I've Switched Teams. Is That "Kosher?"

[Matts4313]

3 hours ago, Malfatron said:

the most desperate and rousing attempt at a reverse jinx that i have ever seen.

kudos and congrats to the 2021-2022 super bowl champion Minnesota Vikings

@Mastercheddaar did the same thing. He left the Browns for the Eagles after the superbowl win. Now the Birds are trash and the Browns are awesome. 

3 hours ago, AZ_Eaglesfan said:

Do what makes you happy, but if you are able to change your team simply because they haven't reached the top it makes me wonder if you ever really had a passion for them in the way you seem to describe. I couldn't ever do it. I am emotionally attached to my team and I know I could never find another team to replace them, even in another sport. I also wonder... what happens if the Vikings put it together and come up with the big one here soon? Do you go back? Do you cheer for them as your own again? 

 

Again, do what makes you happy, but this is something I just can't relate to at all.

Ya, but you are one of those super homers living in lala land.

(its a joke)

[FinSting]

Friend of mine is a Vikings fan, he's from Minnesota. Every year he sighs as the season ends, and says we'll get'em next year. 

The rule about switching teams says it's ok to switch from a team that's never won a Super Bowl to another team that's never won a Super Bowl. 

"We're on to Florida."

 

 

[Nightmare]

I could never switch teams, but it’s really up to the individual. I have to admit I can’t stand bandwagon fans who will hop on the Patriots or Chiefs or whoever is the current dominant team at the time. I’m sure none of them particularly care what I or any others think about their glory-hunting nature, but I just feel it’s shallow.

Not to say this is the situation you’re in, @Uncle Buck, as it’s clearly not, otherwise you would just have picked the Chiefs or some other perennial contender. You’re essentially starting again, which I can’t really see an issue with. Something to consider, though - say the Vikings win a championship soon while the Jaguars never sniff success; where does that leave you? Obviously you’ll still be happy for the Vikes, but that would be a strange feeling knowing you’ve emotionally “checked out” and then success has followed.

When you think about it the whole concept of fandom is a strange one. Why are we so emotionally involved in something completely outwith our control? As an international fan I have no actual ties to the Raiders - I’m not local, I don’t have any family links, or any other real reason other than I was playing Madden as a 13-year-old and loved the logo and colors. But now I’m so invested and go through the whole anticipation, anxiety, frustration, elation, devastation process every week (usually in that order). And it’ll be totally worth it when we finally win our next title in 2063.

[MikeT14]

15 hours ago, Uncle Buck said:

What do you think?  Am I justified in changing teams, or am I a lousy fan who has no real loyalty? 

I'm just jealous you could do it. I wish I left Washington a long time ago.

[Mega Ron]

8 minutes ago, Nightmare said:

I could never switch teams

Your team does that for you.

[FinSting]

1 minute ago, Nightmare said:

When you think about it the whole concept of fandom is a strange one. Why are we so emotionally involved in something completely outwith our control? As an international fan I have no actual ties to the Raiders - I’m not local, I don’t have any family links, or any other real reason other than I was playing Madden as a 13-year-old and loved the logo and colors. But now I’m so invested and go through the whole anticipation, anxiety, frustration, elation, devastation process every week (usually in that order). And it’ll be totally worth it when we finally win our next title in 2063.

Ha, good points. Fans are fans. I've been a Dolphins fan since I was 4 years old and never been to Miami (connecting flight thru the Miami airport doesn't count). There were no NFL teams in my home state so if you liked football you just picked a team and went with it.

My neighbor was a Dallas fan, other neighbor a Washington fan (and that was before Washington had ever won a Super Bowl). The Cowboys were on TV more than any other team back then so lots of Cowboys fans in my town even though Dallas was 1,000 miles away. My Mom knew I liked football and would buy whatever NFL item was on clearance so along the way I ended up with a Steelers kid's helmet, Steelers knit cap, Broncos sweatshirt, Baltimore Colts waterproof rain poncho, and prolly more stuff from other teams I've forgotten about.

But only the Dolphins were 'my' team, with lots of yelling at the TV along the way. In 1989 Miami was beating the Bills and had all receivers covered but QB Jim Kelly ran it in for a TD on the last play of the game to win and I slapped my palm on a wood-paneled wall so hard my hand was sore for days. Ah, the emotions of being an NFL fan. 

The Raiders got a big boost of popularity in the late 1980's when bands like NWA and others would wear Raiders gear in their music videos. Express Yourself. 

[Kirill]

If you switched teams then you were never a real fan in the first place.

[Hunter2_1]

I was going to come on here and call you a fair weather fan, but based on the summary you provided and the team you switched to - I obviously can't say that. Crack on bro, do what you want to do. I'd say you've earned it. I really like the MIN Viking identity though, and think you may miss it  

[ET80]

40 minutes ago, Kirill said:

If you switched teams then you were never a real fan in the first place.

 

On 1/12/2020 at 2:47 PM, Kirill said:

Boo them all. **** this team

And I'll go ahead and reward myself with a...

[sledgehammer]

Well I'm a Vikes fan who certainly finds it to be a chore ,too. Sometimes I envy chiefs fans. But if I switched teams I wouldn't feel the same joy at the Chiefs winning a SB I as I would if the Vikings won one. 

