By: John Davis
If you go out around town on a Sunday, you are going to see people sporting their team’s jersey. It’s common to see folks walking about with 49ers or Raiders jersey on. However, there will be a Cowboys or Steelers jersey here and there. They stick out like a sore thumb.
The question is, why do people like a team that’s thousands of miles away? Popular out of state sports teams like The Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, or Boston Celtics have surprisingly large fan bases in California despite the distance.
I interviewed Erza Dela Cruz ’23, a big fan of the Celtics, about why he likes that team. He said, “Well I enjoy the newer roster with players like Kemba Walker, he’s been a positive influence on the team.” I asked Ezra Delacruz what player supported the team and was the greatest in his opinion which he had this to say “the greatest player ever on the Boston Celtics is Larry Bird, no one else will ever be greater than him.”
Another person that I interviewed was Jaden Hickox ’23, a fan of the Texas Longhorns. He had this to say, “I enjoy watching the Longhorns because I think their playing style is unique and not like anybody else’s.” I also asked Hikox what player he considered to ever be on the franchise which he answered: “the greatest player would probably have to be either Ricky Williams or Earl Campbell, two really great running backs.”
The reason I enjoy watching the Pittsburgh Steelers is that the team plays competitively, with heart, and treats every player like family.
Fans of out of state sports teams don’t get to go to home games and support their team like other people who are fans of California teams. What is this like to be a fan in California of a team that does not reside in California?
A particular response given to me was that being a fan of an out of state sports team is a lot harder than being a fan of a team that is in California because you don’t get to support your team the same way. Another reaction was that there was always a feeling of being left out because finding other fans of your team with a city so far away is just as hard as it sounds.
What I found interesting was the backgrounds on why everyone did not go with the easy option of having their favorite team be local. Some said that they were fans because of where they were born, or where their parents were born.
Others said that they just liked a player off of the team and just clung on to that team afterward. One person said that they just liked the colors that the team wore so they watched their games and just hung on to that team ever since.