OK to say "we" when referring to sports teams?

[Clarkmeister]

Example from a Laker fan: "If Kobe is healthy, there's no doubt that we'll make the playoffs."

Similar example using "you" from a Red Sox fan to a Yankees fan: "This year we finally beat you."

How about "Let's": "Let's go"

Follow-up question. Is is different for college sports where one may actually have graduated from or currently be a part of the university. "We are going to win our 3rd consecutive Big Ten title". In this case, the team is actually a representative of an institution of which you are a part of.

I think it's ok, and part of being a fan. College sports you could easily be a part of the institution in question,and for pro sports, a great deal of what the leagues actually sell is civic pride and rooting for "your" team.

[Q8offsuit]

OK for a college that you graduated from, pretty lame (IMO) for pro teams.

[ArchAngel71857]

I prefer to use it when talking about game strategy/critique.

"We need to get the ball Marshall Fualk's hands."

"We need to block Julius Peppers."

"We need to run razor fake 36 dive and hit the y slot on the seam."

Of course they are all wrong, we need to veer to the fullback and run the option left with the wing.

-AA

[JTrout]

(removed from illini thread and reposted)

Just havin' a little fun with you.... it reminds me of caddy talk....

"we carved a 4-iron into that tucked pin on twelve and birdied, then we knocked it on in two at thirteen and eagled. We were 5-under with two holes left and then that dumb fxck 3putts 17 and hits it out on 18."

Just remember it's "we" also when they stink up the joint!

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]



Follow-up question. Is is different for college sports where one may actually have graduated from or currently be a part of the university. "We are going to win our 3rd consecutive Big Ten title". In this case, the team is actually a representative of an institution of which you are a part of.

[/ QUOTE ]

I lived in Nebraska some years back. I'm not sure if the Cornhuskers are properly classified as college or pro. After a big game, I'd go into work on Monday morning and listen to semi-illiterate high-school drop-outs saying things like, "Whooeee, we really kicked Oklahoma's butt this time, didn't we!"

[River2Pair]

I think that here in Los Angeles where the majority of the fans are fair-weather fans, it is not right for a casual fan to refer to any of the local teams as 'we' or 'our team' or whatever.

I watch on TV or listen on the radio to at least half of the Dodger games every season. So then inevitably the last month of the season the Dodgers and Giants are neck and neck for the division and all of a sudden everyone is wearing Dodger hats and jerseys, using 'we,' when meanwhile they probably can't name a single relief pitcher for the club other than Eric Gagne.

In college sports, its fine to refer to the school you go to or went to as your school.

[Jman28]

We is okay for any team that as long as since you started referring to it as 'your' team, you haven't stopped.

-Jman28

[plaster8]

[ QUOTE ]
We is okay for any team that as long as since you started referring to it as 'your' team, you haven't stopped.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. I know some people who are jerks about this whole issue, and everytime someone says, "We need to win," they'll say, "Oh, I didn't know you were on the Seahawks." That's really lame, IMO.

(By the way, I've been saying "we" with the Expos for about 20 years now -- and if I can stick with THAT team, anybody should be able to stick with theirs. Of course, I'm a Nationals fan now, but that's not by choice ...)

[IggyWH]

Smartass answer :

Since Green Bay Packers are technically owned by the people, they can say "we" all they want.

Intellectual (not really) answer :

I think it's okay with "we" because sports teams and cities have been molded together over the years. When you think Pittsburgh Steelers, you think of hard working, blue collar workers. There ain't any Steeler that's blue collar but Steelers have been molded with that persona because of Pittsburgh's image. The city is known as a blue collar, hard working, steel producing city. You've grown up as them being "your team" since they are the hometown team. There's also city pride on the line as to what sports teams do.

[kyro]

interesting point, one I've actually been thinking about myself. how does this sound? if you spend money on the team, you can consider yourself "part of the team." why not, your money is going to them and "helping" them succeed. I also think being an alumnus or a student at any college gives you full right to say "we." My God, I'm paying $15K to go to this friggin place, I damn well better be able to call the "my team"

[The Dude]

"We" speech is allowed, as long as it is used for only one team per sport. For example, I was born in Indian and have always felt an attachment to the Colts. I root for them adamently. However, when I say "we" referring to the NFL, it's always the Seahawks. I live in LA and root for the Dodgers, but "we" always refers to the Mariners.

