America's Team???? [Archive]

medic9016

09-26-2010, 12:58 PM

Bob Ryan, now Vice President and editor-in-chief of NFL Films, coined this for the Cowboys while preparing and editing the team’s 1978 season highlight film. He was quoted as saying:
I wanted to come up with a different twist on their team highlight film. I noticed then, and had noticed earlier, that wherever the Cowboys played, you saw people in the stands with Cowboys jerseys and hats and pennants. Plus, they were always the national game on television. Ryan told the NFL Network, for their Top Ten Nicknames show:
I saw all these fans in away stadiums. Hey, they're the most popular team in the country. How can I use that? Why don't we call them "America's Team"? During the Cowboys' first game of the 1979 season, a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals (Dallas won 22-21), the television announcer for CBS introduced the Cowboys as America’s Team and the name stuck.
Dallas' Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry originally did not approve of the appellation of America's Team. He felt that it would give opposing teams extra incentive to play harder. Eventually he gave in and actually came to like the name.

Daisy'sMom

09-26-2010, 01:17 PM

We've been huge Cowboy fans since the 70's. To us they are America's Team!

kakn7294

09-26-2010, 03:25 PM

They are definately NOT, NEVER HAVE BEEN, and NEVER WILL BE my team. I love the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ian

09-26-2010, 03:45 PM

Daisy'sMom

09-26-2010, 04:43 PM

I am a Floridian, and I am proud to be a Cowboy FAN! Call me what you will. Do you have a problem with that Ian? :mickey:

PirateLover

09-26-2010, 05:57 PM

More like the team most of America loves to hate!

Daisy'sMom

09-26-2010, 06:05 PM

Who cares who likes what team? I mean it could be worse. Not to name any certain team, but they wear green. :)
All kidding aside, some people love the Cowboys, some hate the cowboys. But last year, once again, they had the highest television ratings in the NFL. Year after year. Why is that? :secret:

Melanie

09-26-2010, 06:10 PM

More like the team most of America loves to hate!

Spoken like a true Philadelphian.

Tinksalot

09-26-2010, 07:20 PM

Washington Redskins fan here, and NO WAY are they "America's team!

alphamommy

09-26-2010, 07:37 PM

Even with the sad state of my Lions (to quote DH's Lions shirt, "Rebuilding Since 1957"), I have NEVER liked the Cowboys. I adopted the Steelers in the '70s, and still like them.

I'm not sure there is a true "America's Team." Can we really agree on one team that "everyone" likes? I doubt it.

Melanie

09-26-2010, 07:57 PM

I'm not sure there is a true "America's Team." Can we really agree on one team that "everyone" likes? I doubt it.

No, and that's the key. This 'title' somehow stuck, and it now bothers other teams, ESPECIALLY division rivals. That's why I point that out on Maryanne's post. To the OP, Philadelphia and Washington fans are going to be the most vocal in opposition to this, as they all hate each other.

Personally, I'm so sick of the Who Dat? stuff I could barf. :ack: But I'm a fan of a division rival of NO. But again, it's just one of those things that has stuck.

Greenlawler

09-26-2010, 10:40 PM

Medic9016 hit it one the head but to expound on the popularity....

The "America's Team" nickname was given not earned. However one would be pretty hard pressed to argue that they are not among the three most popular franchises of all time.

The reason for this is simply that the Cowboys along with the Steelers were the two dominant teams of the NFL's boom, the late 70's. This is when the NFL started to surpass Baseball as America's sport. Many fans who did not have an intrest in the NFL picked one of these two teams as they acquired a taste for the sport.

Markets without a team were often forced to watch the Cowboys because local stations offering the NFC slate of games knew that the Cowboys eqauled good ratings. However in the AFC the Steelers had to deal with the also popular ratings draw the Dolphins.

Another reason for the popularity was that many southern markets declared the team their own. The Cowboys just appealed to the area. The other franchises in the south the Falcons (although they had a couple of good seasons in the late 70's), Saints, and Bucs were all considered also rans at the time. The Dolphins were in Miami and had a huge following but Miami was not considered a true southern town. Therefore a huge following developed in the southern states.

In reality the Steelers and Cowboys are still enjoying the fruits of being good in that boom time. The impressionable children of the 70's chose one of the two teams and they are passing that on to their children.

I am not certain any other franchise will ever get that kind of band wagon support. The 49ers dominated an era, but could not even begin to dig into the already established fanbases for the big two.

As a fan of a newer franchise it is frustrating when one of the uber popular teams comes to town. The stands are litered with the enemy. The Titans have sold out every game since coming here, but when they play the Steelers or Cowboys you can count on there being a couple of thousand invaders.

This also applies to the Packers.

