When is it time to give up a sports team?

**westofyou** · 03-13-2014, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Roy Tucker

I've told this story on RZ before so I'll keep it short.

I was as big of a Browns fan as there was. Had a Clay Matthews jersey, went up to the Dog Pound every year, and lived and died with each win and loss. Jim Brown, Frank Ryan, Leroy Kelly, Greg Pruitt, Mike Pruitt, Brian Sipe, Dave Logan, Red Right 88, The Drive, The fumble, and all that. I *loved* the Browns like I love the Reds.

But I moved from Dayton (big Browns contingent there) to Cincy, got married, had kids, the Browns declined, and eventually moved to Baltimore with all the associated acrimony and Modell hatred and Belichick blame. And I could *never* be Ravens fan.

Browns V2.0 came into existence, I made a luke-warm try at becoming a fan again, It just didn't take. Kinda like trying to go back with your first wife. One day, I found out that I just didn't care any more.

So its nice now. I got my Sundays back. I do a lot of other stuff on Sundays now. I watch football when I want to (1 pm kickoffs used to be sacred and reserved times before and God forbid anything getting in the way). My marriage is better for it. I see Browns scores and sometimes I sigh and wonder how they are, like an old girlfriend. But like the old girlfriends, I got over it and I'm better off for it.

Yep, I gave up on caring about the Bengals, then NFL and behold... I lived.

Can't quit the Reds or the Red Wings, nor want to. But I know when to walk away from something that gives me no pleasure (I'm looking at you Basketball, Football and most other sports on tv)

**Boston Red** · 03-13-2014, 10:23 AM

I think it's fine to give up on a sports team. You just cannot pick another one in the same league unless an expansion team is awarded to the city where you live (or another franchise moves to where you live). So if you give up on Tampa, you cannot claim to be a fan of any NFL team.

**Yachtzee** · 03-13-2014, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by westofyou

Yep, I gave up on caring about the Bengals, then NFL and behold... I lived.

Can't quit the Reds or the Red Wings, nor want to. But I know when to walk away from something that gives me no pleasure (I'm looking at you Basketball, Football and most other sports on tv)

I still like the Bengals, but I am no longer as emotionally invested in them as I once was. A lot of my interest in football has shifted to that other brand of football, soccer.

**medford** · 03-13-2014, 11:20 AM

As a fan of the 90s/00's Bengals, the 00's Reds, the 00's Chicago Bulls, the 90's UD Flyers and the John Cooper lead Buckeyes, I'm a proud member of the "I just can't quite you Babe" fanclub when it comes to "my teams". Its envitable, they always drag me back at some point, new coach, Jeff "Shake N'" Blake, Griffey, Jr, Ed Curry, etc... there's alway a new hope to place your faith in.

So how did I cope, so to speak? Easy, I became a low level fan of different teams based upon they way they played or perhaps a specific player. For instance, I loved the way the 90s Bucaneers played, once they switched to the Pewter uniform, I was hooked. I still "root" for them to an extent as one of my auxilary teams, but not that the Bengals are good again, I don't worry about them too much. I could say the same about the mid 90s Colts. Once they drafted Marshall Faulk I became a fan, but on the good side, the really tough losses, don't fester. For instance, the ball that slipped thru the fingers of Sean Dawkins at the end of the AFC title game loss to the Steelers didn't hurt nearly as bad as if that had happened to the Bengals. I'm never fully invested emotionally in these teams, when they win and are playing well and are on a national stage, its easy to enjoy, when they lose, no big deal. Its like being the casual sports fan that my wife is. She can sit and watch a UD basketball game or a Buckeyes game, but the only team she gets even a hint emotionally invested in are the Bengals.

**Puffy** · 03-13-2014, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

I'm in my 30s. I've rooted for one football team (Tampa Bay) my entire life. They've been terrible for the overwhelming majority of it -- though, they did manage to squeak out 1 Super Bowl in 2002.

I was born in Tampa, but moved when I was 6. I've stayed loyal despite, really, never having lived in the area for any appreciable length of time.

Today, they just signed Josh McCown and announced him as their STARTING quarterback. A dude who, literally, had a worse QB rating than Brandon Weeden prior to a hot 5 game run in the middle of last season with the Bears. A 10+ year journeyman who was out of football for a full season because no one could be bothered to add him to a roster.

Oh yeah, and they just outright cut Derrelle Revis -- less than a full calendar year after giving up a 1st round draft pick for him.

So, I'm sitting here thinking -- this seriously has to be the final straw. Is there a point where you can just give up a lifelong rooting interest and move on with your life? Have you ever done it?

