Are you a Patriots fan or a football fan?

[situational_awareness]

Gee...that's a tough one...I'll say this...when I was growing up with all my friends we all were Patriot fans...some of my friends, not very many, were Giant fans after the merge. There were no "I'm just a football fan" guys. Not anyone I ever met.

20 years ago, fantasy football made its appearance in our culture. Today ,as anyone can plainly see by reading the posts of certain individuals here, not only are there fans that have no specific TEAM interest, there are now cult like followings of specific player/players. Like, are you a Cleveland Cavs fan or a LeBron fan?...today, it's normal to get, "I'm a LeBron fan...I could care less about the Cavs". Hey, I'm a Celtic fan too....Pierce will always be a Celtic ,AFAIC but he's a Brooklyn Net now. I'm a Celtic team fan...see ya' at the retirement party Paul.

It's generational obviously...and such is life in our ever evolving society. I find it a bit disheartening that team allegiance is being replaced by a much more narcissistic attachment to star players or players with a rep.Why even bother having teams anymore.

There's nothing new about being a fan of a player vice a team.

While I am a fan of certain teams, I also have favorite players that may or may not be on my team. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive... meaning that a person who likes individual players can also have strong fan interest in a team. In fact, I think that some of the behavior you lament is caused by strong loyalty to a team.

For example, I think we know that Tebow fans are a main cause of angst for many people. As a University of Florida fan, I feel pain when they lose. It ruins my whole day... basketball or football. I'll watch every game no matter what. I'll wear the gear... I'll go to the games. I love my team so much, that I will be fans of our individual players as they move on to the professional ranks. There is no conflict of interest because no matter what they do in the pros, they are always going to be Gators and represent our program and add to our legacy. I follow Percy Harvin, used to follow Ahern, and other UF players in the pros. I follow Joakim Noah, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Matt Bonner, Bradley Beal, etc... in the pros. It all stems from my real team... the Gators.

My basketball team is the Miami Heat. Been watching them since day 1 when they were formed. Lucky for me, they have two Gators on the roster (Mike Miller was amnestied a couple of days ago, though) which makes it sweeter. I hate when they lose. That doesn't mean that I don't like watching other exciting players on other teams.

Now, in reference to your assertion that it is a new phenomenon and narcissistic to cheer for one player, I have to point you towards stars like Michael Jordan. It wasn't just Bulls' fans being fans Michael Jordan. The guy was just amazing to watch and probably the most revered athlete of our time.

Fantasy football is a game. People cheer for their individual players because they are part of "Their Team". If you can't cheer for your own team, who can you cheer for? The players are spread across different teams, so yes it appears that FFball players have no allegiance to any football team, but it's incorrect. They have allegiance to the team they manage, above all else. Some people would rather lose their fantasy matchup that week than to have one of their players have a big game against their "real NFL team". Some people would rather the opposite.

It could be argued that fans of "one team" only are not "real fans" of football because they only care about one team. That argument is not fair, as it is not fair to scrutinize fans of players.

Regardless, it's not for anyone else to judge people's reasons for liking anything, or to act as if their method of supporting sports is superior to anyone else's. You do it your way, and they do it their way. Neither way is right or wrong.

 

[Get it shawtaay]

Football fan I suppose. I watch five NFL games a week plus a college one if I have time, and some of my favorite players are non-Pats. I actually have an Ed Reed jersey hanging in my closet.

 

[jlu52]

I watch as many games as I can, because I'm a football fan, but it is really all about the Patriots for me, and always has been. I always root against the Patriots' most formidable competition, and divisional teams as well. I watch other games with the mindset of how the outcome will affect the Pats' standing, and root accordingly. I look very forward to the Patriots' next game always, other games not so much. I am first, foremost, and always a Patriots' fan.

 

[Sparetire]

Lets just say that the superbowl is not that of a holiday for me if the pats arnt in it.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Lets just say that the superbowl is not that of a holiday for me if the pats arnt in it.

Let's just say that such a perspective would not have occurred to this Pats fan over my first few decades following the team.

 

[italian pat patriot]

i give the priority to all Patriots games and only when NE is not playing i see as many games as possible i can see...

but i have to say that i am a Patriot fan mainly - since many many years...

anyway this is the sport nr 1 imho