So let's say you are watching the NCAA basketball tournament or the Papajohns.com Bowl and two teams that you have no vested affinity for are playing, how do you determine what team you are rooting for? 

 

I know that, all other things being equal, tend to default to Jesuit schools or tend to root against whole states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas) or favor certain states (Ohio, South Carolina, Oregon, Minnesota).

 

 

So let's say you are watching the NCAA basketball tournament or the Papajohns.com Bowl and two teams that you have no vested affinity for are playing, how do you determine what team you are rooting for? 

 

I know that, all other things being equal, tend to default to Jesuit schools or tend to root against whole states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas) or favor certain states (Ohio, South Carolina, Oregon, Minnesota).

 

 

 

C:  None of the above!

The underdog.  Nothing like a good upset.

Ohio State first, Big 10 schools second, state of Ohio schools third, northern states fourth.

When I have no real attachment to either team, I usually root for the team who's city could use the win more.  I know that sounds odd, but if say Detroit was playing Phoenix, I would root for Detroit. If there's a player on a team that I particularly despise, then I'll root for the other team, an obviously if I have some connection to a team, I'll cheer for them, but other than that I just go with what city could use it more.

I root for all Cleveland teams and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The only sport I will watch on tv that does not involve a Cleveland team is soccer. Rangers Football Club (avatar) was the team my grandpa supported growing up in Scotland and all my family members there support. He used to sing the same songs you hear at their home stadium to me when i was younger. I also root for any team playing Celtic, since the title usually comes down to either Rangers or Celtic. In England, Tottenham Hotspur is my team. But if I'm watching a game not involving Rangers or Tottenham, I'll root for the team who is ahead of either team in the standings to lose. Other leagues, I just want to see a good game, that's it. 

1. Ohio State/Notre Dame

2. Big Ten teams

3. U. of Memphis

4. Anyone playing an SEC team or Texas

My hierarchy of teams is complicated... Grew up in Oregon, moved here 4.5 years ago. Most of the bottom end (hate) teams I've never ever liked and the bottom team in each category is on par with the army sports team of satan

 

Pro Basketball

Cavs>Trailblazers>Most Teams>Wizards>Lakers

Pro Baseball

Indians>Brewers>Most Teams>Mariners>Yankees=Red Sox

Pro Football

Browns>Colts>Most Teams>Steelers>Patriots>Cowboys>Raiders

College Foosball

Oregon State>Ohio State>U of Oregon>Most Teams>Notre Dame

 

Outside of the teams that I root for normally, I'll root for teams within my own conference, then teams within the same geographic area, or just against all southern teams.  It's also fun to root on the underdog.

1) Cavs.  The team has brought so much energy to this town- gotta love em

 

2) The Browns.  My heart is still with this team... dammit.

 

3) The Indians.  Though I'm not much of a baseball fan, I will always root for the home team.

 

4) Ohio State.  Nuff said.

 

 

^But you're from Cleveland it appears, so the question is who do you root for when there are no Cleveland teams (or OSU) involved?

Aside from Cincinnati teams, I'll generally base my loyalties on how much I like a particular city, or if I've lived in that city before. There's also a couple teams I generally despise, and I'll root for whoever is playing against them. Teams I particularly loathe include the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals (baseball), the New England Patriots, and the Dallas Cowboys. If I had to pick a second-favorite baseball team after the Reds, it would probably be the Chicago White Sox.

 

Living in NYC, I've tried really hard to like the Yankees (and my best friend from high school is a huge Yankees fan), but they make it almost impossible. I'm completely indifferent toward the Mets; I couldn't care less about them one way or the other.

In general:

 

Cleveland teams, then Great Lakes teams (and Pittsburgh,) then Midwestern teams (inc. the rest of Ohio,) then Northern teams.  I also like rooting for the underdog, which is part of the reason I'd root for CSU, KSU, Akron, or Toledo looooong before I'd ever root for OSU.

 

I will never in my life root for a team from New England, my alma mater excluded, or NYC.

Hardly anyone has answered the actual question asked in the first post lol but for me it's usually the team I am more familiar with and know more of the players.

 

 

I root for all Cleveland pro teams and University of Michigan football.

 

As far as choosing who I root for, usually I can not stand one of the teams playing.  For example I used to root for the Bengals if they were playing someone other than the Browns, but Chad "Ochocinco" has ruined that for me.  I hate the dramatics. 

 

 

I root for the team whose win will benefit the team I root for.  Otherwise I root for who I have money on or picked in my pool or some comeptitive gain from a fantasy/gambling standpoint.

If I don't care for either team, I try to root for the team from the city with the more blue collar reputation in my mind (Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh) and will always root against a team that claims to be "America's Team" (Braves, Yankees, Cowboys). I always root against Notre Dame as I'm an Irish Protestant. (There is a logic here, but I don't feel like explaining it) Otherwise if I know that one team is the underdog I'll cheer for them. Barring any of the above, I just pick the team that doesn't score first and cheer for them.

 

In individual sports, unless I've heard of one of them, or only one is from the US, I try to cheer for the guy with the beard, or the most attractive female.