Can You Ditch Your Childhood NFL Team?

I was listening to Paul Charchian (LeagueSafe) on KFAN the other day and they were discussing whether or not it is kosher, or even possible, to ditch your favorite childhood team.

Well, this really got me thinking and I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

My Team

As some of you may know I am a Vikes fan, and if you have followed them at all then you know they're not an easy team to be a fan of. They have broken my heart a million times, they repeatedly underachieve and do some boneheaded things.

So why not just find another team right?

I could save myself the heartache and just find another squad with a better track record. Simple, right?

Not really because that is just not me. No matter what, the Vikes have been my team for as long as I can remember and I will continue to be a Vikes fan through thick and thin—not by choice, but because they are in my blood. They are kinda like a family member, no matter how much they piss you off, at the end of the day, you're still family.

Besides, it really isn’t that bad—and it could be much worse.

One of my very good friends has been a Lions fan for his entire life—and he isn’t changing anytime soon. He lives right on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, where he gets pummeled by Vikings and Packer fans year in and year out. Imagine that!

The Other Women

Another reason why it would be tough to switch over is you would probably have to deal with some backlash from other fans of that team. They sure get pissy if you are thinking about jumping ship.

For instance, a few years ago I bought and frequently wore a Patriots hat. Boy did I hear it from fellow Vikes fans, friends and even members of my own family every time I wore it somewhere.

I wasn’t jumping ship, but just showing my appreciation for a team I admire. I’ve always appreciate the Pats—and more specifically Bill Belichick's coaching style (if only he was the Vikes' coach. I can only dream.). It started when they beat the Rams as huge underdogs in Super Bowl XXXVI and then continued to overachieve,  no matter how much adversity they faced season after season.

Look at last year, they lost their MVP quarterback, went 11-5 and BARELY missed the playoffs? That’s classic Belichick, and as a long time NFL football fan, I appreciate it—Spy Gate or not.

The bottom line is, I’m wearing the damn hat! I doesn’t mean I’m not a Vikes fan, I just have two favorite teams, that's all!

Fantasy Flux

Fantasy football contributes to a fluctuation in team loyalties (again without compromising my Vike fandom). I find myself having a new team or two that I pull for during the season, and even in the playoffs depending which players I have.

Last year I had Chris Henry of the Titans, which meant I was watching a lot of their games. Before I knew it, there I was pulling for them late in the season and again in the playoffs.

Bottom Line

If you’ve been a fan for one particular team a long time, it isn’t easy—and maybe not very respectable—to jump ship. Hell, if it were easy, we could all just convert to being Steeler fans—one of the easiest teams in the NFL to be a fan off. Instead of lamenting anything less than perfection, we could be going around annoying the hell out of everyone with chants of “Sixburgh.”

But at the same time, there is nothing wrong with having a team or two to pull for. It just means you get to enjoy more NFL football, and that my friend, is a very good thing.

How do you feel about it? Would you ditch your team? Do you have more than one favorite?

Share in the comments below.

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Why?

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