I would say the Packers are the third place team as far as nationwide fanbase, but the Dolphins and Redskins enjoy huge fanbases as well. Of course there are other fanbases with large followings but they rise and fall based on the teams level of play.

With all that being said I have seen a decrease in the bandwagon fanbases as the NFL has expanded to markets previously untouched. Also the NFL has continued to boom since the 70's. As more fans watch it has been a while since two teams dominated an era like the Steelers and Cowboys of the late 70's. So band wagon fans looking for a team have had a larger pool to choose from.

kakn7294

09-26-2010, 11:10 PM

As a fan of a newer franchise it is frustrating when one of the uber popular teams comes to town. The stands are litered with the enemy. The Titans have sold out every game since coming here, but when they play the Steelers or Cowboys you can count on there being a couple of thousand invaders.
Steeler fans have always traveled well. There are a large number of fans scattered all over the country and when they play in any other city, we do tend to fill the stands. Some of that is because people from Pittsburgh have relocated all over the country. Some of it is because it's very difficult to get tickets to any home game and fans are willing to travel to see our beloved team. And some of it is because people have adopted the Steelers because they do tend to be a good team - those bandwagon fans. I really don't like the idea of any team being called "America's Team". To me, it implies that I have to like that team and I'm not intelligent enough to choose my own team.

Greenlawler

09-26-2010, 11:41 PM

Steeler fans have always traveled well. There are a large number of fans scattered all over the country and when they play in any other city, we do tend to fill the stands. Some of that is because people from Pittsburgh have relocated all over the country. Some of it is because it's very difficult to get tickets to any home game and fans are willing to travel to see our beloved team. And some of it is because people have adopted the Steelers because they do tend to be a good team - those bandwagon fans. I really don't like the idea of any team being called "America's Team". To me, it implies that I have to like that team and I'm not intelligent enough to choose my own team.

Agreed on all points....but I would say the number one reason Steeler fans are in every stadium is the huge number of kids who grew up picking the Steelers as their team. Most of my friends who love the Steelers did not grow up anywhere near Pittsburgh.
I would point out that, when the Titans play Green Bay there are just as many Packers fans as there would be Steeler fans, same for the Cowboys. Although in spite of popular belief their fanbase is still vastly outnumbered by home team loyalist.

The term band wagon is not nessecarily a negative term. My friends who clearly jumped on said bandwagon in the 70's are just as devoted and loyal today as they were 30 years ago. The fact is that the Steelers have been good for long periods of time. People tend to cheer for winners.
As far as the moniker "America's Team"....
I remember when TBS tried to market the MLB Atlanta Braves as "America's Team" It just did not stick. I tend to think that moniker is innacurate for any team becuase most teams have an eqaul amount of detractors as they do fans and in some cases more detractors. For example I think we would all grudgingly agree that the Yankees are the most prolific franchise in sports, but more people clearly hate them than love them. The same could be said for the Cowboys and Notre Dame, and perhaps the Lakers, and Red Wings to a much lesser extent. "America's Team" is more properly stated "The Team America Loves To Watch" they may just be watching to cheer against them.

Oh and just to make sure it is stated the Packers have as many NFL championships as the Steelers and Cowboys combined.

2Epcot

09-27-2010, 07:30 AM

I've been a Cowboy Fan since I was a kid, going back to the Tom Landry, Roger Staubach days.

Around the world the US is still the West, what better team represents the West than the Cowboys. Both the team and cheerleaders are known not only all over the US, but in other countries as well.

The Cowboys also generate a lot of money for the NFL (the real America's favorite pastime) and are the most valuable franchise according to Forbes. That makes them "America's Team".

For the fourth consecutive year, the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins are the NFL's most valuable franchises, according to a report by Forbes. Despite league-wide team values falling by approximately 2 percent, the Cowboys' net worth rose from $1.65 billion to $1.8 billion in the past year, just ahead of Washington's $1.55 billion net worth.

The last time the Cowboys did not hold the title of NFL's most valuable franchise was 2006, when the Redskins sat atop the throne, followed by New England. Dallas placed third that year, at approximately $1.17 billion.

