At what age are you too old to "love" a new sports team?

[MdWIldcat55]

Just curious as to whether anyone has been able to become fiercely interested in a sports team as an adult.

I'm in my 50s and it occurred to me that the only sports teams I've ever really truly cared about, to the point of agonizing over wins and losses and even losing sleep, were teams I loved before I was ten years old -- the Wildcats, the Reds and the Bengals.

I've now lived in the Maryland/Washington DC area since I was a young adult -- nearly twice as long as I lived in Kentucky. But I've never been able to really care about the Redskins or the Maryland Terps or the Orioles (before the Nats) or the Nats or the Wizards, even though many of my friends are huge fans, I take my kids to games, and so on.

Is anyone a truly fanatical fan of a team adopted after, say, 25?

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

I can only speak for myself, but I think a lot of that has to do with relating to teams associated with where you are from or grew up. Even though you might move and live some place else a long time, you never really think of that place the way you do where you grew up. I think in a lot of people's minds, the teams that represent them are the ones in close proximity to where they grew up. I think you develop that sense at an early age. The rest of the teams just don't matter that much, no matter where you may live after that.

 

[GonzoCat90]

I'll say 8-10 is the last chance to really have that sports team "love." Beyond that and you're making decisions for all kinds of more thoughtful or convenient reasons, and they just aren't as authentic.

As a kid, you go with your gut and your heart and are too young to know any better. Growing up with a team is the only way to really invest, no matter what others who became a fan at 20 or whatever will come into the thread and say.

It's why programs like Kentucky or Notre Dame or Ohio State or Alabama or the Cubs or whoever have such passionate fanbases. You're born into it. It's tied to family and location and tradition and all that. You can't just move to a town and adopt that after college.

 

[LineSkiCat]

Just don't flip flop. I don't care if you're 80, and move to OKC,then start rooting for The Thunder even though they are one of the leagues best teams over the last 5 years.. Heck I don't even care if you start following them for no reason. Some people enjoy watching a good product and get sucked in.

But you have to stick with them. That's it. Bad seasons be damned. That's your team for that given sport..

The one exception is Knicks fans... I have given Knicks fans a free pass to jump ship. You shouldn't have to be held hostage by decades of bad ownership. At some point, if your team is just a paycheck for the owner.. I'm fine if you bail..

 

[GYERater]

Once you get into your late teens/early 20s if you love any sports team it is time to reevaluate life.

 

[Beavis606]

Q: At what age are you too old to "love" a new sports team?
A: Never

#TCPUKChumps

 

[Kooky Kats]

Soccer is coming folks:

I just jumped on the Barclays Premier League bandwagon. Chose my team... Following and loving the Hull City Tigers.

I also now actively follow Juventus in Serie A.... Only for Pirlo. Once he hangs up the boots, I won't care too much or start pulling for Fiorentina.

Other than that: Yanks Giants Rangers Cats Nets....UK football is my passion

 

[JonathanW]

For me, the only teams I'm truly fanatical about are those I started with 30-40 years ago as a kid.
I do try to root for the Carolina Hurricanes in hockey since they are local, but it's just not the same. Not sure if that is because of the sport, or that I (sort of) became a fan as an adult.

 

[UK_Is_Good]

One interesting thing to think about is the idea of expansion. I live in northern Kentucky and if Cincinnati were to get an NBA team again (not going to happen, just talking theoretically), I would probably become a fan.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

About 5 years ago I started watching Rugby Union on TV. Not sure I'd call it love, but I really like the New Zealand All Blacks national team, and the Northampton Saints of the English Premiership. I'm 55 years old.

This post was edited on 3/5 2:56 PM by WildcatfaninOhio

 

[weused2luvhim2]

Originally posted by GYERater:
Once you get into your late teens/early 20s if you love any sports team it is time to reevaluate life.

I think it's time for you to reevaluate your thoughts you post, because you really suck at it.

 

[BlueRaider22]

Never too old.

