10 Teams It's Cool to Cheer for Now
It's cool to cheer for…the New York Yankees?
Sure, and this is also The Twilight Zone.
But really, things are shaking up all over sports in 2016. The Yankees went from the Evil Empire to an exciting young rebuilding team (sans A-Rod) almost overnight.
Sure, it's always been "cool" to root for the Yankees if you're from New York or just like to rock that cap Jay Z style, but in general, the team is disliked.
Other teams have been "uncool" due to their dismal on-field performances or just general failures to produce excitement. Not anymore. The Cleveland Browns are interesting (in a good way), and the Utah Jazz could be the next Oklahoma City Thunder.
Of course, not everyone is rooting for the following 10 teams, but they have probably gained at least a few supporters in recent months. These teams are on trend, if you will. If you are rooting for them or at least don't dislike them quite as much, then you are a person in the know.
Dishonorable Mention: Golden State Warriors
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On July 4, in one fell swoop, Kevin Durant turned the NBA's most likable team into perhaps its most hated. In a single moment, it became wildly uncool to root for the once lovable, uber-fun Golden State Warriors.
Marcus Thompson II of the Mercury News wrote, "... in order to maximize their unheralded potential, the Warriors will have to manage their new reality: They will be one of the most hated teams in the NBA."
Chicago Cubs
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It is so cool to root for the Chicago Cubs—their bandwagon is dripping with coolness.
To be fair, this started in 2015, so it's not exactly news. The Cubs won 97 games and went to the National League Championship Series. They have been 2016 World Series favorites all season long, per oddsshark.com. The entire National League All-Star starting infield was made up of Chicago Cubs.
So it's not the freshest news, but the Cubs are worth mentioning here simply because of how long it took them to achieve this level of goodness. The Cubs spent literally decades on the outskirts of success, and most of the time, the far outskirts.
In 2016, however, the Cubs' young, electrifying bats, stud pitching and quirky manager took them from lovable losers to even more lovable winners.
#WeAreGood is aptly a team slogan.
The bandwagon is almost full in Chicago. Better jump on quick.
Buffalo Bills
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The Buffalo Bills are kind of like that team you don't love, but you don't hate either. You really just don't think about them much. They are the team that lost four straight Super Bowls and haven't done much since.
Heading into 2016, however, the Bills appear to be benefiting from their division rivals' misfortune. The New England Patriots are already generally disliked, but now, Tom Brady's Deflategate suspension has pushed them to a place of unfamiliar uncertainty.
Luke Kerr-Dineen of For the Win named the Bills the No. 2 most likable team in the NFL. Why? First, their fans are ultra-entertaining. Tailgating at Ralph Wilson Stadium appears to be an experience unlike any other—passionate, wild, possibly unsafe. Also, head coach Rex Ryan is always good for some entertaining antics, and this season, his brother Rob has joined the coaching staff as defensive coordinator.
The Bills' top two draft picks are injured, but they also drafted a promising young cornerback, Kevon Seymour, in the sixth round. Reggie Bush has joined LeSean McCoy in the backfield, adding an intriguing storyline.
If you're not convinced, perhaps just think of it as rooting against the Patriots. For most outside New England, that's always cool.
Minnesota Timberwolves
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It's not really that the Minnesota Timberwolves weren't cool before. It's more that they've just been meh. The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2003-04, and the last time it finished over .500 was 2004-05.
Now, the T-Wolves are pretty much oozing cool. Center Karl-Anthony Towns ran away with the Rookie of the Year in 2015-16, and some even think he's got MVP potential in his sophomore campaign.
Dan Schultz of Hoops Habit wrote, "It's fair to say that the Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the most exciting teams coming into the 2016-17 season. A huge reason as to why they will be an NBA League Pass favorite is due to the multi-talented Karl-Anthony Towns."
Add to that talented guard-forward Andrew Wiggins, grizzled veteran Kevin Garnett and new head coach Tom Thibodeau, and there is plenty to be excited about in Minnesota.
Now that the aforementioned Golden State Warriors have been dethroned as the NBA's reigning "impossible not to like" team, there's a vacancy.
Boston Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox's likability seems to ebb and flow with their success levels. Yes, they have won three World Series in the 2000s. Yes, they—along with the New York Yankees—tend to be more disliked than liked outside their corner of the country due to a fat payroll.
And yet, it's Big Papi's last season! David Ortiz is widely liked and respected around the big leagues, and he has made it cool for fans to root for his team.
In addition to the "wouldn't it be nice to see Papi go out on top" angle, the Red Sox offense has been fun to watch for much of 2016. Longtime second baseman Dustin Pedroia recorded a 16-game hit streak at one point and went 11-for-11 during a phenomenal stretch in August.
Outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. added a 29-game hit streak of his own, infielder Xander Bogaerts turned in a 26-gamer, and right fielder Mookie Betts is batting well over .300 and has earned his way into MVP talk.
The Bo Sox are in contention for a playoff spot in 2016, and Ortiz—with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs for the 10th time in his career—is having perhaps the greatest final season in MLB history. Even if you don't like the Red Sox, it's not wrong to root for them right now.
