Choosing a 2nd Team...or any Team

Mrs. Utley's recent attempt to take applications for a new 2nd Team (or 3rd, 4th, whatever it is) as she recently moved to a new MLB market has gotten me contemplating what it is that brings us to root for a team in the first place. It may seem obvious that the main team we root for, "our team", is the one we grew up around or the local/"hometown" team. Occasionally there are other means of exposure, like growing up watching a team on national TV all the time (Braves on TBS, Cubs on WGN, Yankees on practically every ESPN game, etc.) It makes sense. Most people root for the team that best represents where they consider "home", where they grew up.

For some of us, we grew up in an area where we are exposed to more than one "hometown" team...for example, here in central IL it is mostly split between Cub and Cardinal fans...with a few White Sox fans scattered around. So, I will give my own situation as example of how we choose a favorite team (and also second team...since I mentioned the Sox - (White) - are mine).

Before I give reasons I should say that I don't think we really choose a team in the sense of making a conscious decision that "this is now the team I will root for". We just find ourselves rooting for a team. With a lot of effort we may be able to just pick a team and start rooting or weigh out the "logical reasons" but it rarely works that way. So, here are the main reasons...

1) Exposure.
This can take a few forms, but generally the team we are most exposed to early on becomes the team we root for...
a) TV - We didn't get cable growing up, so no WGN, and FOX carried Cards games here in town early on. So I mostly watched the Cards on TV, the Cubs a little bit.
b) Radio - The local station again had the Cardinals (with delightful Jack Buck) which I listened to in bed at night instead of sleeping.
c) going to games - I went to many different games as a kid, but our family and our closest friends went to St Louis every summer, including games.

2) Pride/Local Representation.
We often attach a sense of pride to the local team, like this team represents us in some way. This is tied into the first one, since we are usually exposed most to the team that is closest in proximity, or local, to us. These are the two primary reasons. This may cross over into number 5 as well, if we have family ties to a team, like a parent from that city or state or relatives there.

3) Key Players.
There are players on the team that we are drawn to, whether it is great skill, style, or personality. Sadly my brother has long been a big Bonds fan and so liked the Pirates for years and then the Giants for years for this reason. All based on a player. This is why I loved the Tigers in the early 90's--a bunch of power hitters who either crushed the ball or fanned dramatically. That was a second team thing...

4) Fans of that Team.
a) attract - when you have a lot of good friends that like a certain team it can be natural to join in with them. Many of my good friends growing up were also Cards fans, which made it more fun to root for them.
b) repel - when fans are obnoxious or annoying (and I know many Cub fans that are both) it helps make the decision for you...or at least keeps you from rooting for that team. It may even bring you to root for that team's rival. This is one of the reasons the Sox are my second team. They are the other rival of the Cubs. This can often be attached to a specific annoying/obnoxious fan, fair or not. There is a whole other post that could be written about why we hate/dislike certain teams as well...

5) Family Ties.
This was not as big for me, since my dad claims to be a Milwaukee Braves fan (grew up in Wis. but doesn't care about the Brewers) and my mom is the kind of Cub fan that can't name any players (she once guessed Darryl Strawberry when I asked her). But my cousins that grew up in town root for the Sox basically since my uncle is a Sox fan. This is the same reason my sister is a Cardinals fan after marrying my brother-in-law, who, praise the Lord, is a big fan.

6) Sentimental Attachment.
Sometimes we have an experience with a certain team that grows a love for them. Maybe it is seeing them winning it all or just frequently when we are young. Maybe it is a dramatic comeback or significant game in a pennant run. This has to do with exposure, of course, but sometimes that exposure manifests itself in a key moment or experience, not just prolonged or regular exposure. This is also a little different than just rooting for a team that wins or is "good". In general we don't just root for a winner because they win...the winning creates sentimental attachments or memories. I don't have a baseball example, but I tend to root for Michigan basketball because of the Fab-Five back in the day, just because of the fun of that one team.

For the most part it is similar for a second team, with subtle differences.

I like the Sox because they are also a rival of the Cubs, but also because they are an AL team, which doesn't interfere so much. And I had the great experience of playing T-Ball in the outfield at Old Comiskey when I was little, which left a great sentimental attachment. The Sox still meet a lot of the exposure and local pride things too.

I feel like there are still things to say about a second team. But in the end I think the big thing is just that we will discover who we root for or choose as that team and not actively pursue making them our next team.