You just graduated. You moved to a new city. It happens to be “wear-your-jersey” to work day and everyone is wearing the same jersey. What do you do? You have a spine and support the team you were born and raised to support! Obviously, you are torn between friends and what you believe in. This article contains five ways to avoid the bandwagon and maintain a social life at the same time.
Locate the nearest game watch location for your team
Whether this is a professional sport or a university you attended, there is bound to be a Facebook group or meetup. Do your research and bond with your fellow comrades. Nobody likes to be the guy sitting on his couch watching the game by himself. Unless you know that is the only way you won’t get in a fist fight about losing the game, haha.
Find a few players you admire on the local team
I’m going to use football as the example here, but don’t worry you can do the same for underwater basket weaving if you so choose. The concept of a bandwagon team is just way more prevalent in the world of professional football. After graduation I moved to Seattle, which historically hasn’t been the greatest football team. In the blink of an eye that has changed, bringing in a hoard of new fans who either like the colors or are in love with Russell Wilson. This is not to say they don’t have fans that have been through the thick and the thin. I know some of them. They do exist.
I manage my mixture of emotions by looking for rookies I enjoyed in college, Detroit transfers, or people from the state of Michigan to follow so I can join in on conversations. In Seattle, I have come to find Thomas Rawls to be an interesting candidate out of Central Michigan University. Supporting him creates a mutual bond with fans I wouldn’t otherwise seek out to watch games with.
Play the office in the fantasy pool for that respective sport
This is a good way to build the competitive spirit in the office, as well as get some people on board with your squad (if they have players from your team in their lineup). Although fantasy can be time-consuming, with the right boundaries and limitations it is extremely fun! This also goes back to the last point, where you can find players on teams you don’t support to bring you together. If you are new to fantasy sports or are interested in learning more about it don’t hesitate to reach out.
If you are lucky, there might be a pro team in a sport your hometown doesn’t have
I’ve played soccer competitively throughout my whole life. I am also actively playing an adult men’s league on Sundays. So it would only make sense I would follow the sport professionally, right? In Michigan, I have only been able to experience semi-pro outdoor and indoor soccer leagues.
My life was been changed for the better after moving to one of the most exciting soccer cities in the US (Seattle, Washington). I get to watch a top-tier Major League Soccer team in a stadium made for an NFL team. The Seattle Sounders environment is one that can only be explained by snagging some tickets, a beer, and some garlic fries.
Not supporting that team doesn’t mean you can’t go have a drink at their games
No disrespect to baseball, but it isn’t one of my favorite sports to watch. That being said, I will be a Tigers fan until the day I die. Does that mean I can’t go to a Seattle Mariners game and have a drink or two? Absolutely not. I thoroughly enjoy going to baseball games, hanging out in the beer garden, and chowing down on a ballpark frank. No harm in that. Just don’t hop on the bandwagon and wear the team’s gear if you don’t want too.
Please let me know what your experience is with pro sports in a new city and any suggestions you have for staying true to your home team. Comment below or tweet me @evbtuesdays.
Stay casual until next Tuesday!
EVB
No Comments