[Sundevils21]

[ QUOTE ]
By the way, I've been saying "we" with the Expos for about 20 years now -- and if I can stick with THAT team, anybody should be able to stick with theirs.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a Arizona Cardinals fan. When I lived there I had season tickets. So I'm used to sticking with a sucky team and orginazation too. That reminds me

I remember at a Cards game, the guys sitting next to me was wearing a Ravens jersey. He kept saying to me, "I'm not a bandwagon fan. I'm born and raised in Phoenix but I've been a Baltimore Raven's fan all my life. Ever since I was a kid." I asked him if he had been a Browns fan before and he said no. "Only a Raven's fan". I asked him how that was possible because the Ravens have only been around for 4 years. He looked at me confused with his jaw dropped. Then he said he was going to get a beer. He never returned.

[BottlesOf]

This is a great point. I do it all the time and I don't care. But one of my friends always asks me somehting like "Oh, which position do you play?"

[DougL]

I think it is a sign of the fan identifying with the team, more than anything else. People say “we” to show that they feel part of the team and identify with the team’s success. Other posters mentioned that it is no longer we, when they lose.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini is a good book that discusses this idea.

[bernie]

I think the 'we' is ridiculous if it's a different team every year in the same sport. (Bandwagoners)

'We' should carry some loyalty with it.

I know I bled alot with the TB Bucs 'til 'WE' finally won the friggin' superbowl.

I love the Pac 10 NW football teams. But the only 'We' I use is with the huskies. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed when the Beavers kicked the hell out of ND in the Fiesta bowl that year, as much as I touted them for a couple years prior (arrival of erickson) they did it, not we.

Now if I ever moved to Oregon, there is always the adoptability of a team. Though I'd still be a husky.

This actually puts me in a catch-22 in some college games. When the NW teams play eachother, I don't really care who wins as long as it's a good game. But put a different team in there and I want blood from em.

b

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
By the way, I've been saying "we" with the Expos for about 20 years now

[/ QUOTE ]

You do seem to want to do anything to join the popular crowd. You're such a bandwagonner. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

b

btw...Im a TB Buc fan of about 25 years. I know the pain. Too bad I can't find my thread about when the bucs made it to the superbowl. You'd probably really like it.

[plaster8]

[ QUOTE ]
I remember at a Cards game, the guys sitting next to me was wearing a Ravens jersey. He kept saying to me, "I'm not a bandwagon fan. I'm born and raised in Phoenix but I've been a Baltimore Raven's fan all my life. Ever since I was a kid." I asked him if he had been a Browns fan before and he said no. "Only a Raven's fan". I asked him how that was possible because the Ravens have only been around for 4 years. He looked at me confused with his jaw dropped. Then he said he was going to get a beer. He never returned.


[/ QUOTE ]

Beautiful. Just beautiful. I love calling people on that kind of crap. There was a student-government senator at WSU when I was there who always wore an Ottawa Senators jersey. I asked him if he was a fan, or if he wore it just because he was a "senator" too. He said he was a huge fan, so I said, "OK. Can you tell me what icing is?" Blank look.

[plaster8]

[ QUOTE ]
You're such a bandwagonner.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now I'm going to have to deal with all of the bandwagon Washington Nationals fans.

Oh well. I'll always have 1994. Wait. No I won't. Damn strike.

[Duke]

I think it's perfectly reasonable and fits with "fan" mentality.

I've never been a fan, and surely would never refer to a sports team on which I were not a starter as something I was a part of, but I can totally see Joe six-pack being more interested in football because he feels like he, too, is actually one of the New England Patriots, or whatever.

~D

[A_C_Slater]

I don't even think the 4th stringer sitting on the bench who never gets to play should even be allowed to say "we," much less a fan. How can they give these losers a Super Bowl ring?

[bosoxfan]

[ QUOTE ]
Since Green Bay Packers are technically owned by the people, they can say "we" all they want.

[/ QUOTE ]

So if you own Disney stock could you say we when refering to the Angels? /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Sundevils21]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't even think the 4th stringer sitting on the bench who never gets to play should even be allowed to say "we," much less a fan. How can they give these losers a Super Bowl ring?

[/ QUOTE ]


Wow. Someone who is the 50th best quarterback in the world is a loser? Never thought of it like that.

