I graduated high school in 93, I grew up in Wisconsin, I was conflicted Packers fan because the Chicago Bears had their training camp in the town I grew up in, from 84 to 2001. I worked for them a couple of summers ( 91 - 94), both my older brothers worked for them during the summers too. We were family friends with the man who was the big reason they came to Platteville. Walter Payton was in my living room when I was a little kid (I believe it was in 86 so I would have been 11). I bruised my chest catching a pass from Jim McMahon. I helped Mike Singletary pay a practical joke on a fan. I made $100 when I was working the parking lot one day when it was raining and some drunk guys in a van said "Hey I'll give you $100 if you let us park in front of that limo!" The limo had Virginia, and several other, McCaskey's in it. I took the money, and as they were moving to park I walked over the police officer and said the guys in that van had open alcohol, which was not allowed, and I thought the driver was drunk. The police officer moved the van, I kept the money. I got to witness another family friend, a police officer, pull over Jim McMahon in his Ferrari for running a red light, and when Jim yelled "Do you know who I am?" hear Bill reply "Yes, you're Jim McMahon, and you ran that red light." So I was a Bears fan, I got to watch them win the Super Bowl with that insanely good defense, I got first hand access to the players.
I should have stayed a Bears fan, the Packers stunk back then, but my Dad was a Packer's fan (despite having grown up in Illinois) which kept dragging me back the other way. The there were the Bears <b>fans</b> that I also got to have a lot of interaction and they are the big reason that I just couldn't keep following the team. The arrogance they often displayed, the vandalism against the people who displayed their Packer's loyalty. I got spit on by one of them once after they asked for directions to the practices and for some reason they didn't like the directions I gave them. I don't fully recall what they said but it was something like "I was over there already you ignorant hick." followed by the big gob. I'm aware that every team has fans like this, but I was young, and it left a very bad taste.
So I followed the Packers, even as I drew a paycheck from the Bears some summers, and during high school they were turning it around. The Don "Magic" Majkowski at QB, Ron Wolf coming in as GM, Mike Holmgren, and then Majkowski gets hurt and some kid wearing #4 starts playing. They were fun to watch. The front office was keeping on their promises to bring the Lombardi trophy home, then Reggie White signs, Desmond Howard shows up and makes the special teams a weapon (though White should have gotten Super Bowl MVP) and they make good on it. I've had it good with them. My older brother is still a big Bears fan, during the 85 training camp, he was a 12 year old kid with a football, he got pretty much the whole teams signatures, I'm not sure what the ball is worth now... We have a lot of fun with the rivalry now too, even if I generally get the better of it. Though I did have the Mike Sherman as GM years, fortunately Mark Murphy, the team president, admitted that was a mistake to give him both jobs.
I'm not a big basketball fan in general, though I do follow the Wisconsin Badgers, though that is mostly because of their coach, Bo Ryan. I went to high school with his kids, I got to watch him bring 4 Division 3 National Championships to our little town, and Dad and I would go to the games from time to time. So I will watch the Badgers on ESPN from time to time and follow them in the NCAA tourney. But I'm not a big fan.
Never got too much into hockey, but did get to go to a Badger's games in the early 90's and it was awesome. It's a really bad TV sport though, but it's awesome in person (just like baseball is way better in person, and football might be better on TV).
So that is some of my fandom history.
Since you expanded on the football vs baseball town. I was in Missouri for the Greatest Show on turf, they did win a Super Bowl for St. Louis in 2000 (after the 99 season) and the town was rockin, but they were much more excited in 04 even though the Cardinals lost the World Series that year, and 06 was nuts. Heck I think the sports hierarchy in that town goes Cardinals > Blues > Rams, and while the Blues had a 25 year streak of making the playoffs they never got past the 2nd round. The Rams made two Super Bowls in 3 years and didn't "move the needle" as much.
