Bandwagoner? My team fandoms explained

I first started to closely follow sports when I was in fifth grade, that was around the time when I remember trading in my Hannah Montana zip up jacket for a Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt. I get comments all the time whether it be in person or on social media where people call me a bandwagon fan, and I don't think it's the insult that people think it is to me. However, I think it's time I come clean and share why I follow the teams I do.

First, in order to really understand the method to my madness you must be let in on a secret. I think this came about once I started working in sports and got to know more people involved in the game, but I get much more enjoyment out of following players as opposed to teams. I still love my teams don't get me wrong, but I also feel rooting for good people gets you more involved in the game as a whole. That being said, here is what you need to know about why I am the way I am...

You're FROM Minnesota!

Why yes, yes I am. To be blunt, I don't think I wanted the Vikings to be my team from the start (I'm talking second grade) because everyone loved them and I never wanted to like what everyone else liked. I wanted to be ~unique~ and ~different~. However, the older I got the more I discovered I love having that sense of community. Walking into a Minnesota sports bar and instantly becoming friends with a stranger simply because of the shared high hopes and then sheer disappointment that comes with being a Vikings fan. I love the Vikings because I love where I'm from and am proud to be a Minnesotan.

A Bengals jersey? You only wear that cause you think Joe Burrow is hot.

Yes, yes he is. HOWEVER that is not why. I, like most people, started to follow Joey B when he won the Heisman as well as the National Championship with LSU in 2020. The way he carries himself and gives back to the community is one reason I love him, but also he is a standup leader. He just comes off as a guy who hasn't forgotten where he came from and doesn't strive to be in the spotlight. You also can't deny the swagger he has. From the pregame fits to his Spongebob fandom, Joey B is THE man. Also, no one will ever do the championship cigar better than him.

The Cowboys? Definitely a bandwagon fan.

They literally have not won a Super Bowl in my living memory. In fact, their last Super Bowl win was in 1996 eight months before I was even born. To be honest, I think my love for the team started just because I found out it pissed my dad off to know I liked them in middle school. I always have been a little shit in that way. But it also goes deeper than that. I spent time in middle school researching the history of the game, and specifically reading books on Cowboys legendary coach Tom Landry and the Ice Bowl. I guarantee I know more about Cowboys history than most people my age and I say that as a not so humble brag. Going back to how I love character players, Jason Witten was that for me. He still is my all time favorite player and he was the first jersey I ever owned. I also may or may not have had a Tony Romo poster in my childhood bedroom from sixth grade until I graduated college.

Now, let's talk hockey.

Let's go Wild!

Hockey in Minnesota is special, sacred if you will. I didn't grow up in a hockey family at ALL, although now my family loves hockey it just took me working in hockey to really get them there. I went to my first Wild game when I was a senior in high school (I know what took me so long?) and I sat four rows back from behind the goal. I've always liked the Wild and wanted them to do well being from here, but once I started working for the Wild (still feels surreal to think about) I only became more invested in the team, and this team has only gotten more fun to follow as time has gone on. It's also very easy to fall in love with downtown St. Paul and the amazing people involved in the game around the State of Hockey.

Smashville stole my heart

This one is probably controversial with them being a central division rival of the Wild, but I love the Nashville Predators. A very common misconception is people talk about me and say "Kirsten only likes the Preds because Carrie Underwood married Mike Fisher". No. That's an added bonus but not the reason and it annoys me to no end when people say that. Once I decided I was going to go to school at St. Cloud State, I knew going to a hockey school I was going to need to know the game. I turned the TV on to watch hockey one night, and I flipped it to a Preds game and from that moment I followed the team. I have also always loved everything country music, so being in the heart of music city added to it. The Preds have one of the coolest in-game experiences in the league, and the arena is right on Broadway which is so cool. It's such a unique franchise. Also, Mike Fisher is one of my favorite players and you're right, it is an added bonus that he's married to Carrie Underwood, my favorite human ever. He's another character guy who I really respect, and if you want to know more about who he is I highly recommend reading the book written about him "Defender of Faith".

What jersey do I wear today?

I don't go out and buy jerseys just because, but I have accumulated a little collection. My jerseys include Jason Witten, Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield (I really do need to get rid of that one due to personal reasons), Dalvin Cook, Brian Dozier Minnesota Twins, Karl Anthony Towns, Marcus Foligno, and an Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators Mike Fisher jerseys.

All this to be said, am I a bandwagon fan? Eh, probably. But I sleep easy at night knowing what my reasons for liking what I do are.