Though I personally feel that the best connections from deep personal experiences.

For example, my main teams in college that I follow are MTSU and UK because I went there. But I wasnt a fan of theirs before I went. (In fact I was 26-27 when I started grad school at UK) A secondary team that I have a soft spot for is Vandy since I was part of the program as an Athletic Trainer for a yr. I also remember watching Michigan football games with my dad when I was young. To me that's how allegiances are formed.

 

[Dore95]

I would say that you can develop a very strong "like" for new teams later in life, but the teams you really "love" are those you grew up with or where you went to school. In other words, those that are deeply ingrained in who you are.

 

[TruBluCatFan]

GYERater is a top notch trolling account. Well done sir.

To answer the OP I'd agree with most of the others and say early teens or so.

If I were to move to a city that had some sports franchises or college teams I might take a casual interest and be a fair weather fan but they would never replace my Cats, Reds or Bengals.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[WayneDougan]

My dad lived in Dallas a long time and was a Cowboys fan, so I became a Cowboys fan. However, I was 15 and living in Charlotte when the Panthers started up. I didn't intend to drop the Cowboys and start rooting for the Panthers, but it just happened. Now I am a die-hard Panthers fan. I don't see myself switching again.

 

[anon_l8pbkn96tg3j6]

Honestly, birth. If you aren't a fan by the time you are born, its too late. I haven't been able to love any team except my cayuts. I haven't lived in Kentucky in 5 years and I've tried the local teams, but supporting another team feels completely foreign. It's so bad that I get almost no enjoyment out of pro sports outside of the experience attending an event live.

 

[uky8unc5]

My wife bought into my teams when we married...and she's hardcore UK fan now (45 years later). I mean, she's been militant about the Cats even during the Eddie Sutton crash and Tubby slide.

Does that count?

 

[wcc31]

Reds, Bengals and Kentucky since birth. I just don't think you can manufacture that kind of fandom. Sure, you can root for teams. Maybe one day I'll pick an EPL or NHL team, but it's not the same as the teams of which I've loved forever.

 

[B.B.d.K.]

Golfers disagree

 

[Big Blue 1977]

12. If you don't love a team by then, you're always expending some unnatural effort to be a fan which is always somewhat artificial. I'm of the "you can't just pick a team out of a hat and be a fan" school, though I know others disagree. I think you need a personal connection to a team, stronger than liking a team's logo or some other boring superficial backstory. Again, that's just me. I've liked to watch the teams of the cities where I've lived, but I'm an actual fan of UK basketball only because it's a deep family tradition. I've liked the Celtics some and now in DC, I follow the Wizards a bit and will go to see them, but I'll always be a dilettante, never really a fan. My UK love is a different animal--an insatiable, irrational beast.

 

[ram1955]

Many lifelong attitudes are developed by the time a kid reaches the age of 5 or 6. I had a catholic friend who always claimed that if you taught a kid to catholicism for the first 6 years of his life, he'd be a catholic for life. There's a lot of truth to that. Factors such as who primary role models root for will determine a kid's "fandom". However, and this is a complaint I have about some Ky fans, one can be a fan of multiple teams. If you move to an area with a strong tie to a team; join in the social events your friends/business contacts build around their team; go to their games, it's easy to become a fan. The primary reason we like sports teams is because of the excitement following them brings. If we consistently experience that excitement with a new team at any point in our lives, we can become a fan of that team.....while still being a fan of our original team.

You can be a fan of multiple teams...There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[TheDude73]

I don't know if it's possible. Just moved back to Denver about a year and a half ago, and still really don't have a lot of interest in the Broncos, even though people here are literally obsessed (as was my ex-wife and her family). Maybe not being too concerned about the NFL is one reason.

But since I'm now here and divorced with a 2-year-old daughter, I won't be going anywhere for at least another 16 years, which had me the other day thinking the same as you - can I get in to the local sports teams at my age? Like the Rockies - even though they aren't good - they have an awesome stadium with great beer and great prices in a fun little city, but when I grew up on the Cardinals, can I do it?

