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  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Choosing a football team as an international fan

    Bill Barnwell had Mina Kimes on his podcast, and he solicited questions ahead of time. This one came up:


    Bill Barnwell
    @billbarnwell · Jun 25, 2020
    https://twitter.com/billbarnwell/sta...16638778605569
    Big podcast coming tomorrow: NFL offseason mailbag with @minakimes. Get your questions in here and we’ll answer the best ones tomorrow.

    Baseball Brit
    @BaseballBrit · Jun 25
    https://twitter.com/BaseballBrit/sta...18505298411520
    If you were a new international fan of @NFL, which three criteria would you come up with to help choose a team to support?

    Geography, family ties & upbringing don't help most of us. Cheers!

    The podast is here:


    The question is asked at 42:00.

    Barnwell: So Mina, I want to hear your criteria, and then who you think fits that criteria for a team to support.

    Mina: Number one, don't choose a team with a crappy owner. Becuz, coaches come and go, GMs come and go, but owners are forever.

    Barnwell: That's a great one!

    Mina: Yeah. That's where you want to look first. Who is the owner of this team. K. Two, colors. Obviously you want a team with cool colors. Right?

    Barnwell: – Yes.

    Mina: Why you laughing? It's a no-brainer.

    Barnwell: Very different from my list. But sure!

    Mina: Okay. Then three, I'd go quarterback. Pick a team with a good quarterback.


    Barnwell discusses his ideas; then at 43:35, they get to the second half of the question.

    Barnwell: Anyway. I think your list is better than mine; but given your list, what teams come to mind for you?

    Mina: Tsk. Ravens.

    Barnwell: – Yeah. Sure.

    Mina: I might want to be a Ravens fan. [both laugh]

    Barnwell: Only team that's more committed to the run than the Seahawks!

    Mina: Ehhh, but in a smart way. Um, so yeah.







  2. #2

    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    We picked the Chelsea Football club specifically because their team colors brings out my son's eyes.

    Plus the Chelsea stuff was on sale at Lillywhite's.
    "A moron, a rapist, and a Pittsburgh Steeler walk into a bar. He sits down and says, “Hi I’m Ben may I have a drink please?”
    ProFootballMock





  3. #3
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    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    Quote Originally Posted by darb72 View Post
    We picked the Chelsea Football club specifically because their team colors brings out my son's eyes.

    Plus the Chelsea stuff was on sale at Lillywhite's.
    Wait ....there’s a store near you called LillyWhites?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





  4. #4

    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    Quote Originally Posted by Laxdad24 View Post
    Wait ....there’s a store near you called LillyWhites?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    No where near, unfortunately. I was in London last summer for a conference/teaching a course.
    "A moron, a rapist, and a Pittsburgh Steeler walk into a bar. He sits down and says, “Hi I’m Ben may I have a drink please?”
    ProFootballMock





  5. #5

    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    I would pick a team that usually plays great defense. Ravens,patriots,Seahawks, Steelers PS screw them or the teams with most bad azz uniforms ravens and saints





  6. #6
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    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    When I started watching the Premier League I became a fan of the team who was on every week. That was Manchester United. I don't think I was looking to become a fan. If you see a team all the time you're either going to love them or hate them but you will have a strong opinion. It's not the same when you can't see them on a regular basis.

    Back in the early 90s ESPN used to play Australian Rules Football every Saturday morning. The West Coast Eagles were really good and on a lot and just like Manchester United, they became my team.

    Access to the games has got to be high on the list. I know as an international fan that's what drove me to certain teams.





  7. #7

    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    Those are far more sensible criteria than I used picking the Ravens.

    I was a neutral fan of the sport in the early 00s (pronounced oohs), watching the Sunday/Monday games. It was the era where Brady and Manning were on all the time, dominating opponents and it made for uncompetitive games. I noticed that teams with good defenses and bad offenses made for exciting games, because both teams had a puncher's chance throughout; a touchdown either way was practically fatal. The two teams that fit were the Ravens and the Steelers and I became a fan of both. (Oh, the shame.) When they played each other I was genuinely neutral.

    As I learned more about the game, I discovered they were rivals and I had the growing feeling that I should choose, but I was waiting for a sign. Then, about 05, I saw The Wire and that was it. It had to be Baltimore. It was amazing to see how quickly the act of choosing to identify with that team fed on itself and made me more and more of a Ravens fan. Within weeks I was wanting us to destroy the Steelers and loving it when Ray hit Roethlisberger. They even bypassed the football (soccer) team I'd been going to watch since I was 7 in my affections.(Just because it's a better sport.)





  8. #8
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    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    Ravens being my favourite animal was basically the main factor, also found it really cool that they were named after Edgar Allan Poe, and also used to play MLB/OLB.

    I had no idea whether or not the team was well-run or not, so I lucked out in that department.





  9. #9
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    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    Quote Originally Posted by QtR Nevermore View Post
    Those are far more sensible criteria than I used picking the Ravens.
    Quote Originally Posted by Josepho View Post
    ...also found it really cool that they were named after Edgar Allan Poe...