[jdl22]

I remember ThaSaltCracka bitching about this during the baseball playoffs.

I think it's ok mostly. If you are a fan of the team and indentify with them then there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. For this reason it's more natural for people on the East Coast to do this because out here they identify themselves much more with their home city than we do on the West Coast.

If you have a team you've liked forever that's fine too. As mentioned a prerequisite is that you use the first person come rain or come shine.

If you are simply a fair weather fan with no connection to the city involved it pretty much sucks.

On the college note I think it's 100% ok to do this for your alma mater. If you didn't go to school then the above applies to you.

For the record here are my 'we' teams:
Soccer - Sevilla (we are kicking ass this year, see avatar for more info)
Football - San Francisco (the 49ers lost their we status when Erickson was hired as head coach, but now that we fired his bitch ass it's back)
Basketball - Portland TrailBlazers
Baseball - San Francisco Giants
College - Oregon, also Pitt on rare occasions.

I'm from Oregon but my mom's family is from the Bay area. I studied at Oregon as an undergrad, while there did a study abroad in Sevilla for a semsester, and currently am at Pitt so I don't break any of my own rules.

On that note I did let a couple of we's slip out today during the Steeler game. I think this is in the gray area of acceptability. I was talking to a couple of very passionate Steelers fans during the game and sort of picked up their (correct) usage of we.

[jdl22]

[ QUOTE ]

I love the Pac 10 NW football teams. But the only 'We' I use is with the huskies. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed when the Beavers kicked the hell out of ND in the Fiesta bowl that year, as much as I touted them for a couple years prior (arrival of erickson) they did it, not we.

Now if I ever moved to Oregon, there is always the adoptability of a team. Though I'd still be a husky.

This actually puts me in a catch-22 in some college games. When the NW teams play eachother, I don't really care who wins as long as it's a good game. But put a different team in there and I want blood from em.


[/ QUOTE ]

If you refer to the huskies as we after this last season then I find it difficult to believe that when you play Oregon and in the Apple cup you really don't care who wins. That seems absurd. As you said quite well the we should carry loyalty. For me and most people part of that is the rivalry with other teams.

For me it's different. I hate the huskies completely and wish for them and their awful fans (I'm not including you in this as you seem somewhat sensible /images/graemlins/wink.gif) to go 0-11 which they really tried to do this season. As for WSU I'm essentially the opposite of you. I wish for them to win when they aren't playing Oregon, but I naturally want us to crush them. As for OSU I have changed positions. Back when Oregon State were just a bunch of arrogant fucks that never won anything I actually was cheering for them when they weren't getting thrashed in the Civil War. Since they have had a few winning seasons and have won every other civil war for several years I find myself rooting against them in every game except when they play Washington.

[Kenrick]

[ QUOTE ]
Smartass answer :

Since Green Bay Packers are technically owned by the people, they can say "we" all they want.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seems dumb to me. I can understand the college team thing, even if I think that's dumb, too, but the pro thing is really dumb to me. When it comes down to it, I guess if you're not making at least 50k a year from a team, I don't know why you'd bother saying, "We," as if the team actually gave a damn about you. It'd be like a cart-getter at Walmart saying how "we" made billions of dollars last year.

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
If you refer to the huskies as we after this last season then I find it difficult to believe that when you play Oregon and in the Apple cup you really don't care who wins.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't. What I really root for in that case is the team that is closest in the top 10 to win thereby giving the NW pac 10 a little more visibility.

I've rooted for losing teams. Im a longtime buccaneer fan. I know losing. 1 or 2 bad college seasons isn't going to affect me that much.

[ QUOTE ]
As you said quite well the we should carry loyalty. For me and most people part of that is the rivalry with other teams.


[/ QUOTE ]

I like the rivalries, but more-so with out of NW teams. I guess Im more loyal to the Pac 10 NW than just any single team there. Though I do like the huskies the best of the 4. There's just something about going to Husky stadium with 70k people and feeling the benches shake under you.

All I really want to see is a Pac NW team(s) in the BCS bowls.

Im also not the funnest person at the Apple Cup parties. Others also don't understand why I don't care who wins and pin everything on it. Im right smack in the middle. Again, I just want a good memorable game worth watching. Same with the civil war. Same when Wa. plays the ducks, etc...


b

[ethan]

I root for the Red Sox. I'm now 24. I've been rooting for the Red Sox since I was 5 or so. I'd stay up late curled up next to the radio, and far too often I'd hear Thaaaa Yankees Win! ThAAAAaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaAAAaa Yankees win!!! (Those of you that've heard this know that I'm talking about.)

