For whom you gonna root?

Chad Orzel asks:

If you're a fan of a team in a sport with a championship playoff, who do you root for when your team is out?

I've been mocking Rudy Giuliani over at Kuff's World for his patently phony embrace of the Red Sox, so this has some salience for me. I left a comment on Chad's post, which I'll flesh out a bit more here. It's complicated, and if you're not a sports fan, you'll almost assuredly roll your eyes at the convoluted nature of this. All I can say is we all have our eccentricities.

In baseball, it's essentially a tribal thing for me. I'm a lifelong Yankees fan, ergo I hate the Mets and Red Sox. Thus, when the Yankees are not involved, I root for whoever is playing those teams. If none of them are involved, I root for my backup team the Astros. If they're not involved, I have a slight American League preference, but about the only time it comes up is the All Star Game, which I haven't watched in years anyway.

You may ask: What did I do during the 1986 World Series? Answer: Prayed for the world to end before the first pitch. I eventually decided to root for the visiting team in each game, on the theory that at least then the home fans would get no satisfaction. I know, I know, it's pathetic. But it's how it is.

All this is to say that for someone who claims to be a diehard Yankees fan - and whatever else I may think of Rudy Giuliani, I recognized him as a true fan up till now - it should be genetically impossible to root for the Red Sox. I think First Read nailed it when they said "Seriously, this is why some are so cynical about politicians." I admit, there are things about the Rockies that make me less than full-throated in their support. But still: we're talking the Red Sox here. There is no choice. And frankly, were the roles reversed, I'd expect nothing less from Red Sox fans. This is just How Things Were Meant To Be.

For other sports, I'm less didactic. If the Giants aren't involved, I'll root against the Cowboys, root for the Jets (as if that would help) or just be neutral. I'm finally starting to warm a bit to the Texans, but I figure it'll still be awhile before this question has any relevance. If the Houston Rockets aren't involved, I'll root against the Lakers, or just be neutral. In college sports, for those rare occasions when Rice is not playing in the postseason (hah!), I'll root for a team from my conference (which this week is C-USA) or against a team from the Big 12; if all else fails, I root for the underdog and/or non-BCS conference school.

All right then. What's your algorithm for this situation?

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 25, 2007 to Other sports