[BuddyBear]

I've noticed some interesting posts and threads on here and on other sites about "my team" or "we" in reference to a particular organization so I thought I would make some general comments and see how others react.

Growing up I was a huge sports fan as I suspect all of us were and still are in many respects. I remember listening to Detroit Tiger games on the radio religiously because we didn't have the station to watch their games when they were on cable (it was called Pass back then for all your old school Tiger fans). I remember getting all pumped up for Lion games and whether they won or lost made my week....watching Piston games with parents was another big thing.

Well the other week I found myself thinking....really since I started gambling I could care less now about these players, these teams, these organizations.....It's sort of been pretty depressing because I think back to earlier days about how much joy I use to get out of watching these teams plays and since my childhood was so inextricably tied to sports it's only natural to fondly reminisce about those times when pointspreads meant nothing or you looked at the injury report simply because you wanted to know if a key player from your team was out or not. Sunday mornings use to be spent watching NFL countdown...now it is merely watching SBR Lives Lines, or checking out threads, making calls, looking at weather reports, etc....

I remember how bitter at myself I was last year when the Tigers made the World Series after 13 years of futility and I wasn't even moved emotionally by it.....10 years ago I would have been the happiest guy in the world. I go on sports message boards and see a totally different attitude posters have about sports compared to gaming forum posters...sometimes I wish I never started gambling...actually most days I wish I didn't but the reality is I do and I need to approach this seriously. I can't not bet against the Tigers or Lions because they are "my team".....that is naive and foolish. I mean I don't even care for them anymore....


Does anyone ever feel like this too?

[Santo]

I largely gamble on events I'm not hugely attached too, so I can separate them fairly effectively. I rarely wager on English soccer, which is what I watch most of for example, and never really supported any US college / pro team in the sports I bet most on.

[onlòóker]

I still have those certain teams that use to be my favorite teams, but over the years, it has just faded away.

You can't let a favorite team come in the way of a bet. Being a homer will slowly kill your bankroll.

[Mudcat]

My experience is similar. I've lost that lovin' feeling.

I used to have my teams that I lived and died with, and I had the posters on my walls. Now I've ditched all those favorites and am all business.

I think the only difference for me is that you express regret about the change and I don't care. I've lost some thrills but I make money. They say money can't buy happiness but it actually does make me very happy. So there's the trade-off.

I gotta be honest; I've come to look at people who really care about sports-for-sports-sake as kind of dopey, basically on par with Star Trek nerds. I mean, following a sports team is fine - so is following Star Trek - we all have to find things to occupy our time and who's to say my hobbies are better than anyone else's? But I am just cynical.

Come to think of it, I lost that "team spirit" before I really got serious about gambling. Strikes and rampant free agency were probably big contributors. Looking back, I was still a serious fan in 92-93 when my 3 big team (Blue Jays, Habs and Cowboys) all did great. Maybe the big baseball strike of '94 was the turning point.

I can still get a few thrills from sports though. I was very happy when Canada won the world curling championships this month. I imagine I will always have an emotional investment in any Team Canada in hockey. I leave my gambling out of those things and I am strictly a fan.

But those sorts of events only happen few and far between and that enough of that fan crap for me.

[gridironguy]

I have been a big Laker fan since I was a youngster back in '85, but while I root for them in every game, if I believe they're gonna lose vs. the spread then I'll bet against them every time. I am 2-1 betting against them in the Phx series, and 1-0 betting on them.

Game 1: Phx -9.5 (Loss)
Game 2: Phx -9 (Win)
Game 3: Lakers +4.5 (Win)
Game 4: Phx -5 (Win)
Game 5: ???

Business before rooting interests... I want the money!

[Dark Horse]

Fan of Chargers, Suns, Ajax (soccer). But mainly during the games. Not moody after they lose or other fan stuff like that. Doesn't affect my betting. If anything I follow the team more closely, so I know more about their patterns.