The complete list of team values, courtesy of Forbes.com (numbers rounded up to the nearest million):

1. Dallas, $1.8 billion
2. Washington, $1.55 billion
3. New England, $1.37 billion
4. New York Giants, $1.18 billion
5. Houston, $1.17 billion
6. New York Jets, $1.14 billion
7. Philadelphia, $1.12 billion
8. Baltimore, $1.07 billion
9. Chicago, $1.07 billion
10. Denver, $1.05 billion
11. Indianapolis, $1.04 billion
12. Carolina, $1.04 billion
13. Tampa Bay, $1.03 billion
14. Green Bay, $1.02 billion
15. Cleveland, $1.02 billion
16. Miami, $1.01 billion
17. Pittsburgh, $996 million
18. Tennessee, $994 million
19. Seattle, $989 million
20. Kansas City, $965 million
21. New Orleans, $955 million
22. San Francisco, $925 million
23. Arizona, $919 million
24. San Diego, $907 million
25. Cincinnati, $905 million
26. Atlanta, $831 million
27. Detroit, $817 million
28. Buffalo, $799 million
29. St. Louis, $779 million
30. Minnesota, $774 million
31. Oakland, $758 million
32. Jacksonville, $725 million

2Epcot

09-27-2010, 08:21 AM

Yeah, they're not America's team. They're the team of people from Dallas and sorry frontrunners everywhere else.

Being a Cowboys fan not from Dallas is as bad as being a Yankees fan not from New York. Frontrunning all the way. :ack:

I'm not from Dallas, grew up in AZ where there are many Cowboy fans (long before AZ had it's own NFL team). I became a fan as a kid. The ups and downs of the Cowboys haven't changed my loyalty, any more than 11 years in LA have ever made me root for the Lakers over the Suns.

I supported the Cardinals from day one when they came to AZ, spending a week at there first training camp. I always root for the Cardinals over the Cowboys because they are our real "home" team. The Cowboys will always be an adopted team in AZ, because we never supported CA teams. As long as the Cowboys aren't playing the Cards, I hope they win every Sunday.

gueli

09-27-2010, 08:32 AM

I've been a Cowboy Fan since I was a kid...
Around the world the US is still the West, what better team represents the West than the Cowboys....

Um, anyone else. :D
Just because you like them, does not make any of the rest of US like them.

as a kid I recall (and I thought this was more around 76 or so) I heard them called "america's team" and I thought to myself, I did not vote for them...

The Cowboys also generate a lot of money for the NFL (the real America's favorite pastime) and are the most valuable franchise according to Forbes. That makes them "America's Team".

again. NO.
Just because Jerry Jones has dumped tons of money into them does not make them anything other than an overpriced ball club. and isn't the forbes list an indicator of team value (including stadium), not the amount of money that it generates ?
Their stadium is brillant, and I credit him for that. But that doesn't make it "america's stadium" just because it is here in the US.

Hey, I appreciate the 'boys and their fans.
But do not force a team on the rest of america without all of us having a say in it...:thumbsup:

Go JETS :number1:

2Epcot

09-27-2010, 08:54 AM

Um, anyone else. :D
Just because you like them, does not make any of the rest of US like them.

as a kid I recall (and I thought this was more around 76 or so) I heard them called "america's team" and I thought to myself, I did not vote for them...

Spoken like a New Yorker. I think if you ask anyone outside the United States name 3 NFL teams, the Cowboys will probably be there every time. I doubt the Jets will be known by that many outside the states. Things like that make them "America's Team" not that everyone in the country is a fan.

Ian

09-27-2010, 09:29 AM

I am a Floridian, and I am proud to be a Cowboy FAN! Call me what you will. Do you have a problem with that Ian? :mickey:As long as you don't mind being a frontrunner, nope. No problem at all.

You are aware, though, that Florida has a not one, not two, but three NFL franchises of their own, right? ;)

Personally, I'm so sick of the Who Dat? stuff I could barf. :ack:Ditto. The worst thing that happened all of last year was NO winning the Super Bowl so I had to hear more about them instead of less. Double :ack:

I'm not from Dallas, grew up in AZ where there are many Cowboy fans (long before AZ had it's own NFL team). See that's fine, though. If you have no franchise of your own to root for then by all means ... pick a team (although I would still question the choice of the Cowboys as possible "frontrunning" but hey ... that's just me).

It's only when you're from a city/state that already has its own NFL franchise and you choose to root for another, more successful team that you become a true frontrunner.

And this isn't a division rival specific thing for me. I was raised to believe you always support the home team. I would never ever dream of rooting for or supporting a team from another city. Philly teams have mostly stunk over my lifetime and, while my interest in them has waxed and waned to a degree, I have never, ever considered switching my loyalties elsewhere.

To me that's like cheating on your spouse!

Missy_Mouses_Dad

09-27-2010, 09:35 AM

I agree with most of the posters. It's all about hype. The cowboys were almost always the 3:00 game on Sunday's with Pat Sommeral (sp) and John Madden. The network was force feeding us the Cowboys.

For me it's the Packers and whoever is playing the Bears or Vikings.

gueli

09-27-2010, 03:19 PM

Spoken like a New Yorker.