    I had no idea whether or not the team was well-run or not, so I lucked out in that department.
    We all lucked out, I think.

    My dad was a Baltimore Colts fan in the early 70s. He took me to a few games later. I was at Memoral Stadium one evening in 1978, wracked with suspense, when Ed Simonini stuffed a Bronco's RB late in the 4th quarter to preserve a 7-6 win. I was there when one afternoon in 1981, when Curtis Dickey broke off a 67-yd TD run vs the Cowboys.

    So I was predisposed to like the Ravens. But when they first came here, it felt weird to do to Cleveland the same thing that Indy had done to us. Plus I had actually liked & respected the CFL Stallions – their variation of the game is pretty neat & interesting. So I played it cool the first couple seasons. But when Cleveland got their expansion team, it became "okay" again, and I started realy following them.
    (This must not be the full story, becaue I vaguely remember attending a game when Bam Morris was playing for us, and that means 1996-7.)

    They did a real nice job of bringing football "back" to us. The Ravens name was brilliant: how many football team names are literary references? Hiring Marchibroda was a masterstroke. Billick would go on morning radio shows on whatever station I listed to, early in the week of a game, and he was so frank and candid-seeming. The team itself, it wasn't good but in 1999 they had a GREAT defense, which was appealing to us old-school football fans. What can I say, they won me over.

    And then Kyle Boller came along.





  10. #10

    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    I think it´s also a big difference with casual fans and "real" fans. The casuals are the ones you get if youre very succesful or very visible, like Pats or Cowboys. Perhaps Yankees are the best example of all in US Sports. Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal in actual football (or soccer as you call it).
    Maybe a real good look attract some, I know one or two that ended up Saints fans becasue of that. Can´t say I blame them.

    For some reason that always had the opposite effect on me. I hated those soccer teams as a kid growing up in Europe. Settled for Notts COunty FC (Yes, you prob have to google them...). Big fan of motorsports, and cheered for Michael Schumacher as a kid (cool name 10 year old me thought). Then he started winning too much and I got bored. Always had a big soft spot for the Minardi team, those of you that now F1 get it.

    I choose Philadelphia Flyers in hockey partly for their colours but mostly when my fav playver went there early ´90s. Then you grew quickly into it. Funnily enough, even if I had no idea, the Flyers are a bit like the Ravens of the NHL. Broad Street Bullies and so on.

    The Ravens, that was a combination of the Wire and watching some football casually and the whole thing about Ravens was appealing to me. Even though I had a hard time with the purple at first, lol. Still think we should swap the purple and black in the logo and use all black with purple trim as primary.
    The thing with Ravens though, I could never ever even imagine how much I´ve bought into the whole organization, what theyre about, what they do. It became my team extremely quickly and are miles ahead of any other favourite team today.





  11. #11

    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    Quote Originally Posted by Barksdale View Post
    I think it´s also a big difference with casual fans and "real" fans. The casuals are the ones you get if youre very succesful or very visible, like Pats or Cowboys. Perhaps Yankees are the best example of all in US Sports. Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal in actual football (or soccer as you call it).
    Maybe a real good look attract some, I know one or two that ended up Saints fans becasue of that. Can´t say I blame them.

    For some reason that always had the opposite effect on me. I hated those soccer teams as a kid growing up in Europe. Settled for Notts COunty FC (Yes, you prob have to google them...). Big fan of motorsports, and cheered for Michael Schumacher as a kid (cool name 10 year old me thought). Then he started winning too much and I got bored. Always had a big soft spot for the Minardi team, those of you that now F1 get it.

    I choose Philadelphia Flyers in hockey partly for their colours but mostly when my fav playver went there early ´90s. Then you grew quickly into it. Funnily enough, even if I had no idea, the Flyers are a bit like the Ravens of the NHL. Broad Street Bullies and so on.

    The Ravens, that was a combination of the Wire and watching some football casually and the whole thing about Ravens was appealing to me. Even though I had a hard time with the purple at first, lol. Still think we should swap the purple and black in the logo and use all black with purple trim as primary.
    The thing with Ravens though, I could never ever even imagine how much I´ve bought into the whole organization, what theyre about, what they do. It became my team extremely quickly and are miles ahead of any other favourite team today.
    Should add that a spectacular, highlight reel superstar like we have now with Lamar will put us in the spotlight and add fans, and hopefully not just casual band wagoners. It´s an odd feeling being in the spotlight like that.





  12. #12

    Re: Choosing a football team as an international fan

    Quote Originally Posted by darb72 View Post
    We picked the Chelsea Football club specifically because their team colors brings out my son's eyes.

    Plus the Chelsea stuff was on sale at Lillywhite's.
    I picked Aston Villa since my only time in England was in Birmingham while my wife was working in her PhD at Aston University.

    I'd even watch or follow soccer, but felt it was important to pick a team- and stick with it!





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