Can You Be a Fan of a School's Team If You Didn't Attend That School?

If those people don't root for the school they did go to then it's all wrong.

I root for my alma mater even though I KNOW they won't get an NC opportunity. They are my school. (Go CATS)

 

Ditto. Houston homer 4 Life (except only rooting for UH).

 

It doesn't bother me. What bothers me more is alumni who grow up and still follow their college team like they were still in college. They go to all the home games every season...and even some of the road games. I know that represents a lot of people in this nation...but I just don't get the primary appeal of it is all. Is it some sort of desire to remain relevant with their former college? Is it just they love their college football team no matter what? Or, is this their way of staying busy and having something to do? It is probably a combination. But, it's obviously my problem. I just don't get it...is all. I guess they are just die-hards for their college and football team. I don't really feel the need to be loyal to the colleges I went to and the one I graduated from. So, big deal, I went to school there. Now, I've moved on. I make for a crappy alumnus I guess. lol

 

of course. i went to an undergrad (a professor once told me that if the school did have a football team, it would worsen the level of education there, and i was just scratching my head) that didn't have a football team so i root for USC (though b/c i liked keyshawn johnson when he played there lol). i still root for USC till now.

 

well i am from so cal and thats where the franchise was born soo....


i can understand the family thing, i had some hs friends whose parents went to ucla or usc and they rooted for those teams and still do though they didnt go to that school. for some of them they unfortunately didnt have the grades to get into ucla and others didnt have the money for usc.


but then there are others who root for some of the bigger schools that at least for me i have no idea why they do, they never grew up in that area, dont have a family member who went to the school its like they like it because its a "in" thing to do.



personally i root anything bruins of course but after that i'll cheer for texas or ohio state because i had a lot of friends and some relatives go to both of those schools. generally if ucla isnt playing i'll root for the school that i had friends go to or for the school that is playing usc.



i dont think its necessarily wrong to root for a school you didnt go to, as someone said some schools do not even have a major athletics program, but i do get how it can be annoying to see people "like" a school just because everyone else does

 

Hey, I feel the exact same way. I don't get how stepping foot on a campus suddenly makes someone a die-hard fan of that school's football team. Seems like you would have to fake that kind of love in a way. I don't get the fascination with college sports (mostly football) in general. In UT's case and other schools like that who have all the advantages, it's like rooting for the Yankees. It's just not that fun to me when you're supposed to win every game.

 

I don't get voting no.

So Texas State students can't have Texas as their favorite team?

I guess can't root for the Rockets anymore since I didn't go to Rockets University.

 

This is exactly what it is. It applies in all areas of life - there's a human psychological tendency (forgot what it's called) to feel better about oneself by lowering other people, and this is one way it manifests itself in the sports world.

It's the same with people complaining about bandwagon fans - why on earth should I care if some other person just started rooting for another team? The whole purpose of sports in entertainment / enjoyment - if that's how they get entertainment, why should that bother me?

 

I am o.k with everyone having a team that they follow. Not everyone goes to college, and in Alabama for instance everyone in the state follows either Alabama or Auburn..even if they couldn't meet middle school entrance requirements much less college...and it makes for a great atmosphere.

I think if you go to a particular college, which has a competitive Div I program, and you are happy with your experience/education and still choose to root for the bigger name school up the road....that is pretty weaksauce, but even then I am o.k with it if you stick to that school even during a down year.

What aggravates me are "I'm a Texas fan...been a Texas fan all my life"....then someone puts a second loss on Texas in week five and "I'm a USC fan, liked USC all my life" people.

 

If your school has more alumni like you who don't care once you graduate, then they wouldn't have any athletic programs and/or campus expansions, library upgrades and endowed chairs. Alumni activity is a major part of college sports and academics as well.

 

Repped.

Despite what people believe, your sports team is nothing more than a vehicle for entertainment. You are not part of the team, when they win it is not some moral victory for you, there is no "hard fought battle" involved, it's a game, a sport. Why should any of care why anyone else gets entertained by a particular team.

Some people like amateur, some people like midget, some people like bondage. To each his own.

 

I agree. I went to Texas and wanted them to win every year that I was there. Now, I couldn't care less honestly. Even when I went to Texas, I was always more of a Houston sports fan than a UT sports fan.

 

Its a love of football, and being an alumnus/alumna gives you greater ties to the school. If I lived closer to my alma mater I would go to every home game. As it is I still try to make one game a year. I still go to my HS's rivalry game every year. I love football, and I didn't quit loving it just because I got older.

 

Sure you can...I mean how many of us here actually played for the Houston Rockets?

No one can determine what makes someone else a fan, it is an individual choice.

I find it laughable that some people try to tell others what they can and can not be a fan of, childish really.

DD

 

as an SWT alum, i consider myself a big Texas fan particularly because:

1. i was a fan of Texas since HS and wanted to go there but didn't have the grades
2. SWT had no respectable football program and thusly never competed with Texas so there was no rivalry to effect me
3. Family and friends that attended Texas
4. Lived in austin for awhile after college

had i attended a school with a legitimate D-I foorball program i would probably feel differently, although i would probably still remain a Texas fan, just not to the degree i am now

 

I guess if you didn't take to college football in a big way when you were in actual college...then that is as good an explanation as any. I love football and, while i like to watch some college football, I feel the NFL is for the big boys and that is what satisfies most of my football needs. You can still love football and not have affection for your former college and high school teams. as far as the role of alumni in colleges, i understand that is a big part of where schools draw in monetary support and the like. it is more the football aspect i was discussing.

 

bunch of college educated loosers!

 

This is my sentiment. There needs to be a tie to the team whether that be you grew up watching them because your dad watched them, you attended the school, from the same state, etc. However, under no circumstances should a person ever root against the school they attended and be called a fan unless they attended more than one school and those schools are playing each other.

 

On a semi-related note, now that I'm not in college I don't really follow any college sports anymore (and I never did before I went to college, either). If the reason we watch/follow sports is for entertainment (which I believe is true), then following professional sports only makes sense. That's why I don't understand people who only follow college football and not the NFL; only follow college basketball and not the NBA; etc. If you follow both, fine. But for entertainment purposes, watching athletes at the professional level is far more entertaining. I'm tired of people b*tching about professional athlete salaries, behavior, etc. I watch these sports for the high level of athleticism its players offer.

Now following high school sports (once you're out of high school) is something I don't think I'll ever understand...