Utah Jazz
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The Utah Jazz haven't really been cool since Stockton and Malone. And in recent years, other Western Conference juggernauts—the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder and even Los Angeles Clippers—have really hogged the spotlight.
Utah's 40-42 record wasn't quite enough to eke into the 2015-16 playoffs, but the Jazz are on the rise nonetheless. Utah is a team minus a megawatt superstar but stocked with talented contributors.
The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks suggested the Jazz could be "the next OKC" and wrote, "Like Oklahoma City, Utah has built through the draft under the leadership of a GM from the Spurs management tree."
Jay Yeomans of the Deseret News pointed out, "The love for the Utah Jazz this offseason has been seemingly unending as NBA voices have talked about the great moves that they have made and how it will help the franchise moving forward."
And speaking of that Western Conference, Kevin Durant's move suddenly made OKC and Golden State less likable in different ways—the Thunder for no longer having Durant and the Dubs for getting him. For the casual fan, finding another talented team to root for might be the coolest thing one could do.
Nashville Predators
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The Nashville Predators are an expansion team in a warm weather town—not exactly a favorite of hockey purists.
And yet, suddenly that team is pretty interesting. The Preds finished seventh in the Western Conference in 2015-16, losing to the San Jose Sharks in the second round.
Nashville also made perhaps the league's biggest offseason trade, sending veteran Shea Weber to the Montreal Canadiens for all-star defenseman P.K. Subban.
Already, Subban has embraced Nashville, singing Johnny Cash karaoke and signing autographs for kids. Preds right winger James Neal called Subban "electrifying" and said, "It's just an exciting time for our team and our franchise. … It's nothing but going up from here and just getting better from where we were last year," per Brooks Bratten of NashvillePredators.com.
Sean McIndoe of Sportsnet wrote, "Great town, great fans, and a surprisingly fun team."
Cleveland Browns
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The Cleveland Browns haven't won more than 10 games since the 1990s. They are the lovable losers but kind of without the lovable part. From Art Modell's great betrayal to the string of unsuccessful quarterbacks, the Browns have been a bummer for years.
But look at them now. Knock on wood—there is hope. Robert Griffin III looks poised for a career resurrection under new head coach Hue Jackson. The team pulled off a super savvy draft trade, snagging a haul of picks from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for the No. 2 overall choice.
RG3 has been impressing with long passes in the preseason, and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton said, per Matthew Florjancic of WKYC, "He is throwing the ball well. Mechanically, he's always been just as good as anyone else with regards to being able to throw the football all over the field. We feel good about where he is right now."
The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA title, and the Cleveland Indians are well positioned to make a playoff run. Suddenly, it's cool to root for Cleveland.
Cleveland Indians
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Speaking of Cleveland...
The Cleveland Indians have made the MLB playoffs three times since the new millennium. And yet, Terry Francona's arrival in 2013 coincided with the start of a slow-but-sure turnaround that is coming to fruition in 2016.
As soon as the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA title, the Indians went on a 14-game win streak. As of August 28, they sit 4.5 games ahead in the American League Central and look poised for a playoff run.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor is one of the most exciting young players in the league. He plays sharp defense, is batting over .300 and made his first All-Star team in just his second MLB season. Francona is widely respected, generally well-liked and recently rode a scooter to work like a boss.
It's cool to root for Cleveland guys, or, ahem, Believeland.
Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers have spent the past three years as—to put it harshly—a joke. This is a team that won 10 games in 2015-16.
Now-departed general manager Sam Hinkie touted his "process," aka stock-piling high draft picks (at the cost of losing a lot of games) with the intention of one day using those picks to rebuild a contender.
So why are the 76ers suddenly cool to root for? Well, it finally looks like the process might be working. The Sixers snagged prized prospect Ben Simmons as the No. 1 overall draft pick, adding to a roster of young talent that includes Dario Saric and a finally healthy Joel Embiid.
CEO Scott O'Neil told ESPN 97.3 (via Josh Wilson of the Sixer Sense) the team's ticket sales are going up during the offseason. And Charles Barkley said, "I think the Sixers gonna get really good, really quickly," per CSNPhilly.com.
Look out. The 76ers might even have a bandwagon.
New York Yankees
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The New York Yankees have long been one of the most hated sports franchises on the planet. Winning a lot generally does that for a team. And yet, their new young lineup is—wait for it—actually pretty likable and exciting to watch.
Rookie catcher Gary Sanchez is jacking homers left and right—specifically, 11 in 23 games, the fastest to that total in MLB history. Emma Baccellieri of Deadspin called him "More Or Less Babe Ruth Right Now." A Yanks minor-league pitcher struck out 11 batters in a row. Other hot youngsters Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge have folks reminiscing about Derek Jeter and the famous "Core Four."
General manager Brian Cashman's sell mentality resulted in a string of savvy moves at the trade deadline and a fresh crop of talent that has the Yankees looking like the next Chicago Cubs (weird universe we're living in, huh?). Oh and also, the team got rid of Alex Rodriguez (from the player roster, anyway), a move many baseball fans probably appreciated.
The Yankees went from the Evil Empire to a plucky rebuilding squad. And it's OK to like them, even if it's just a little.
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