[nep1293]

I am a big Patriots fan, but gambling certainly changed my allegiance to them. Last year I had the Chargers at 30:1 to win the super bowl. When they played the Pats i honestly didn't know who I was rooting for the entire week. When the game started I was a 100% San Diego Charger fan. I was actually a little pissed that my favorite team beat a team that i don't really care about without gambling incentives. I really felt bad about betraying my fandom. I guess the AFC Championship game sent me a lesson since i bet on the Pats and again became a true Patriot fan for a week. When they collapsed in the second half i felt sick to my stomach (not for the bet but for the team), but i guess I deserved it for turning my back on them against San Diego. But I know if that same scenario unfolds this year, I'd probably do the exact same thing. I think if the Pats haven't already won 3 bowls it would be a little different. I just don't even get too excited about the thought of another Super Bowl.

The players on these teams wouldn't feel bad if you lost $500 betting on their team, so should we really care if they lose???

[Goldeneye_hd]

It's the same feeling for me also, i lost the feelings of a true fan since i started gambling more seriously, i remember those days when the result of my favourite soccer team decided how happy or sad i will be next days, not anymore today i lost this feeling but in my heart there's still place for my favourite teams. That's the price we pay...

[jjgold]

Gamblers are not fans of the game, they lose that. When money is involved things change. My fav teams are who I have money on.

Non gamblers are true fans.

[slacker00]

Betting has had a profound impact on how I approach games. Before betting, I was a homer rooting for the Packers & Colts, my two favorite teams. After I started betting, I literally overcompensated my fanhood by aggressively handicapping these teams negatively. Terrible for my bankroll, but terrific as a fan if they bust me. I was heavy on the Patriots ML for the AFC championship, but frankly, I was happy to lose that money.

I'm trying to become more and more mature regarding betting. For example, I'm trying to become a fan of the NFL in whole, rather than just rooting for team X or team Y. It's a very difficult to break a habit rooted so deep in my personality & mindset, but I keep working at it. At the very least, I've almost become a fan of the Patriots offseason moves, curiously watchinging how they keep reloading the team, etc. Other teams the same way. I feel very objective looking at the Lions, Vikings & Bears, lately, despite being hated division rivals of the Packers. The drawback still remains that I continue to negatively assess my favorite teams for handicapping purposes.

[Stumpage]

This is an excellent thread BB, and a question I've thought of quite a bit over the last few years. There was a time from the 70's to early 90's (Pre-gambling for myself) when I literally would do everything possible not to miss a pitch in any RedSox game. They kept screwing with me emotionally but I hung in nonetheless. Once I started wagering, though I was still an ardent supporter and follower, I would often forget to check the score until the next day as I was too wrapped up in my "money games" to pay much attention. That's pretty much the case to this day, though I also find that after the Sox finally did what I thought to be impossible (Winning the World Series), this too seemed to allow me to focus more exclusively on the money-side of things. This because I was finally secure in the knowledge that I wouldn't grow old and expire still waiting for them to win the "Big One".

[Arilou]

I try. I really do try. It's bizarre, but I root for the LINES on my teams as much as the games. When the gamblers think we're winners I cheer. When they think we're losers, I frown. And then when the game starts, I try to watch my guys and root for 'em. I'm better at rooting than watching though, cause I'm normally busy with other games. At first, I would switch sides for twenty bucks. Now I can bet a dime and actively root for it to lose! I'd say that's a fan.

[Willie Bee]

The saturation of sports in the media has done more to lessen my degree of fandom than gambling has. I still consider myself a devout fan, but I don't spend as much time in front of the boob tube as I used to. Plus I rarely put serious money on a team that is deep in my heart.

[bigboydan]

Originally Posted by jjgold

My fav teams are who I have money on.

Well said Hank!

If your a gambler you shouldn't have a favorite team at all. You just don't want any type of distractions at all when it comes to wagering your hard earned money on a team.

[Mudcat]

Now, it seems like I can't be a fan if I try. I told myself I was going to jump on the Raptors bandwagon if they clinched a playoff spot. I don't bet NBA playoffs so there would be no conflict of interest. But I just don't have it in me. When I turn on a game, I end up channel-flipping within 2 minutes.