Thank you

I think if you ask anyone outside the United States name 3 NFL teams, the Cowboys will probably be there every time. I doubt the Jets will be known by that many outside the states. Things like that make them "America's Team" not that everyone in the country is a fan.

the other 2 being the steelers and the raiders, it is possible that the raiders overshadow everyone else(especially in the UK).

But come on now, Rex Ryan has been soo loud that everyone in the world has heard about the JETS :D

diz_girl

09-27-2010, 03:29 PM

And this isn't a division rival specific thing for me. I was raised to believe you always support the home team. I would never ever dream of rooting for or supporting a team from another city. Philly teams have mostly stunk over my lifetime and, while my interest in them has waxed and waned to a degree, I have never, ever considered switching my loyalties elsewhere.

To me that's like cheating on your spouse!

Exactly! Spoken like a fellow fan of Philly teams.

The only time you'll ever see me cheering for the Giants is when they play the Cowboys. So the Cowboys are definitely not my team.

kakn7294

09-27-2010, 09:20 PM

I was raised to believe you always support the home team. I would never ever dream of rooting for or supporting a team from another city. Philly teams have mostly stunk over my lifetime and, while my interest in them has waxed and waned to a degree, I have never, ever considered switching my loyalties elsewhere.

To me that's like cheating on your spouse!Case in point - I love the Pittsburgh Pirates. You all can stop laughing now...

JPL

09-27-2010, 10:02 PM

No way no how are they America's Team! It's amazing how when they stink and you go to a sports bar to watch the game you don't see a single Cowboy Jersey after week 5! When they are winning there are hundreds of them! Definitely a Front Runners team 100% I really never understood the out of market fan support of any team! I like to go to games and support my teams not just watch on TV! I go to a few Yankees games every year and several events they hold so I can meet players past & Present. I do the same with the Giants. I am a Devils Season Ticket holder so I am 100% local team and support them through the good and bad seasons!

Greenlawler

09-27-2010, 10:20 PM

Ian

09-28-2010, 07:56 AM

I am a Devils Season Ticket holder so I am 100% local team and support them through the good and bad seasons!I'm not surprised, Jeff. I think it's more of a Northeast thing really since we're so passionate about our sports up here.

But it's funny ... I wonder how many folks would feel the same way about rooting for a college team that wasn't your alma mater? Like would a 'Bama grad be okay with another 'Bama grad who was a Clemson fan?

Melanie

09-28-2010, 08:01 AM

But it's funny ... I wonder how many folks would feel the same way about rooting for a college team that wasn't your alma mater? Like would a 'Bama grad be okay with another 'Bama grad who was a Clemson fan?

My brother is a good example of this. Grew up a UNC fan (ugh), but went to NC State because there was no engineering school at UNC. Still a diehard Carolina fan to this day.

Oh, and I wouldn't underestimate the south's love of sports.

2Epcot

09-28-2010, 08:11 AM

No, once again what made them "America's Team" was that a nickname caught on. It had zero to do with fan support or worth.

Any good nickname can increase the popularity of the brand, that is marketing 101.

I'm not surprised, Jeff. I think it's more of a Northeast thing really since we're so passionate about our sports up here.

I would agree the Northeast fans are more fanatical than those in the West. Growing up in Phoenix, then moving to LA, nothing bothered me more than the fair weather fans. I've been a Cowboy fan since I was a kid, a Sun Devil and Suns fan since I was kid. A Phoenix Cardinals (now AZ Cardinals fan) since they left St. Louis. It didn't matter if they had a good season or not, I still had my shirt or hat on game day.

I think someone who grows up with a team is not going to switch teams, just because they moved to a new city. The LA Lakers have always been a rival of the Suns. After 11 years in CA, I have never once supported the Lakers no matter how many championships they've won.

Ian

09-28-2010, 10:03 AM

Oh, and I wouldn't underestimate the south's love of sports.College sports maybe, but not pro.

Just look at the poor Rays! One of the best teams in baseball and they can't draw more than 23,000 per game!!!

Same with the Bucs ... they opened the season 2-0 and couldn't even sell out their third game.

There's a few pockets around, like Atlanta and the Braves, but by and large unless the teams are really, really good (and sometimes not even then) people couldn't care less about their pro teams.

Melanie

09-28-2010, 10:33 AM

College sports maybe, but not pro.

Just look at the poor Rays! One of the best teams in baseball and they can't draw more than 23,000 per game!!!

Same with the Bucs ... they opened the season 2-0 and couldn't even sell out their third game.

There's a few pockets around, like Atlanta and the Braves, but by and large unless the teams are really, really good (and sometimes not even then) people couldn't care less about their pro teams.

And yes, as I was thinking about this more, I realized it's definitely college sports that rule in the south. Doesn't make us any less passionate about sports.