The way I manage my Vikings frustration is to have other teams I support when the Vikings are out of the picture. There's nothing wrong with having a second team. 

But as others have said, as long as your happy. At the end of the day it's just a game. 

Edited January 16, 2021 by sledgehammer

[Nightmare]

1 hour ago, Mega Ron said:

Your team does that for you.

Hah, fair point. And I can sympathize with any Bay Area or California-based Raiders fans who might have abandoned their support for the team when this recent move happened - I don’t think many did so, but it’s perfectly understandable for those that did.

As someone living in Europe, where it feels sports teams are the hub of the community more than these “franchises” in American sports are (generalization alert!), I’m not entirely comfortable with relocation as a process. However I understand the reasons that it happens, and usually the positives outweigh the negatives when you look at it from all angles.

For me - I’m a Raiders fan, not an Oakland sports fan, so it’s not as big an issue to me. They could move to Bismarck, North Dakota and I’d still remain a fan. But ultimately I’d have rather they stayed in Oakland and got a new stadium there if it was in any way possible... sadly it just wasn’t.

Edited January 16, 2021 by Nightmare

[FrantikRam]

You are justified IMO and if you can do it, do it. When the Rams lost to the Jets and Niners the second time this year, my reactions got me thinking about pulling back a bit on my emotional investment.

But if I were you, I'd keep the fandom.

My Dad became a Rams fan in 1966 at 7 years old. The Rams were pretty good throughout the 70s and 80s - then the 90s happened. I was a kid and we live in Ohio, so maybe that helped my Dad get through it - he couldn't watch very many of the games.

I remember how excited my Dad was when the Rams hired Vermeil. And yet nothing changed. The beginning of the 1999 season, Trent Green was so good in preseason - at the time I was too young to realize this, but it was the one time that you looked at a preseason and said this team will be good.

Then Green goes down.

Now, everyone knows what happened - but what a lot of fans may not realize is that coming into 1999, the Niners had beaten the Rams 17 straight times. My dad is not from LA - were from Ohio (and so are the Rams, which is what I've taken to telling people when they ask me how I'm a Rams fan) - but he loved the LA Rams and was devastated when they moved to STL - and as much as he loved the Rams, he hated the Niners. If you asked my Dad prior to the 1999 season to choose between beating the Niners or losing to the Niners but making the playoffs, it wouldn't even have been a decision for him. The Rams were so bad in the 90s that if we went 2-14 but beat the Niners twice, my Dad would have been happy.

I was 13 years old in 1999 - just a few years earlier I decided the Rams were going to be my favorite team - but when the Rams beat the Niners 42-20, kneeling near the goal line where we could have scored again, I remember the angle we were sitting at in the restaurant where we went to watch games. I remember my Dad literally jumping up and down when the game was over. I remember the pure joy that he had.

Watching the Rams eviscerate the Vikings in the playoffs, who were a problem for the Rams in the 70s. The anxiety at the realization that yes, the Bucs defense is good enough to shut the Rams offense down. The unbelievable catch by Ricky Proehl. The celebration at Isaac Bruce making the most underrated and often forgotten play in Super Bowl history. And finally seeing Mike Jones clinch the Super Bowl win.

 

 

Before the season in 1999, my Dad was a Rams fan for 33 years. During that time he saw several playoff appearances, one Super Bowl appearance, some success in the 80s and then a decade of futility.

You have 17 years on what my Dad had, but this is why we do this. For that one season. And it can happen anytime, any place.

I gather that you think that season won't come, but I would point to the Chiefs. Prior to Mahomes arrival, what's the difference between the Chiefs and Vikings? Yes Mahomes is a generational talent - but he also wasn't even a top 10 pick. The Vikings have arguably the best group of skill players in the league and a young defense. They are literally a QB away and it's been forever since the Vikings have had a QB at that level, but Chiefs fans didn't give up and I wouldn't either - the payoff for when your team finally does win is beyond worth it.

[SteelKing728]

You'll be missed in Vikings land, UB.

Sorry I never called you either! Haha

[Kmart128]

I just dont understand the logic... you are tired of 50 years of let down and arguing about never winning a Super Bowl... so your solution is to cheer for the Jaguars. Not to rain on your parade youll just be in for the same thing in just different colors.

[lavar703]

I mean, I’m a Redskins/WFT fan that was born in 85’. I barely remember the last Super Bowl and we’ve basically been horrible since. Not just bad, but absolutely horrible. We’ve blown high draft picks, we gave Albert Haynesworth a huge contract, we’re owned by Dan Snyder who’s not even remotely close to old age at this point and since our last super bowl win I think we’ve won two playoff games.
 

I understand where you’re coming from sorta but at the same time your team is so much more successful in my lifetime of football I can remember that it just seems crazy to me to walk away. You’ll never enjoy the Jaguars wins the way you do the Vikings and lord help you if the Vikings win the super bowl after you moved on and announced it to all of us lol. It’s something I’ve thought about as well several times but could never actually do it. But either way, you should make the decision as a fan that makes you happy Buck.