Early Childhood through Age 13:
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS - Like most other young boys my age during the late 80's and early 90's, I was a big fan of the San Francisco 49ers. With iconic players like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Ronnie Lott it was hard not to be. Of all the great 49ers players, Joe Montana was surely my favorite. Watching Montana play football was like watching Michael Jordan play basketball. It only made sense to cheer for Joe and his Niners...so I did.
Age 14 to Age 15:
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - Hearing of Joe Montana's move from San Francisco to Kansas City, I quickly discovered that I wasn't a 49ers fan...I was a Joe Montana fan. Enough said, I became a Chiefs supporter.
Age 15 to Age 18:
DENVER BRONCOS - Upon Montana's retirement I was lost. As stated earlier, I wasn't every really a fan of any particular NFL team, I was just a fan of Joe Montana. So how was I going to choose to which team to pledge my allegiance? I just went with my second favorite player...John Elway.
Age 18 to Age 25:
TENNESSEE OILERS/TITANS - Being a proud Tennessean, I immediately switched my allegiance from the Broncos to the Oilers, when the Oilers moved from Houston to Tennessee. Finally, my home state had an NFL team...or so I thought. It quickly became clear that the Titans were not a "Tennessee" team, but a "Nashville" team. Being from East Tennessee, we don't cheer for Nashville teams. That being said, I had no reason to support any other NFL team...until I moved to Boston.
Age 25 to Age 30:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - In 2004 I moved to Boston to attend law school. While living there for three years I caught the Boston sports bug and became a fan of the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots. This was the first time I ever lived in a pro sports city and I was truly excited to have "home teams" to support and it is almost impossible not to cheer for the "home teams" in Boston.
Currently:
NEW YORK JETS & INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - After moving away from Boston and back to Virginia, I realized something...I still felt a strong connection to the Red Sox, the Celtics, and the Bruins, but I didn't still feel that connection to the Patriots. I couldn't begin to tell you why...I just don't know. Regardless of the reason, I realized I needed to find a team I felt a connection to and that I could finally commit myself to...for life.
After weeks of pondering and research, I decided that there were certain things I wanted in a team. In no particular order or importance here are some of those things: (1) a team which plays home games where it snows occasionally; (2) loyal fans; (3) high average attendance of home games; (4) location in a city I would like to visit on vacation; and (5) home field is not a dome. The top three teams that arose from my process were the Packers, the Jets, and the Colts. My girlfriend is a lifelong and diehard Packers fan, so I didn't want to choose Green Bay. So it was between the Jets and the Colts. I immediately leaned towards the Colts, because of Peyton Manning. As a born and bred University of Tennessee fan, I was convinced that I should be a fan of Peyton's Colts.
Then, I thought about my past. I chose the 49ers and Chiefs because of Montana and the Broncos because of Elway. Once Montana and Elway left their respective teams, I had no connection to those teams and was then on a search for a new team. I didn't want that to happen again, so I decided to go with the Jets. Now, 6 weeks into the season, I am questioning my decision. Don't get me wrong I LOVE the Jets. What a great team! This has nothing to do with the Jets and everything to do with the Colts. You see, there is no way I could ever cheer against Peyton. Where I'm from (Knoxville, TN), Peyton is very close to a deity. Knoxville is definitely Peyton Manning country...and due to that Colts country. I'm not kidding about that. Driving through Knoxville you will see heaps of Colts paraphanalia and apparel. It is a fact that Knoxville is the biggest Colts market outside of Indianapolis. That's how huge Peyton is.
I feel like not cheering for the Colts is somehow going against my roots and hometown pride. How weird is that? It's a matter of hometown pride in Knoxville to support the Indianapolis Colts. I know it sounds strange, but it's true. As far as many East Tennesseeans are concerned, the Indianapolis Colts ARE the "home team." How can I cheer against them? All of that being said, I've grown very fond of the Jets and I can't see myself cheering against them either.
I know that this is a bit strange considering they are both AFC teams. They way I look at it is, the Colts and Jets will likely only play each other once a year, unless they both make it to the playoffs. So, I'll only have a real issue for two games a year at most. So, who am I going to back when those games are played?
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