I wouldn't even use Tampa as any kind of example. This area in particular is so full of northern transplants. You really see that in hockey, which ironically by the way will probably sell out more games this year than any previous years. And the Rays? Please. Build a stadium in TAMPA, and attendance will increase. Oh, and a nice stadium at that. The Trop is a dump!

Pagan

09-28-2010, 12:51 PM

But it's funny ... I wonder how many folks would feel the same way about rooting for a college team that wasn't your alma mater? Like would a 'Bama grad be okay with another 'Bama grad who was a Clemson fan?
You choose your college, you don't choose where you're born.

Just as easily as you call fans who root for out of town teams "frontrunners", we can call fans who root for a team based solely on where they live "sheep".

Both terms are ridiculous. ;)

wdwfansince75

09-28-2010, 01:45 PM

Some of us have moved even more often than our teams....Born in NYC, to NE PA at 5, to Annapolis for college (after a year at Villanova), then to FL, GA, WA, Japan, Southeast Asia, CA, HI, SEA again, MD, VA, MD, PA, MD, SC, PA, and finally, SC again....Originally a Brooklyn Dodger fan, who cheered for them once they moved to LA....lost interest in them while at Monterey; would go to Candlestick when we had no PM classes, and watch Willie Mays and Willie McCovey play....Became a Braves fan when we were in MD, as that was who we had on cable...also had the Mets, but never was a Met fan...got to see them lose their 100th and 101st games in a double header at Connie Mack Stadium.

Was not a Pro Football fan until much later in life....Played football at a Catholic High School in the NE PA Catholic Conference, so with our games on Sunday, never was able to see the pro games. Played against Lansdale Catholic while the Glick (sp?) brothers were there...finally beat them when we were seniors....Larry (?) Glick went to Villanova, and starred there...Then he went to an AFL team...and that's when I started to follow the pro game... Roger Staubach was Navy's QB my last two years at Annapolis, so I became a Dallas fan, because he was there. After he retired, while in MD and Va, cheered for the Redskins....
Staubach, even as a pro, was exciting to watch. He was a big reason for their success, and their status as "America's Team" But perhaps the best candidate to be America's Team should have been the Pottsville Maroons, the REAL first NFL champs!

Ian

09-28-2010, 02:10 PM

You choose your college, you don't choose where you're born.

Just as easily as you call fans who root for out of town teams "frontrunners", we can call fans who root for a team based solely on where they live "sheep".

Both terms are ridiculous. ;)Meh ... that's a silly analogy. You don't "choose" where you're born, no, but your hometown is what it is. You don't choose it, but you accept it.

I would submit that the true sheep are those who aren't personally strong enough to run against the tide and not root for the "cool" team that wins all the time. Like really ... does it take any personal integrity to be a Yankees fan???

Pagan

09-28-2010, 02:32 PM

Meh ... that's a silly analogy. You don't "choose" where you're born, no, but your hometown is what it is. You don't choose it, but you accept it.

I would submit that the true sheep are those who aren't personally strong enough to run against the tide and not root for the "cool" team that wins all the time. Like really ... does it take any personal integrity to be a Yankees fan???
Ian, your argument is flimsy.

Mostly, you don't "accept" where you live. You think I wanted to be born in the Bronx and live the first half of my life there, or would you think I'd rather have lived in Honolulu?

And as for rooting for the "cool" team, you're wrong again. I rooted for the Penguins since I was a kid. Man, those Cups came fast and furious during the late 90's and into the early 2000's didn't they?

And oh yea, the Dolphins have been perennial super bowl favorites every year, that's why I root for them too!

And really...I mean really...who bases "personal integrity" on what sports team a person roots for?

Like really, how much personal integrity does it take for someone in their 40's to use the expression "meh"? :fresh:

Ian

09-28-2010, 02:59 PM

Like really, how much personal integrity does it take for someone in their 40's to use the expression "meh"? :fresh:According to my scientific formula, considerably more than it takes for someone in their 40's to use the expression "bro."

:razz:

Pagan

09-28-2010, 03:10 PM

According to my scientific formula, considerably more than it takes for someone in their 40's to use the expression "bro."

:razz:
Well sorry to dispute yet another of your theories professor, but I've been using "bro" since I was a teen. "Meh," on the other hand, is a modern expression kids use...so according to MY scientific formula, you're using it to appear to be "hip".

I await you using "crunk" in a post any day now. :razz:

Scar

09-28-2010, 03:26 PM

Sorry to interupt this fasinating showing of intellect ;), but here's my two cents...

I , for one, can't understand why anyone would want to root for any team they can't watch or listen to anytime. I grew up before cable and these packages where you can get any game. I remember being a Colts fan as a kid and then around the age of 11 or 12 realizing - "wait a second, how come these Giants are on every week but I can only see my Colts 3 or 4 times a year?" The Giants were only winning 3 or 4 games a year then, but I think it was more than the Jets, so I became a Giants fan.