 

[UKGrad93]

I didn't really become a Kentucky fan until my 3rd or 4th year at Kentucky. Honestly, it took moving away from Lexington for a few years for me to really enjoy following the team. I was in my mid to late 20's when UK went to the championship game 3 times in a row. I thought it was cool, but wasn't that wrapped up in it. Started following most every game a few seasons after that.

I'm sure that my upbringing had a lot to do with it. I grew up in KY, but mom & dad were not from KY. In fact, they seemed to dislike UK sports. Not a lot of sports were ever watched on TV, I can remember an occasional MLB game or NFL game, but those were probably super bowls or world series. Dad did enjoy going to highschool basketball games though (he had been a pg in highschool).

Out of college, I moved to another college town to start a job. Of course everything here is all about the local team, but they are mediocore. I think it was then that I realized how dominate UK was/is. It gave me something to be proud of.

So to answer the question, I think it can happen at any age.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

Was a staunch UL fan growing up (

), hard for me to even believe that. Dad was a UL grad (albeit when it was a small, much different non-state school) and two older siblings were grads.

Went to IU Bloomington my FR year, attended pretty much every football/basketball game.

Then transferred to UK.....my longtime adversary. Was pretty sure I would never cheer a second for UK in my life. Exact opposite happened, of course. Took about 5 minutes for me to completely fall in love with the school, teams, babes et al. Was life changing. Wildcat Friends welcomed me in to the family like a long lost brother. Set fire to my past and burned every bridge imaginable to my former life.

Along the way when I was in school I converted my Dad into a full on UK fan. To the point he's worse than I am regarding UL. I think the combination of wanting to bond with me and the fact that UL as an institution is nothing like what he knew, it was a pretty easy conversion. I mean, he is out for blood esp vs UL. Also converted younger sibling who followed me up to UK.

My point is if it happens organically it can happen any time. For me, just pride in my school made it extremely easy. Of course sports are a huge part of it but the University itself means the absolute world to me. Amazing years.



This post was edited on 3/6 10:27 AM by Rex Kwon Do

 

[VT/UK Rondo]

Well I think my name speaks for itself.

I grew up in the shadows of Lane Stadium and huge VT football fan. In Va, its all about football growing up. I honestly never watched a basketball game til I moved to Ky. I was in college and my roomate was the cousin of a UK basketball player. He watched the games and was blown away when I didnt even know who Rick Pitino was. I learned alot about UKs history and the game from him. The first UK game I watched start to finish was the last second Laitner shot...I have loved UK and hated Duke ever since.

I got no problem with "duel fanship" as long as you stick with them through the good and bad and dont become a bandwagon fan.

 

[ukalum]

I grew up in Henderson. Ky until I went to UK. After graduating from UK I took a job in the Philly area until my retirement nearly 30 years later.

I grew up a MLB fan because all the men in my family, father and uncles were big baseball fans and really didn't follow any other sports, especially colloge sports since none went to college. My favorite team was the St. Louis Cardinals from childhood through my years at UK.

After I moved to Philly, I made the flip to a Phillies fan, although it was gradual. That was in the 1970's where there was little or no cable TV or sports packages where you could watch any team you wanted. All my co-workers and friends were Philly sports fans, and Philly teams were all you could see. The Phillies started to get good, we took excursions down to south Philly for pizza, beer and catch the Phillies at the old Vet. I finally started to root more for the Phillies than the Cardinals. I have remained a Phillies fan ever since. Even after moving back to Ky, I will remain a Phillies fan. It was easy to become an Eagles and 76er's fan since I never followed the NFL or NBA when I was growing up; so I had no favorite teams in those sports.

I am a UK fan because I went to school at UK; otherwise I wouldn't care. I never understood the logic of attending school at one college and being a fan of another school; even at the expense of your own alma mater. To me, alma mater always comes first. Those are the people you went to school with, had classes with, and had things in common with (except ending a sentence with a preposition).