Because the Super Bowl is in Dallas and the media in Dallas is pretty focused on keeping the Boys in the media (WE MUST STAY RELEVANT), there's been a lot of talk of which team is "America's Team", and the Super Bowl matchup of Packers-Steelers has fed the fire of the debate. Steelers, Packers, or Cowboys? Which one is "America's Team"?
None. If anything, these teams could only be called "America's Frontrunners and Bandwagon Fans Team". Hmmm, about for the past 50 years or so, these three teams have been the most successful in the league. So its not that hard to see how each of these teams have gained a "national fanbase". Young fans growing up in the 60s,70s,80s and beyond without a hometown team (or with a crappy hometown team) began to warm up to the teams that were winning championships. Nowadays these fans will say that they liked the teams jersey colors when they were young or they liked a certain player. If that's the real reason, then that's stupid. It's embarrassing if you liked a team for that reason and then built a fondness for them based off. What I'm really thinking is that you chose the team because they were good. It's not hard, when you're a kid, especially without a strong influence from your dad (a huge, huge, factor in deciding your favorite team-and what decided mine), to like the good team. It's fun to like a winner. But that doesn't make the decision any less damning. You have no connection to that team besides that they were good.
So now, 50 years since the league started becoming really popular (the 1960s), there have been three franchises that stand above the rest in terms of wins, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay (though Green Bay disappeared for a while after Lombardi left and only returned to prominence with Brett Favre, who inspired a new group of Packers fans). They are only nationally admired because of this success. There is no America's Team, though. There is no one team that represents the total character of America (as described in this great Deadspin Article, http://deadspin.com/5748116/the-myth-of-americas-team). There are plenty of fans who hate, to a varying degree, all three of these teams. I hate the Cowboys, the endless media attention they get, their insufferable owner and fans, and the high and mighty attitude they have about themselves since they were coined "America's Team" (when all the bandwagon hoppers jumped on). The Steelers also have an annoying fan base (seriously, your towels are dumb) that are literally spread all throughout the country because everyone leaves Pittsburgh if they can, and a hypocritical high and might attitude about doing things "the right way" (We'll ship off Santonio Holmes for character issues, but we'll keep Ben Roethlisberger...). The Packers are probably the least annoying of the three, but they are also romanticized for doing things the "right way", have a fan base that is also high and mighty along with still being in love with Brett Favre.
There is no team that can be universally loved. The closest thing might've been the Saints after Katrina and up until their Super Bowl win. America, mired in its own recession, loved to see a team recover from such a tragedy to their city and lift the ultimate prize, just as we hope America will rise out of the slump and regain its preeminence (because we've perceived it as being lost). But once they won, they became just another team, nothing special, because we inherently love the underdog. Once they've reached the top, we celebrate, and then we cool down on them. Beyond that, there is no team that represents everyone, and one that everyone can love. Because football teams aren't anything like national identities. And that's great. Every section of the country has its own team, and it's just fine that way. That small pocket of fans that you identify with, who really love the team (i.e. NOT BANDWAGON FANS), that gives one a real sense of community. Anything bigger, and you're losing me.
No comments:
Post a Comment