So my question for Pagan is... Why would you want to root for a team you can only watch a few times a year? (Granted it would be 2 more times than any other non NFC east team.)

Pagan

09-28-2010, 03:39 PM

So my question for Pagan is... Why would you want to root for a team you can only watch a few times a year? (Granted it would be 2 more times than any other non NFC east team.)
My father said when the Dolphins first came into the league when I was 5, I saw the helmet somewhere and that was it.

Same with the Penguins.

I've never succumbed to the "I'm from here so it must be the best" line of thinking that some (not saying anyone in particular) have. I hear people from NY saying all the time, "NY is the greatest city in the world!" Is it now? Why, cause you come from there? Personally, I think it's the only city in the world that when it rains it makes its own gravy.

Same with my sports teams. Only NY team I ever rooted for were the Yankees...and before Ian says that's because they were winners, I started following baseball around 1968. Look up how great they were back then. ;)

Scar

09-28-2010, 03:49 PM

Fair enough, but I guess what I'm really asking is... wouldn't you have prefered to watch your team every week instead of 5 or 6 times a year? I'm talking about before the Cable packages.

Pagan

09-28-2010, 04:06 PM

Fair enough, but I guess what I'm really asking is... wouldn't you have prefered to watch your team every week instead of 5 or 6 times a year? I'm talking about before the Cable packages.
I'm sure at that period of my life it didn't really matter. I watched the Yankees and that sufficed.

Rooting for an out of town team DID lead to a magical Christmas one year though. Back then there was no internet or NFL shop, so you could only get merchandise from local teams. One year on a business trip to Florida my dad picked up something...and Christmas morning I woke up to find a shiny Dolphins helmet on the end of my bed. I was so blown away because the only time I ever saw the helmet was in magazines or when they played the Jets or Giants...and never saw one up close.

There it was right in front of me. I think I might have worn it to school the first day back. LOL

I still have it. :)

Ian

09-28-2010, 05:26 PM

My father said when the Dolphins first came into the league when I was 5, I saw the helmet somewhere and that was it.I see ... so you chose your teams based on that time honored approach of, "But they have really cool helmets!"

Around here that's known as "The Chick Method." :razz:

Pagan

09-28-2010, 05:42 PM

I see ... so you chose your teams based on that time honored approach of, "But they have really cool helmets!"

Around here that's known as "The Chick Method." :razz:
Read again, I was 5.

Of course, I could have always chosen the manly method of "I live here, so I might as well root for them."

You're reaching, "bro".

Ian

09-28-2010, 06:22 PM

By five I already knew, "Wookit da pwetty helmets!" was lame. ;)

Pagan

09-28-2010, 10:53 PM

By five I already knew, "Wookit da pwetty helmets!" was lame. ;)
And yet, somehow at 41 you've discovered a whole new world of lame. :razz:

Now go ahead, get the last word in. It's your forte. ;)

Greenlawler

09-28-2010, 10:53 PM

My father said when the Dolphins first came into the league when I was 5, I saw the helmet somewhere and that was it.

Same with the Penguins.

I've never succumbed to the "I'm from here so it must be the best" line of thinking that some (not saying anyone in particular) have. I hear people from NY saying all the time, "NY is the greatest city in the world!" Is it now? Why, cause you come from there? Personally, I think it's the only city in the world that when it rains it makes its own gravy.

Same with my sports teams. Only NY team I ever rooted for were the Yankees...and before Ian says that's because they were winners, I started following baseball around 1968. Look up how great they were back then. ;)

This is one of the few times I will empathize with anyone with a Yankees Avatar!

I see both sides...I grew up in Tennessee, was I supposed to choose the Falcons because they are four hours away from my house, closer than any other team?
Heck no, as a kid I liked the Dolphins my logic EXACTLY like Pagan's, I too liked the logo. When I got a couple of years older I decided the Packers were my team, Why? I got electric football and the Chiefs and Packers came with it. I liked green it just made since to me.
I admire people who at a young age pick a team and stick with it.
However when a team moves into your hometown. I believe you ought to support the home folks. Thus when the Titans came they became my team.

AS far as greatest city in the world being New York. This is about as genuine as the Cowboys being "America's team". Yet another myth driven by the media.

Oh and I would say this about the regional comment. While I would agree that the Northeast probably has the most passionate pro sports fans. I would say the southeast has the most passionate college fans.

Greenlawler

09-28-2010, 10:57 PM

I'm sure at that period of my life it didn't really matter. I watched the Yankees and that sufficed.

