NFL
By: Greg Rector
Why do I like the Dallas Cowboys, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Los Angeles Lakers, North Carolina Tar Heels St.Louis Cardinals, Liverpool Reds, and the Edmonton Oilers? I am asked a lot of times on X as to where my fandom for these franchises comes from. So I am going to answer those questions. This is why these are my teams.
How does this old guy born in Montana to Canadian parents become fans of so many teams from different parts of the United States?
The Dallas Cowboys
This 54-season-long fan of the Dallas Cowboys became a fan of the Dallas Cowboys because of my dad’s oldest sister my Aunt Martha. Aunt Martha married an American and lived in Dallas. When I was five years old Aunt Martha came up to visit us and she brought me a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt. It was that simple and seeing the Cowboys playing the Super Bowl V game against the Baltimore Colts that season was my first exposure to being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
As I got older I also went down to Dallas and saw the Cowboys practice as my Aunt Martha worked for the lawyers of the Dallas Cowboys. That’s where I met Randy White and my other favorite players. Her law firm also sent employees to see the Cowboys play in road games. I traveled with my Aunt Martha and saw the Cowboys play in Washington D.C. in Philadelphia and other cities. So there you have the reason I am a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. Long before they were the brand over winning Super Bowl games I have been a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
I have and always be a Dallas Cowboys fan!!
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This one is easy. I was born into a Roman Catholic household. My father and my grandfather raised me to believe in the lure of the Fighting Irish. As soon as I was old enough to understand football my first love was the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. I saw the movie of George Gipp (Ronald Reagan) telling Coach Knute Rockne to tell the Fighting Irish to go out and win one for “The Gipper” so for me it’s been a lifelong love affair with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was the one sport the two men I loved so much were in agreement.
Long before Rudy was made into a movie we all knew his story and loved the other legends from Notre Dame. I knew of Notre Dame’s “The Four Horsemen” and their ties to playing the Navy Academy and playing against the best teams in the country no matter which conference these other teams played in. There was and still is for me a magic feeling seeing “Touchdown Jesus.”
So that’s the answer to why I love the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I always loved the stories and the legends who have played for Notre Dame. especially Joe Montana who is still my first option as the quarterback I would want to use in a one-game scenario, yes even over Patrick Mahomes and therest of today’s super hero QBs.
7 days until kickoff… #GoIrish ☘️
Feat. #7 RB 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 pic.twitter.com/OPHKrcl3pk
— Notre Dame Fighting Irish (@Insidetheirish) August 19, 2023
Los Angeles Lakers
When I saw Kareem Abdul Jabbar in a Lakers uniform I was sold on basketball. Something which was akin to my father who was only 5’9″ and had played as a goaltender in hockey that my “Canadianism” was to be challenged. My father never understood basketball nor did my grandfather. But for me seeing the “Skyhook” was something magical.
I remember being mesmerized as I was up late one night and saw NBA basketball being played as back then the NBA was not seen on live TV. It was a tape delay of the Lakers playing against the Phoenix Suns. That moment remains etched in my memories and will forever stay with me.
Oh and despite the other great players here’s why I loved Kareem so much.
No player in NBA history started in every game of his career (data available since 1970-71, when starters were first tracked). Among retired players, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the highest career percentage for games started (regular season plus playoffs). pic.twitter.com/y07N9XttGt
— Jjevon Rideaux (@JjevonRideaux) August 19, 2023
University of North Carolina
Now many would assume my Kareem Abdul Jabbar fandom would make me a fan of the UCLA Bruins. Didn’t happen after I started watching the Lakers play basketball I was a kid who also read a lot of books and articles I when I read about Dean Smith and his leadership style I became a North Carolina Tar Heel fan for life.
