls teams in the 90s, if I was a Chicago native I don't think my love for any other team/era would've surpassed that!

[bearstobills]

16 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

That's a pretty impressive story!  I loved those Chicago Bulls teams in the 90s, if I was a Chicago native I don't think my love for any other team/era would've surpassed that!

Maybe that was part of the problem....we had to share that team with the entire basketball world.  There was nothing like those first few years with Michael.  Just remembering the energy in the stadium still gives me chills.  But by the time they won, they were rock stars.  Rooting for the Bills is much more personal for me.  The team reflects the city in many ways.  Buffalo was just beginning its renaissance when I arrived.  And being part of both the team and the city's co-evolution was an absolute blast.

[GreggTX]

I'm 67 so I'm older than the franchise, but I have never waivered in my allegience. It has, at times, been tough. No doubt about that. I will remain a fan all my life unless this franchise is either dismantled or moved at which point the NFL will become irrelevant to me. I continue to hope that I will live to see the Bills hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

[Buffalo Junction]

On 5/23/2023 at 4:41 PM, 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 certainly make exceptions for folks who change due to bad ownership moves. I certainly know a few former die hard Skins and Browns fans. If the team relocated, or a new owner is horrendous and drives the franchise into the ground switching loyalties is okay…. But, it should be a one time thing and you can’t switch to your former teams rivals. 

[PrimeTime101]

So if we took any afce team out of the picture.... IF I moved to KC? I will start watching KC chiefs football a ton BUT because my heart is forever in Western NY, I would always root for the Bills over the Chiefs. You can be a fan of multiple teams as long as your heart is home.. Now Flat out switching from buffalo to a KC fan? I could never do... 

 

This also depends on how long you were a fan of a team. Military families for example sometimes move around a lot. Its situational. 

[eball]

On 5/23/2023 at 1:18 PM, 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

 

Losing either the Bills or Sabres would be a disastrous blow to my sports fandom.  I do love the NFL and NHL but without my teams I could not see myself becoming deeply invested in any other franchise.  I would become the proverbial “casual fan.”

 

[C.Biscuit97]

Yeah as others said, if the bills leave,l Buffalo, I won’t have a team. I think it’s weird that raiders fan follow the team no matter where they go. For me, it’s only about Buffalo. Buffalo vs the world. I grew up liking the Mets and Knicks but I can never really get invested in other non Buffalo teams. 

 

I would say I’d quit the nfl all together but I love gambling and fantasy. But I would watch their games illegally.

[IronyAbounds]

Born in Buffalo and went to games in the early 60's. Family moved to AZ when I was a kid but I never have wavered in my love (and sometimes disgust, lol) for the Bills. Oddly enough I kinda liked the Cardinals when they were in St. Louis, but haven't cared for them at all since their move to Phoenix. I've stuck with all my teams (Bills, Yankees, and Celtics) that I loved as a kid. Haven't had any desire to adopt any other teams.

[Don Otreply]

Loyalty to a corporation is odd, in which corporations have no loyalty whatsoever to you, The NFL has long been loyal to only money and what it takes to get it.  I’m a Bills fan, a fan for the home town team sporting aspect, its a past time / hobby for me, if the Bills leave Buffalo my fandom leaves with them.  I have little to no attachment to any other football team at this point in my life. I like sailing my boat up and down the east coast and the Bahamas avoiding snow as I go south every winter, this is my life style, following the Bills is a hobby within that life style. 

 

GO BILLS!!!

[dpberr]

Fans can divorce teams.  You can fall out of love. There are times where a team no longer deserves your interest or your money. 

 

I divorced the Pittsburgh Pirates several years ago due to their crap owner and lack of any identifiable plan to be a remotely competitive baseball team.  If he could care less about the team's performance, why should I?

 

 

[Chicken Boo]

Having to endure the Ted Thompson years, wasting Aaron Rodgers career.  I won't hold it against the guy.   

[BuffaloBillyG]

Loyalty works both ways. I have been a devoted Bills fan since childhood. Even during my military days when I lived out of the area. When streaming games, oversaturated coverage on all NFL teams being readily accessable or having the ability to follow day to day happenings was really possible. I had a subscription to Shout but that was always way behind. Family would send out the Buffalo News sports page from time to time. But I always stayed loyal to my team.

 

That said, had the Bills moved to Toronto or some other place and left the area...I was full on ready to be a Giants fan. Even more so with the current set up of ex Bills GM and HC and several former Bills players rostered they would be easy enough to switch to...likely casually at first but closer to diehard as time moved on. 

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

I think the great thing about being a fan of sports is nobody can tell you how to be 1. 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

On 5/23/2023 at 1:13 PM, 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 grew up in the NYC area and was a Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Islanders fan.  I hated the Yankee's but didn't hate Giants.  I'd root for Giants other than if playing Jets.  Not sure I'd have called myself a die-hard fan as a kid had better things to do, but certainly rooted for them.  Moved to western NY in 1976, still rooted for Jets over Bills.  Then from around 1983 till 86 both teams were very bad and really didn't follow much of either one and wasn't all that much news to follow.  Then in 86 Bills came alive and ever since then have followed them closely and would call myself more of a die-hard fan. 

 

Back then there was little to no internet, sports bars were just starting to open so hard to even watch games of out of market team particularly when there is an in market team near by.  I've since moved out of western NY and live in Carolina, but still follow and root for Bills exclusively, much easier now with internet, ST, streaming sites, etc all around.  Same thing kind of happened with me with the Sabre's and root for them now too, though admittedly living in NC, not much of any hockey to follow all that much down here. (even with an in-state team).

