Surveying the Field of Teams
Choose your team based on where you currently live. Many people by default support the team of the area they live in. This is perhaps the simplest and easiest way to pick a team to support. The benefits of this approach is that many of your friends and family will probably also support the same time. This will make game days more fun, as you’ll be able to join everyone in tailgate parties and more. Consider the following: Does the city you live in have a football team? If your city or town does not have a team, what big city with a team are you closest to? Support that team. If you are equal distance to two teams, pick whichever you prefer, or whichever one your friends and family support.
Support the team of the city or region where you grew up. Some people are lifelong supporters of one team. They support the team of their hometown where they grew up, and they support that team for the rest of their lives. You can go with this approach as well. This will help you bond with family and friends who still live in that community, if you have moved. This might feel natural because you are probably familiar with the mascot, the colors, and the fan culture of the team. If you’ve moved far away, this might present a problem as you might not be able to attend many games in person.
Get behind the football team of your alma mater. If we’re talking American college football, many people support the team of where they graduated or where they grew up. People do this for many reasons including tradition and emotionalism, but mostly because they associate their college football team with the good times they had in college. This is certainly a good way of determining what team to support.
Rally behind the team your parents support. For many families, supporting a football team is tradition. Get behind that tradition and support the same team that your parents and grandparents supported. Not only will you be able to have more in common with your family, but you’ll be able to participate in football related events together, like tailgates and viewing parties. You’ll also be able to attend games together.
Consider the mascot or team colors. Some people are moved by mascots and team colors. If this is the type of person you are, take a look at the wide variety of mascots and team colors of different teams around the country. On the contrary, you might not like a team’s mascot or colors, so you can easily eliminate them from your potential list.
Support the underdog. You might be the sort of person who likes supporting the underdog. In this case, take a look at a few teams that have been struggling in recent years. This can be fun, too, since a lot of people tend to support winners. When your team wins, you’ll have a lot more to celebrate.
Pick a team based on an individual player or coach. Perhaps an individual player or coach impresses you. This is definitely an acceptable way of picking a team to support. You can choose to follow that player or coach around as they are traded or begin working for new teams in the future. This way, you’ll be invested in a career and in someone’s talent, rather than just a team. Often times people follow talented quarterbacks from team to team, so consider this. Look into the quality of the coaching staff, you might be impressed and want to follow a team due to the coaches. Sometimes you might not like a certain player or coach of a team, so you can eliminate a team based on this, too.
Cheer for the winning team. A lot of people like to support teams that are currently winning. Teams that are currently winning are more likely to have very talented coaching staff and players, so this is a big draw for a lot of people. Take a look at a list of teams that are currently performing the best nationally, or in your region. Examine the track record of that team. Are they dominating this season? Did they dominate last season? Have they made it to bowl games, championships, or playoffs? If you’re comfortable supporting the winning team, do so.
Narrowing Down Your Choices
Dedicate some time to watching significant amounts of football on television. The more you watch, the better you’ll know teams that you might want to support, and the easier it’ll be to eliminate possible choices. In fact, watching a significant amount of football on TV is the best way to educate yourself about the game and about teams. Watch different teams from different regions. Watch your local team, or the team your friends and family favor, play against a top ranking team. Don’t be afraid to watch teams that are far removed from where you live.
Attend a couple football games. You shouldn’t really commit to supporting a team until you’ve seen them play live. Seeing a team play in person will give you a much better sense of whether or not you‘ll be comfortable supporting them in the future. Attending an actual game is very important in narrowing down your choices. Consider: Attending a game will give you a sense of the specific fan culture of that team. You’ll see how fans tailgate, how they behave, and you’ll get a sense of whether or not you fit in. Attending a home game for a prospective team will give you a sense of the atmosphere of their stadium. You’ll hear the songs they play and the announcer. You’ll also see the halftime show, hear the band, and see the cheerleaders. Try to get good seats, rather than seats in the nosebleed section. This way, you’ll be closer to the action and you’ll be able to see how the players and coaching staff interact on the sidelines.
Review team stats, to begin the process of narrowing down your choices. If you’ve done your homework so far, you’ll have a fairly decent idea of what the stats mean (wins, losses, touchdowns, and more). Take your list and lookup the stats of the teams on it. The stats might speak to you, and might give you an idea of who to support and who not to support.
Avoid rushing this process. Since you’re trying to pick a favorite team for the long-haul, don’t rush the process. Set aside a month or two, or perhaps even the whole football season before you make up your mind. You’re going to want to review all of the teams you’ve considered fairly, and give yourself time to consider the many factors.
Make a list of teams that impress you. After you’ve watched a number of games and considered other factors, make your list. Include 3 to 5 teams that have impressed you the most. This list does not need to include all winners, or all hometown teams. It can include teams that you like for any reason. Don’t feel like you need to justify putting a team on your list. You’re simply narrowing down the number of possible teams. Include teams that you might have an emotional attachment to because of family, friends, or region. Include teams that have individual players or coaching staff that you already support. Don’t be afraid to include teams for any reasons. After all, this is all about your preference!
Spend time watching or attending the games of teams on your list. Now that you’ve educated yourself about a number of teams you’re interested in, watching some of those teams again will gain you new insight. Watching your prospective teams, once you’ve narrowed down the selection, will give you a really good idea of which teams you favor more. Try to watch the teams on your list play against each other, if possible. Watch more than one game for each team. Attend more games in person, if you can.
Narrow down your list. When you’ve got your list, start to narrow it down. What matters most to you? Is it individual talent, the coaching staff, hometown loyalty, or other factors? Ask yourself all of these questions, and eliminate one at a time from your list. Make a list of pros and cons for each team. Rank the teams based on emotional value, skills level of the team, or the importance of tradition (if your family supports the team). Eliminate teams that don’t measure up.
Pick a team. Once you’ve reviewed all of the necessary information, pick a team. This is the moment you’ve really been waiting for. You’ve done all of your homework and considered a number of factors, now you get to support the team that has won this vetting process.
Watch them play, again. After you’ve vetted the team and decided to support them, watch another game. This should be a new experience for you. You’ll no longer be scrutinizing the team, but supporting them. You’ll take pleasure in their victories, and you’ll mourn their defeats.
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