I tried to do it with the Knicks. My three years in New Orleans made me a HUGE fan of that city and so I decided I would leave the Knicks and take up the Chris Paul led New Orleans Hornets.

It did not stick for even 5 games.

**bucksfan2** · 03-13-2014, 11:39 AM

Can't do it. I feel dirty rooting for another team. If I lived in another city I think I could generating a rooting interest for another professional sports team, but I live in Cincy. I have found that it is a lot easier taking a casual rooting interest in soccer and hockey, sports that I don't have a dog in the fight.

**cumberlandreds** · 03-13-2014, 11:54 AM

I have never given up on the main teams I have followed over the years. That being the Reds,Kentucky (basketball and football) and Dallas in the NFL. I will admit I don't folllow or root as hard for Dallas as I once did. But I think that is more from losing interest in the NFL in total than just the team. I have had ample opportunity to change over the years too. The Reds were awful for a decade or more and UK football has never been good. I moved to the DC area in 1990 and could have changed to local teams then but never did. Just couldn't get that level of excitement going for the Redskins,Orioles and later the Nats or any of the college programs.

**WVRed** · 03-13-2014, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

I think I'm just done for a while. I'm not going to get emotionally invested in a team that thinks Josh McCown is an answer to anything. If they want to demonstrate they have a vision for the future, I'll reserve the right to reconsider my decision.

I'd stick with Tampa. If anything I think they at least have a vision for what they want to accomplish (getting back to the Dungy era). McCown isn't great but neither was Brad Johnson. When you have a great defense though and I think in time the Bucs will have one, QB play is secondary.

I've tried once with the Bengals when Tim Couch went to Cleveland. Being a UK fan I wanted Couch to succeed and the Bengals were going nowhere. I just couldn't do it.

The problem with the NFL is there are teams I absolutely refuse to pull for, and others that aren't much of an upgrade, so leaving the Bengals is pretty hard.

**RichRed** · 03-13-2014, 02:07 PM

Lord knows I've wanted to quit the Redskins many times. I know they're already very unlikeable from an outsider's perspective but I'm afraid they're in my blood, like anemia or malaria.

Before the Expos became the Nats, there was a movement to try to lure the team to Norfolk/Va. Beach, which was an extreme long shot at best. I said then that if we got the team, they'd never be any better than my second favorite behind the Reds...and I've never lived anywhere close to Cincinnati.

I completely get why some people give up on their teams; I just don't think I'm wired to do it. And sometimes, I curse my faulty wiring.

**Caveat Emperor** · 03-13-2014, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by WVRed

I'd stick with Tampa. If anything I think they at least have a vision for what they want to accomplish (getting back to the Dungy era). McCown isn't great but neither was Brad Johnson. When you have a great defense though and I think in time the Bucs will have one, QB play is secondary.

Brad Johnson had taken a team to the playoffs in Washington and been a successful starter for multiple years prior to coming to Tampa.

Josh McCown has never been to the post-season, never held a starting gig over multiple seasons, and (until last year) never posted a winning record or thrown more TDs than INTs in a season. He could have been had for a phone call in 2010 and 2011 and nobody bothered. Tampa will be his 8th gig in 12 years.

Johnson I got. Steady hand. Veteran presence. Could lead teams to the post-season. McCown I don't get at all.

**WVRed** · 03-13-2014, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

Brad Johnson had taken a team to the playoffs in Washington and been a successful starter for multiple years prior to coming to Tampa.

Josh McCown has never been to the post-season, never held a starting gig over multiple seasons, and (until last year) never posted a winning record or thrown more TDs than INTs in a season. He could have been had for a phone call in 2010 and 2011 and nobody bothered. Tampa will be his 8th gig in 12 years.

Johnson I got. Steady hand. Veteran presence. Could lead teams to the post-season. McCown I don't get at all.

Nobody said he would be a longterm solution either.

Unfortunately the NFL is a Johnny come first serve league. You are expected to win right away. Tampa I think needs about 2-3 years to rebuild but at least there's a structure in place to do it. And by the time they are good again, McCown won't be the starting QB.

At least you're not the Browns. :-)

**improbus** · 03-13-2014, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by Puffy

I tried to do it with the Knicks. My three years in New Orleans made me a HUGE fan of that city and so I decided I would leave the Knicks and take up the Chris Paul led New Orleans Hornets.

It did not stick for even 5 games.

Chris Paul is nice, but give Anthony Davis a chance. He does 3-4 things a game that seem impossible. He is sooooooo good.