[eball]

20 hours ago, dpberr said:

Fans can divorce teams.  You can fall out of love. There are times where a team no longer deserves your interest or your money. 

 

 

Absolutely.  Many fans have divorced the Washington Football Team out of disgust for Snyder…it will be interesting to see how the fan base responds to new ownership.

 

I’m sure some Cleveland fans have divorced the Browns over the Watson signing — and their owner is a crook also.

 

It’s harder when you still live in the community, though…

 

[DJB]

So basically you are asking if we are Patriots fans?

[frostbitmic]

My first favorite team when I started watching football at age 7 or 8 was the Baltimore Colts. When the Colts moved from Baltimore when I was 13, I abandoned them like they did the city of Baltimore. For the next 10 years I followed the Steelers for a bit, then the Air Coryell Chargers for a few years, then switched to the Saints, and still root for them every game they play except when they play the team I've been a fan of for the last 40 years, the Bills.

 

If others want to abandon their team and jump on the Bills bandwagon there's plenty of room and it just proves you can teach old dogs new tricks. Anybody that quits being a Bills fan for another team though is a bleeping moron.

[jaybills]

On 5/23/2023 at 12:13 PM, 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. 

 

 

 

 

It's not possible. It makes no sense. 

[Rebel101]

On 5/23/2023 at 1:13 PM, 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. 

 

 

 

 

Yeah honestly, people who tell me they’ve switched fan bases throughout their life I can’t trust they have no loyalty I usually walk away 🤷🏻‍♂️

[ndirish1978]

OP - those are not diehard fans. They can do what they want, but I'm not messing with them. 

[below]

Here in Charlotte it seems everybody has two teams that they root for. 

 

Having a "second team" to fall back on. Must be nice. I could never do that. 

 

I always had a soft spot for Carolina due to their Polian/Buffalo roots but very quickly began actively rooting against the Panthers due to their fake, fair-weather fans. 

[Behindenemylines]

Living near Boston I have many “transplant” friends from all over.  Most have lived here for 20+ years.  It’s the same story from almost all of them-being surrounded by such a good sports city in general you start to get into the local teams because it’s ”what” is being discussed and you slowly assimilate.   They still cheer on their former teams but are now Boston sports fans-from really serious to casual.
 

im sure if they had moved to Dallas or NYC they’d be in the same position but probably not if they moved to Montana or Idaho.  
 

I also think Bills fans are a different kind of Diehard than most teams so our definition is a bit skewed😁
 

 

[Don Otreply]

From what I have read here on this forum being a die hard sports team fan is much like being in a unhealthy relationship for the most part, folks aren’t clever enough to move on 😁🤣😂

[PatsFanNH]

On 5/23/2023 at 1:23 PM, 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 understand people who have a second favorite team. In the late80’s and early 90’s I still loved my Pat but I had the 49ers as my second favorite team. Why? Because I loved watching Rice, Montana and Young.  Mind you I wasn’t a die hard fan yet either, I just started watching and caring about football in 1986. So maybe fans that do that haven’t found their team yet? I don’t understand the ones choose 1 player over the team.. I cheer for the laundry not the individual player lol

[Dopey]

On 5/23/2023 at 2:07 PM, JerseyBills said:

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

Grew up a fan of the Bills, Yankees and Knicks, but when Dolan brought in Isiah and Starberry and the rest of the sorry ass team I dropped them. Isiah, was charged with sexual harassment and the Knicks had to pay over $10 million. Dolan still kept him as gm. Would never support anything Dolan does. I still consider myself a true sports fan. Just not a loyal sucker. 

[Peace Frog]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:29 AM, 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.

Same here. Was born in Cheektowaga, moved to TX at age 12, back to Buffalo at age 25, now living in Camas, WA.

[BillsFooteball]

1 hour ago, PatsFanNH said:

I understand people who have a second favorite team. In the late80’s and early 90’s I still loved my Pat but I had the 49ers as my second favorite team. Why? Because I loved watching Rice, Montana and Young.  Mind you I wasn’t a die hard fan yet either, I just started watching and caring about football in 1986. So maybe fans that do that haven’t found their team yet? I don’t understand the ones choose 1 player over the team.. I cheer for the laundry not the individual player lol

I would attribute large part of that to fantasy football. Which again is great in so many ways but one thing with doesn't go well with me.  I have read from fans that have Henry on their team comment I hope bills win 42-35 but Henry goes for 200 and 4tds. I know I’m not alone on this, I’m never rooting for any individual vs bills 

[Robert Paulson]

die hard Bills/Sabres/Syracuse fan since I was a kid-hate all Boston teams in those sports

 

MLB-Cubs are #1 but not die hard (couldn't name the starting lineup or rotation right now), also follow the Blue Jays/Brewers/Yankees for different family/location reasons- hate the red sox

 

NBA- jump from team to team-not die hard for anyone-can't name more than 3-5 players on any one team at a time -actually liked the Celtics when Bird was there-now not so much

 

will never drink Sam Adams beer because it is from Boston

 

Premier League/Bundesliga/the rest of UEFA soccer- follow players more than teams for the most part-not die hard for anyone but sometimes follow the champs, sometimes follow the lovable losers

 

Serie A-Lazio was my Dad's team-so it is my team-die hard since Domenica Sportiva came in on Sunday mornings from Toronto

 

My point is if you pick your team between 8-12 years of age you can't change it-you are a lifer

 

anything after that and the older your get it is difficult to become a die hard fan