Mind you, it seems like every time I have flipped to a Raptors playoff game, they have been down by 20 so that makes it hard to watch. They have done startlingly badly.

[cobra_king]

I find it hasn't affected my allegiance to my favorite teams. Carolina playing and winning game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup final was as much pressure as i've ever felt watching a sporting event in my life. The only thing comparable was ponying up my share of an $85,000 supplemental fee to make one of my racehorses eligible to race in a huge stake race. But that was 2 minutes of worth compared to 3 hours with the hockey game. However where i've found it has been affected , is on those secondary teams, teams that you like, but don't live and die with. I don't have those teams anymore and will root against them passionately if it helps the bottom line

[BrentCrude]

The players have no loyalty to their city,state,teammates,wives,girlfriends,m istresses,dogs and cats so why should any 9 to 5 wage slave idiot care about a teams well being.When it's 100 degrees out and I get a Dairy Queen, a penny goes for tax to pay for the stadium or arena these overpaid premadonas play in.They are paid 30% extra from the tax payers who are forced to support paying for their stadiums and arenas.

I can just picture someone giving a rats ass care if one team beats another.My team of wife beaters,womanizers,felony thugs can beat your team of gangsta ho chasing steroid bums any day.

I remember as a kid going to pro wrestling and having the short bus drop the retards off at the arena front door and they all got free charity tickets to sit at ringside.These people thought it was real and would be screaming to the ref that the heel was beating the pretty boy up because he was pulling hair and using foreign objects.It has gotten that bad in pro sports where only a simpleton would care who wins.If it weren't for betting I could give a care less who wins.

In the old days at least Paul Hornung would get drunk and bed down babes in the town he played in and was loyal and kept it low key where he didn't tell anyone what he was doing.Now these guys that play in Buffalo and Green Bay complain they are playing in the sticks and have to go off groupie ho chasing at places like The Palms in Vegas.

Most old teammates from the 50's to the 70's kept up with all the guys they played with and hung out fishing ,hunting and playing golf but the guys today would just assume have their ex teammates croak these days because they hate them so much.

[Noles2006]

I'm a huge FSU fan [all sports], and my few years of gambling [4] has not changed that one bit.

[LargeMouthBass]

I think once you start betting against your alma mater, you need to really look at yourself in the mirror and realize that you are a degenerate. Other than that, you shouldn't be emotionally attached to any teams that will make you money by betting against them.

[FightForCalifornia]

I'm still a huge fan... I bet on CFB and watch 15 games a week, and spend hours researching it but I still thoroughly enjoy it. Even if I don't have a penny on a game I still love watching Central Michigan or Southern Mississippi or whatever the hell is on.

I live and die by my teams, the weekend Cal lost to Arizona I won like $4,000 but I couldn't be consoled. The week last year that WVU beat Louisville I think I dropped about $1,800 but went out and celebrated until I passed out...

Plus, I love watching CBB too, and I don't even put a penny on it.

[FightForCalifornia]

^^^ Maybe part of the reason I'm still like this is because as a rule I almost never bet on my favorite teams (actually that's not true, I bet on WVU about 8 times over the last two years but I'm 7-1... but that's just because they were wildly underrated. I never bet on Cal cuz we've been overrated as hell for the last 2 years, much as I hate to admit it.)

[20Four7]

Originally Posted by jjgold

Gamblers are not fans of the game, they lose that. When money is involved things change. My fav teams are who I have money on.

Non gamblers are true fans.

Ditto, I was gonna post that but apparently I was late.

[VLADYMYR]

MY FAVOURITTEAM IS ROMA but i have not betted on it for 2 years )))))

[jjgold]

You can be a fan if you never ever put money on the team even if it is with your team You see if your favorite team is Boston and start betting them and they do not win the bet it will hurt more and you eventually will drop them as your favorite team as oppossed to them losing and having no money on them.

[pags11]

no favorite teams for me anymore...kind of sad really...

[mavs1978]

this is b/c we are all gamblers.. not a reflection on society.. just look at attendence at games and prices are throught the roof