I was not pleased.

As I grew up, I'd pretend to be Wade Boggs. Then I switched positions and I was Roger Clemens. Then they both went to the MotherF@#$ing Yankees.

ahem.

The ALCS this year was among the finest moments I'd ever encountered. I spent games 1-7 in a local Irish pub. I think I'm allowed to say "we" when I refer to the Sox.

I'm glad the series went the way it did, but when I think about last year's postseason that's not the important part. I know it's the first time the sox won the series in 86 years. but WE beat the f[/i]ucking Yankees, and we made them look bad in the process. The Cards were an afterthought (sorry Clark).

Go Sox.

[tek]

If someone says "we" in any context and you don'tlike it, just ask:

Who is we? Do you have a piece of crap in your pocket?

[HDPM]

It is absolutely not OK. The only people who should be allowed to say "we" are players and coaches. This includes college teams. Even when you attend the school or your tax dollars are being stolen to fund college sports. Owners of teams can say "we" as well I guess. I cringe whenever I hear some fan say 'we". I like the sports talk shows that hang up on fans who say "we". Once or twice I have asked "Oh, what position do you play for them" when some fan uses "we". /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
It is absolutely not OK. The only people who should be allowed to say "we" are players and coaches. This includes college teams. Even when you attend the school or your tax dollars are being stolen to fund college sports. Owners of teams can say "we" as well I guess. I cringe whenever I hear some fan say 'we". I like the sports talk shows that hang up on fans who say "we". Once or twice I have asked "Oh, what position do you play for them" when some fan uses "we". /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

fine, I agree with HPMD, I can't stand it when people referr to teams as "Our" team or "my" team". You don't play for them, so quit saying you do.

is that better Nolan???????

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It is absolutely not OK. The only people who should be allowed to say "we" are players and coaches. This includes college teams. Even when you attend the school or your tax dollars are being stolen to fund college sports. Owners of teams can say "we" as well I guess. I cringe whenever I hear some fan say 'we". I like the sports talk shows that hang up on fans who say "we". Once or twice I have asked "Oh, what position do you play for them" when some fan uses "we". /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

Just quoting someone, without adding something, shouldn't count toward your post total. I'm going to call the post-padding police on you, you've been doing this a lot lately.

[Eclypse]

[ QUOTE ]
If someone says "we" in any context and you don'tlike it, just ask:

Who is we? Do you have a piece of crap in your pocket?

[/ QUOTE ]

I laughed so hard at this that I almost did have a piece of crap in my pocket.

Pretty funny.

[ThaSaltCracka]

/images/graemlins/mad.gif

[Clarkmeister]

[ QUOTE ]
Once or twice I have asked "Oh, what position do you play for them" when some fan uses "we". /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Now see, I think that's like one of the lamest retorts ever.

[HDPM]

yeah, it kinda is. That's why I have only used it a couple times. On lame people. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[slavic]

"Oh, what position do you play for them" when some fan uses "we"

This would cost you keg privlages at my tailgates. I am one of the few that did go to a D1 school on a football scholarship, and I can tell you that fans are very important to the players. At the D1 level the fans are part of the WE, there is no way around it. When 87,000 people show up it's special, they matter, they show heart, and they care.

Now in the PRos I think you may have a point. Free agency has broken the bond that use to exist between pro teams and the community.

[JTrout]

On lame people. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[HDPM]

Well now I better clarify given the posts you guys have exchanged on manning. Clarkmeister isn't one of the people I have used it on or will in the future. He isn't in the "lame people " category. And not just because he is right about Peyton Manning. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[HDPM]

You can call the team you played for "we" although it still sounds a little odd to me. I have not heard an ex-player use the word "we" when talking about current exploits of a team they played for years before, but I suppose I can see that there might be context for it, etc.... No fan can IMO. The fact that 87000 people go nuts over college football to the point they would use "we" in describing the team is the disturbing part of the whole thing. But I guess the lunatic fans are what stopped me from going to more games, even more than the inherently flawed idea of big time athletics at taxpayer funded schools. I do recognize that many schools enjoy a higher class of fans than the one I went to. "We" had some real morons.