Why I Like the Teams I Like

I've gotten a lot of crap from people about my choices in which sports teams to support. Particularly, yesterday, when the Packers played the Bears for the NFC title and advancement to the Super Bowl, people were baffled as to why I would be rooting against the Bears.
For the record, and for those of you who don't know me as well, I choose to root for the St. Louis Cardinals when it comes to baseball, and the Green Bay Packers when it comes to football. Any other sport, I could really care less, and I don't follow minor league or college sports very much at all.
This is not an "anger" post. But I feel like I should give my reasons for why I love these teams and not those that would be expected (namely, my teams' rivals: the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears).
And finally, before we get into everything, I would like to say that despite all my reasoning, what it really comes down to is that I root for these teams because I grew up rooting for them with my dad. It's because of him that I started loving these teams. But I will still defend my right to like them.
So, these are the two complaints I get most often, and I will rebuke them as best I can.


Complaint #1: But you are from Illinois! You are a traitor not to root for Illinois teams.

Yes, I am from Illinois. But I am not from Chicago. If I were from Chicago, I would be just plain stupid not to root for Chicago teams. Not only stupid, but I must have a death wish. Contrary to popular belief, there is a difference between Chicago and Illinois. My hometown is the exact same travelling time away from Chicago as it is from St. Louis. I feel I should get free choice between at least the teams within that distance. That would include (for baseball) the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals. I don't feel that a border should prevent me from rooting for whichever team I choose.

The distance reasoning works out all fine and dandy with baseball, but not so much with football, since Green Bay is further north from Chicago, so it would take more travel time. So my reasoning for that is this: a large portion of my dad's side of his family lives in Wisconsin. I go there at least once a year to visit them, and of course, they are all huge Packers fans. I have no family in Chicago. Or in Illinois, outside of my hometown. So, according to family ties, I have every reason to root for the Packers.

All in all, I don't believe that a person should be condemned to root for a team just because of the place in which he was born. Similarly, people should not be forced into fan-dom simply because of the choices of their fathers or husbands. Everyone deserves the right to decide which team to root for on his or her own terms. If your terms are that you want to like the team that your friend likes, then go for it. But if you feel compelled to support a team simply because of the preferences (and pressure) of a person, family, town, or state, then I say you have the right to make your own informed decision. And if people don't like it, they can deal.


Complaint #2: But your teams suck!

Ohhhh, this is my favorite complaint. Okay, so it might be a knee-jerk reaction to put down your teams' rivals, which I can understand. But if you really want to dig out evidence and put it to the test, let's.
Note that I am only providing evidence on the teams as a whole and their successes. I do not want to start on individual players and their legacies, because players change teams and fans don't.

How about baseball first, eh?

• The Cubs have won 2 World Series titles, their last win being in 1908.
• The White Sox have won 3, their last in 2005.
• And the Cardinals have won 10, their last in 2006.

• The Cubs have 16 NL Pennants, their last in 1945.
• The White Sox have 7 AL Pennants, their last in 2005.
• And the Cardinals have 17 NL Pennants, their last in 2006.

• The Cardinals have the most World Series wins in the National League, and they are only second in all of baseball, following the Yankee's killer lead of 27.

Good enough? Okay. Now football.

• The Bears have won 8 NFL Championships (that was before the Super Bowl started), and they have won 1 Super Bowl in 1985.
• The Packers have won 9 NFL Championships, and 3 Super Bowls, the last being in 1996.

Point being, my teams don't suck. I believe my dad put a lot of thought and effort into choosing the franchises that he wanted to support (because his dad is a Chicago fan, so he made his decisions on his own), and I respect that enough to follow in his footsteps.

Like I said, this post isn't a rant, but merely a validation for my sports preferences. So, root for your teams and I'll root for mine. And I'll respect your decision as best I can while we beat you. ;)

Note: I now realize that my facts are outdated! Make that:

• The Packers have won 9 NFL Championships, and 4 Super Bowls, the last being in 2011.

There we are. :)