Rooting for an out of town team DID lead to a magical Christmas one year though. Back then there was no internet or NFL shop, so you could only get merchandise from local teams. One year on a business trip to Florida my dad picked up something...and Christmas morning I woke up to find a shiny Dolphins helmet on the end of my bed. I was so blown away because the only time I ever saw the helmet was in magazines or when they played the Jets or Giants...and never saw one up close.

There it was right in front of me. I think I might have worn it to school the first day back. LOL

I still have it. :)

Pagan, I got my first grade school pic taken in a Green Bay sweatshirt. :) Try finding Green Bay gear at Sears in the early 70's. I also had an old Packers helmet my dad found at a yard sale, it was the greatest present ever.

gueli

09-29-2010, 08:25 PM

By five I already knew, "Wookit da pwetty helmets!" was lame. ;)

wow ian, you must have been such a COOL 5 year old :sick:

(ps dripping with sarcasm)

This is one of the few times I will empathize with anyone with a Yankees Avatar! I see both sides...I grew up in Tennessee... as a kid I liked the Dolphins...like Pagan...I too liked the logo. When I got a couple of years older I decided the Packers were my team...I admire people who at a young age pick a team and stick with it...
AS far as greatest city in the world being New York. This is about as genuine as the Cowboys being "America's team". Yet another myth driven by the media.

last comment first. Its about image. NY has so many amazing things (museums, sports teams, sites,etc) - and when you go outside the area, one is stunned when a city closes down by 1 or 2 am (hence the city that never sleeps). The only city I can come up with that is close on those hours is vegas.
You are right, it might not be the greatest city in the world, but with so much to offer, it is certainly up there...

As far as picking teams and why- and dont take this the wrong way - If you choose to root for a team and you stay with them (good or bad), what does it matter to others how you came to choose them. Picking a team is a personal choice - and I so dislike the 'bullying' stance that Ian is taking with many fans who choose 'the front runner'.
Why you or anyone else chooses to root for a team is their business. They do not have to be a "real" sports fan. What business is it of anyone elses ?

I do like both your & pagans stories about how you picked, and I loive how DAD gave you each a helmet. Brings back warm fuzzy memories about attending shea stadium in the bitter cold and rooting for Joe Namath as a youngster.

Now my dearly departed godfather was a yankee fan , grandma was a met fan, my uncle mike a giants fan. I rooted for the islanders (we went to games) before they won the first of 4 stanley cups. I rooted for the steelers against dalas in the super bowl(first time I picked a team) in the late '70's, and have liked them from that point on. That is how I also became a fan of the penguins (pittsburgh fan) which is why I root for all those teams.

Pagan, I got my first grade school pic taken in a Green Bay sweatshirt. :) Try finding Green Bay gear at Sears in the early 70's. I also had an old Packers helmet my dad found at a yard sale, it was the greatest present ever.

:thumbsup:

That is all.

Go JETS :number1:

JPL

09-29-2010, 09:57 PM

See I look at my teams in very simple terms and the reasons I like them isn't only because of where I live but more of the way I grew up.

Baseball Yankees - I was watching games and listening to Phil Rizzuto say "Holy Cow!" before I knew what baseball was! I am a Yankee a fan because of Grandmother, she never missed a game on TV!

Football NY Giants - Again I was watching them with my Dad long before I knew what a football was! I still have some very fond memories of watching the games with him.

Hockey NJ Devils - I never liked the Rangers or the Islanders even though I went to a few Ranger games with my Dad. When I was a kid I like the Oilers mainly because of Gretzky but I never got to see too many games. The in 1982 something happened that changed my hockey life forever. NJ got a hockey team and I went to an event & met some of the players during the first season the played in NJ. The players were all very friendly and took the time to talk to me and answer my silly questions. I was hooked from then on!

I think the point I was trying to make in my post is pick a team and stick with them! I went through some tough times especially as a Devils Fan until that first magic moment in 1995 when they lifted the Cup! Followed by my greatest personal moment as a fan in 2003 when I actually witnessed them raise the Cup 8 rows from the ice! I literally felt like I just won as the tears of joy ran down my face!

Ian

09-30-2010, 11:26 AM

wow ian, you must have been such a COOL 5 year old :sick:

(ps dripping with sarcasm)

I so dislike the 'bullying' stance that Ian is taking with many fans who choose 'the front runner'.Uh ... you may be taking me a bit too seriously, dude. Either that or you missed this banter between Pagan and I last season.

I'm kidding, man! Lighten up. I just like to rip Pagan for being so all over the map with his team choices. He knows it, gets it, and isn't offended by it. It's sports trash talking ... that's all.

Take it in the spirit in which it was intended.