Historic performance plays a part. Only one team has more World Series wins than the Cardinals, the Yankees, and anyone with even a passing knowledge of baseball tends to know about the Yankees. The Giants have been to more (thanks to beating the Cardinals out to go this year) but the Cardinals have been good consistently. I think 17 years (46 to 64) is the longest stretch they've gone without making a WS appearance, but they still had good teams during that stretch. Winning creates young fans and keeps older ones interested and hence loyal. They have lost football teams before (the Cardinals), so even with good teams at times it just isn't the same. They still sold out most of the Rams game though, even with awful records, but it's not what the baseball team brings.
So yeah if you can't tell, I can wall of text about sports too.
I should have stayed a Bears fan, the Packers stunk back then, but my Dad was a Packer's fan (despite having grown up in Illinois) which kept dragging me back the other way. The there were the Bears <b>fans</b> that I also got to have a lot of interaction and they are the big reason that I just couldn't keep following the team. The arrogance they often displayed, the vandalism against the people who displayed their Packer's loyalty. I got spit on by one of them once after they asked for directions to the practices and for some reason they didn't like the directions I gave them. I don't fully recall what they said but it was something like "I was over there already you ignorant hick." followed by the big gob. I'm aware that every team has fans like this, but I was young, and it left a very bad taste.
So I followed the Packers, even as I drew a paycheck from the Bears some summers, and during high school they were turning it around. The Don "Magic" Majkowski at QB, Ron Wolf coming in as GM, Mike Holmgren, and then Majkowski gets hurt and some kid wearing #4 starts playing. They were fun to watch. The front office was keeping on their promises to bring the Lombardi trophy home, then Reggie White signs, Desmond Howard shows up and makes the special teams a weapon (though White should have gotten Super Bowl MVP) and they make good on it. I've had it good with them. My older brother is still a big Bears fan, during the 85 training camp, he was a 12 year old kid with a football, he got pretty much the whole teams signatures, I'm not sure what the ball is worth now... We have a lot of fun with the rivalry now too, even if I generally get the better of it. Though I did have the Mike Sherman as GM years, fortunately Mark Murphy, the team president, admitted that was a mistake to give him both jobs.
I'm not a big basketball fan in general, though I do follow the Wisconsin Badgers, though that is mostly because of their coach, Bo Ryan. I went to high school with his kids, I got to watch him bring 4 Division 3 National Championships to our little town, and Dad and I would go to the games from time to time. So I will watch the Badgers on ESPN from time to time and follow them in the NCAA tourney. But I'm not a big fan.
Never got too much into hockey, but did get to go to a Badger's games in the early 90's and it was awesome. It's a really bad TV sport though, but it's awesome in person (just like baseball is way better in person, and football might be better on TV).
So that is some of my fandom history.
Since you expanded on the football vs baseball town. I was in Missouri for the Greatest Show on turf, they did win a Super Bowl for St. Louis in 2000 (after the 99 season) and the town was rockin, but they were much more excited in 04 even though the Cardinals lost the World Series that year, and 06 was nuts. Heck I think the sports hierarchy in that town goes Cardinals > Blues > Rams, and while the Blues had a 25 year streak of making the playoffs they never got past the 2nd round. The Rams made two Super Bowls in 3 years and didn't "move the needle" as much.
Historic performance plays a part. Only one team has more World Series wins than the Cardinals, the Yankees, and anyone with even a passing knowledge of baseball tends to know about the Yankees. The Giants have been to more (thanks to beating the Cardinals out to go this year) but the Cardinals have been good consistently. I think 17 years (46 to 64) is the longest stretch they've gone without making a WS appearance, but they still had good teams during that stretch. Winning creates young fans and keeps older ones interested and hence loyal. They have lost football teams before (the Cardinals), so even with good teams at times it just isn't the same. They still sold out most of the Rams game though, even with awful records, but it's not what the baseball team brings.
So yeah if you can't tell, I can wall of text about sports too.
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It's all just zeroes and ones and duct tape in the end.
It's all just zeroes and ones and duct tape in the end.