It wasn’t about Coach Smith as a basketball mind though which drew me to him. When I read about Coach Smith and his leadership in North Carolina and his civil rights beliefs I was sold on the man. The players would come along later. I was never that big on his most famous graduate Michael Jordan as I felt Jordan didn’t execute on the floor the way Coach Smith taught. Now don’t get me worng here MJ is a tremendous talent and all that but as a fan of the “Carolina Way” he simply didn’t do things on the basketball court as Coach Smith taught.
Unlike James “Big Game” Worthy who remains my favorite Tar Heels player. Another reason why I loved seeing Worthy being a Los Angeles Laker. Here’s another reason why I love Dean Smith and the Tar Heels.
One year Gregg Popovich took a sabbatical and he spent time at North Carolina shadowing Dean Smith. He said Smith is who influenced him to become a diligent leader and investing in your players on and off the court #UNC @wral pic.twitter.com/DIMxAUauu6
— Kacy Hintz (@KacyHintz) August 13, 2023
This is why the North Carolina Tar Heels are my team in NCAA basketball.
St.Louis Cardinals
This is another family-related story. Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandfather. My grandpa loved baseball and he taught me how to catch and throw a ball. I played second base just as he did when he was a kid. Now where I grew up we didn’t see baseball on TV very much until the Montreal Expos came on TV and then the Blue Jays. We did however listen to baseball games on the radio.
Back then the AM signals were still king and my grandfather listened to the St.Louis Cardinals games over the Chicago Cubs who were also available. So I learned about Bob Gibson and Lou Brock. So despite the presence of the Montreal Expos I was already a fan of the Cardinals and it remains with me to this day. That’s why I do cheer for the St.Louis Cardinals.
Bob Gibson pitched 8 or more innings in all but 2 of his 34 starts in 1968.
Gibson set career marks (at the time) in wins (22), innings pitched (304.2), complete games (28), shutouts (13), WHIP (0.853), and his 1.12 ERA was the lowest single season ERA ever. pic.twitter.com/RLBxfrfTSp
— arman walker (@armanwalker) August 16, 2023
That’s why the Cardinals are my team in baseball.
Liverpool Reds
This happened because, long before there was a David Beckham or the rest of the Manchester United fandom. Back when I was growing up we only saw one game a year on television and that was the FA Cup finals. Long before the Premier League came into being there was the Liverpool Reds and they were the dominant team in the early 70s and through the eighties as well.
Who didn’t love The Beatles back then? No one I knew didn’t love the four Liverpool lads. So that’s why I have been a fan of the Reds for as long as I can remember. I saw Liverpool on TV and that’s what sold me on being a fan.
You’ll Never Walk Alone means something to every “Scouser” out there just as we saw today when the fans of the KOP sang it out loud for a construction worker who died constructing the stadium of their most bitter rival Everton today.
The Liverpool fans showing respect for the construction worker who passed away working on Everton’s new stadium was a nice touch 😔. RIP #LFC #efc pic.twitter.com/aI3g600QXi
— IrishLiverpoolReds (@IrishLivReds) August 19, 2023
That’s a huge reason I will always support the Liverpool Reds!! Why the Liverpool Reds are my team in football.
Edmonton Oilers
Remember my father and grandfather only agreeing on one sport team that being Notre Dame Fighting Irish? Well growing up in Canada with a father who loved and believed in the Boston Bruins with all his heart and soul and then add in my grandfather who was of French descent cheering for the Montreal Canadiens you have the makings of of a huge dispute over which team you should cheer for.
For me I had an out when the WHA came along and so did the Edmonton Oilers. When the Oilers joined the NHL in 1979 I had my own team and was no longer involved in the family drama…lol
Thankfully my Oilers would go on and win those five Stanley Cups.
Mark Messier https://t.co/1qZZjdiGB6 pic.twitter.com/rwPsrPG3pv
— The Hockey Samurai 侍 (@hockey_samurai) August 19, 2023
So that’s why I am a fan of the Edmonton Oilers. It got me out of the family disputes. This is why the Edmonton Oilers are my team in the NHL.
Let’s hear more stories from y’all as to why you cheer for the teams you do.
