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Fans of Relocated Franchises


CreepingDeath

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Though it references baseball only (not a fan), the article really nails the perspective of many fans of teams that switch cities.  

https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/forget-hometown-devotion-these-fans-root-for-the-team-that-moved-away.html

 

Quote

Boys and girls who grew up in baseball’s pre-relocation, pre-expansion era are men and women in their 70s and 80s now, and most of them have never gotten over the baseball teams of their youth, no matter where they went or what they now call themselves. The child is father to the fan.

Ask why a fan would follow the team to Nashville and they probably rooted for the Oilers in their youth.  

This quote also pertains to the Oilers-to-Titans situation:

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When the Senators moved to Bloomington, Minnesota, in 1961, he decided to stick with the franchise, even though Washington was getting a replacement version of the Senators. His reasoning was simple: The Senators-turned-Twins had a bunch of star players, among them Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison. They would be a lot more fun to follow, he reasoned, than the cast-offs who’d fill the roster of the expansion Senators.

 

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1 minute ago, CreepingDeath said:

Though it references baseball only (not a fan), the article really nails the perspective of many fans of teams that switch cities.  

https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/forget-hometown-devotion-these-fans-root-for-the-team-that-moved-away.html

 

Ask why a fan would follow the team to Nashville and they probably rooted for the Oilers in their youth.  

This quote also pertains to the Oilers-to-Titans situation:

 

If the Titans left, I'd probably continue to follow them because I'm too fucking lazy to learn about another team, players, fanbase, history, etc....it's exhausting to even begin to think about.

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5 minutes ago, woolfolksunclesuncle said:

If the Titans left, I'd probably continue to follow them because I'm too fucking lazy to learn about another team, players, fanbase, history, etc....it's exhausting to even begin to think about.

I think we are all so invested, it would be impossible to change.  Even if a new team came and was winning big, I would still keep following the Titans.  Some early Titans fans are more Preds fans now.  The Preds are winning.

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It might have something to do with the amount of time you invest in the team. If there was a switch I could flip, it would be much easier to root for the Texans. I'm happy flying to see the Titans and I get to see them once a year here in Houston. It really is not a choice at this point, I think it might have knit itself into my DNA.

 

There are many positives. With the internet, I can follow my team, listen to podcasts and midday 180 on my drive to work. with southwest airlines, I get to spend at least a weekend a year in Nashville, it's a great town to visit. 

 

A lot of fans here aren't really invested Texans fans, they just root for the city, I'd rather be an invested fan of any team, even an out of town team. The Texans fans have an interesting relationship with the Oiler's history, it's not a total embrace because of the way it ended. I have a complete embrace of the Oiler's history, so that's another positive.

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I still follow the Lions because they used to be the Portsmouth Spartans. I grew up across the river from there and played baseball in their old stadium a few times. Home of the most crooked umps on Earth.

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I don't care about the Oilers because I didn't really follow them. I saw a game or 2 on TV but wasn't really into football. 1998 Is when I got into football. My HS team won state and I was already into Greek Myth before HS. My fave color is and was blue. I read an excerpt in July 1999 about a new team called the Titans in NFL in Tennessee. My mom was from Tennessee. It all just sorta fell into place this was my team I chose to follow. Now 20+ years later I follow loyally for no real reason. Long time out of HS. I have no reason to follow this team other than I have been for so long I can't leave now. I just can't despite how much this franchise lets me down. As a fan, this team peaked my first year following and been downhill ever since. Now there is hope but I have had hope before and each time this team shits down my neck. I'm very jaded....but stupidly loyal. Yet there are people who have gone through this song and dance since the 70s and had some much worse letdowns. We all have Stockholm syndrome with this team.

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4 minutes ago, Somedude said:

sNow there is hope but I have had hope before and each time this team shits down my neck.

....

We all have Stockholm syndrome with this team.

Be honest... you're the kind of guy who gets off on having people shit down his neck, aren't you?

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I was born in Houston in 1975. Moved to Austin after third grade and then left Texas for good after high school. The Titans moved to Nashville and I knew I was never going to live in Houston so it didn’t really matter to me where the team was located.  

 

Plus, we had a young core that was clearly going to be our future. Thanks to Directv it’s all fine. 

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9 hours ago, woolfolksunclesuncle said:

If the Titans left, I'd probably continue to follow them because I'm too fucking lazy to learn about another team, players, fanbase, history, etc....it's exhausting to even begin to think about.

I would likely do the same, but it would not be with the same fervor as I do now. I love the Titans, but I love my city more. 

 

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