The Dallas Cowboys tabbing themselves "America's Team" was the single most arrogant and simultaneously brilliant marketing ploy in American professional sports history. And you bought it. The Carolina Panthers ingeniously branded themselves as the NFL team for both Carolinas. They even turned their logo into the shape of North Carolina and South Carolina as one. And you bought it. So I'm here to tell you today that I am the gatekeeper of sports fandom. We'll see if you buy it. Your track record says you will.
One of the weirdest things I've ever seen is when fans adopt one team from a city, but not all. Where I come from, you don't do that. I've spent 15 or more years of my life in Houston, Texas. I like the Astros, Rockets, and Texans. I also have spent 15 or more years of my life in Tampa Bay. I like the Bucs, Lightning, and Rays. Do you see a theme there? I like and accept every team from those cities.
Yet, for many fans around the country, including some in our part of the country, following this basic rule of fandom seems out of the question. And I don't get it.
I realize the Braves were the only MLB team in the southeast for a number of years, and that all of their games were nationally televised on TBS. I lived through that. But you don't get to cherry-pick the Braves, while also hating the Falcons; even if the Panthers did a brilliant job on their campaign.
There's a reason the Braves slogan is #FortheA and not, #ForTheBraves. Similarly, in Houston, it's "For the H." The slogan is never about the team BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CITY. Always has been. Always will be. So you're either for the city, or you're not. You don't get to cherry-pick. If you hate the Falcons, you lose the Braves.
"But Marc Ryan," you say...."What am I to do when the Braves were all we had, when Charlotte didn't have an MLB team, and then the Panthers came to town?"
You can like and support the Panthers, but if you hate the Falcons, you lose the Braves. That's how the rules of sports fandom work. Don't fall for the marketing, folks. No matter what they try to tell you, the New England Patriots are a Boston team.
If you're a true fan, you accept all of a city's teams. Way too many of you love the Braves, but hate the Falcons. And it's weak as hell. It doesn't work that way. And I'm here to collect your fan cards. Pick a city and accept their teams. Don't be a one team band wagoner. There are countless examples of this issue across America, and the rule applies to all of them.
No, I'm not saying if you live in New York, you have to like the Jets and the Giants. You don't need to like both when your city has an embarrassment of riches (or just a plethora of embarrassment, period). But if you're a New Yorker, you should claim one of each category; Jets or Giants, Knicks or Nets, Mets or Yankees.
The bottom line is this. For all teams and all cities, IF YOU CAN'T ACCEPT THE CITY, YOU DON'T GET THE TEAM. Accept all, or get none.
Sincerely,
The Gatekeeper of Sports Fandom