Greenlawler

09-30-2010, 05:24 PM

darthmacho

09-30-2010, 05:25 PM

The New England Patriots should be America's Team! After all, they fought to win our freedom and establish the birth of this mighty nation! :drum::flute::flag:

LOL :silly:

Pagan

09-30-2010, 05:34 PM

I am beyond confident Gueli knew exactly about your war of words with Pagan. I mean if you have been any where on these boards we all know you guys tend to take over threads and make them your personal smack-off's :)
Yea...I'm beginning to think Ian's obsessed with me. :razz:

Ian

09-30-2010, 08:09 PM

Yea...I'm beginning to think Ian's obsessed with me. :razz:You did look pretty good in that Gene Simmons costume!

Pagan

09-30-2010, 09:37 PM

Lol!

gueli

10-01-2010, 09:33 AM

Uh ... you may be taking me a bit too seriously, dude. Either that or you missed this banter between Pagan and I last season.

I'm kidding, man! Lighten up. I just like to rip Pagan for being so all over the map with his team choices. He knows it, gets it, and isn't offended by it. It's sports trash talking ... that's all.

Take it in the spirit in which it was intended.

actualy in case ya missed it - as far as your obsession with pagan goes, :D

(and for those reading this who do not get it- Ian and pagan have been going at it for a long time. Me & pagan go at it over dolphins / Jets.
other than that I tend to stick up for pagan WHEN HE IS RIGHT (on those rare times).
on occasion I take umbrage with some of Ians comments - but I think we get along just find, especially as 2 opinionated people who can debate a topic, without being nasty. So in other words I was jus' chimmin' in, sticking up for KISS, I mean gene, err wait I mean Pagan.)

the second comment about people choosing frontrunners, is part of a debate with you about comments that you posted in this thread (and some others have followed). What does it matter how or when people choose to root for a team ?
Any Die hard fan knows that in good times, many more people come out of the woodwork. In the bad times you commiserate with other die hard fans. Hence my comments in the past about win loose tie or die

although I do admit, we have taken this so far off topic....

gueli

10-01-2010, 09:36 AM

The New England Patriots should be America's Team! After all, they fought to win our freedom and establish the birth of this mighty nation! :drum::flute::flag:

LOL :silly:

um, football wasn't established back then...
so If I am rooting for Sam Adams, John Hancock, and General Georgie boy - those patriots I am cool with :D

as far as the hype that once was a dominant team in the NFL - nah :D

Go Jets :number1:

(and by no means take this as me wanting the jets to take the title of "america's team"...)

Pagan

10-01-2010, 10:47 AM

(and by no means take this as me wanting the jets to take the title of "america's team"...)
Suuuuuuuure it isn't! LOL

Quick off topic one more time....my band's latest album has been picked up by Shredguy Records for worldwide distribution, and we're in contact with a German and Japanese licensing companies for further promotion.

I'm kinda proud. :D

Nascfan

10-01-2010, 01:16 PM

Quick off topic one more time....my band's latest album has been picked up by Shredguy Records for worldwide distribution, and we're in contact with a German and Japanese licensing companies for further promotion.

I'm kinda proud. :D

You should be, that's very cool! :thumbsup:

gueli

10-02-2010, 08:04 AM

Suuuuuuuure it isn't! LOL

Quick off topic one more time....my band's latest album has been picked up by Shredguy Records for worldwide distribution, and we're in contact with a German and Japanese licensing companies for further promotion.

I'm kinda proud. :D

Be Proud.
Wahoo (for youuuuuu)
good luck
:rocker:
rock on
:beer:

brownie

10-05-2010, 02:15 PM

I thought the Red Wings were America's team! They seem to have a good size following wherever they play on the road.

I don't think you can call any team America's team.

darthmacho

10-05-2010, 03:26 PM

um, football wasn't established back then...
so If I am rooting for Sam Adams, John Hancock, and General Georgie boy - those patriots I am cool with :D

Are you certain? I'm pretty sure it's mentioned in the Declaration of Independence somewhere. Besides, doesn't Washington hold the record for most kick returns in a game with 2? Also, isn't that why Sam Adams started brewing his line of beers? :beer:

Stickey

10-06-2010, 04:28 PM

I never paid any attention to the "America's team" label, however the Cowboys have always been my favorite NFL team. The 1970's Cowboys were a model of consistency with great players, especially Roger Staubach.

I do not believe you should blindly choose the local team as your favorite. You should pick based on a team's history, players, and performance. There are some franchises that do not deserve a following.

Unfortunately, any successful team, company, or individual will attract the jealous haters. Disney is often the target of these intellectually challenged individuals. It is very much like the fans of this one NFC Eastern conference team that has not won a Super Bowl and thus resent the championships won by the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins. They had a shot with McNabb...