In the south, college football is king. In Alabama, the biggest question for sports fans is: Alabama or Auburn?
Many southern states do not have professional sports teams, so therefore, many of us are not very concerned with keeping up with them until the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, the NBA Championships, etc. There is only one MLB team around, and most of the south claims them as "their" team-- the Atlanta Braves. I loved road tripping to Atlanta as a kid and in college to see the Braves play, but I never really considered myself a die hard fan. Depending on where you are from, you might have a stronger attachment to the Braves and the other Atlanta professional teams.
As for the NFL, depending on where you live, many people cheer for the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons or the New Orleans Saints. In Alabama, I know a few friends from Mobile who are die hard Saints fans and some Titans fans in Northern Alabama, but most people are not especially attached to an NFL team like people are in DC and other parts of the country. It's very interesting to see so many people walk around here in their Redskins, Steelers, Cowboys, Giants and Packers jerseys. Many times I'll see fans throw on a Caps or Redskins jersey over their business suit on gameday.
Being a professional sports fan is definitely new to me. When people would ask what my favorite NFL team was, they would look at me like I'm crazy when I told them I didn't have one. Slowly, I've started to become more of a DC professional sports fan. I've been to a few Washington Nationals baseball games and had an amazing time. Granted, they are not the best team, but the Bull Pen is a great place to party-- frozen vodka Redbulls anyone?
I also had the privilege to attend my first Washington Redskins football game after passing out pink breast cancer ribbons during their "Think Pink" game. I'm really enjoying adding watching the NFL on Sundays to my weekend ritual of watching college football on Saturdays.
One sporting event that I'm dying to attend is a Washington Capitals NHL game. Until last weekend, I had never even been to a hockey game in my life, let alone an NHL game. I got to see a Philadelphia Flyers game and I fell in love with hockey! The greatest part was when two players took off their gloves and helmets and had what looked like a boxing match in the middle of the rink while the refs just stood there and watched. It wasn't until the two players fell to the ice that the refs decided to step in and break up the fight. I know, it was awesome!!
I've also never been to a MLS or NBA game. I am really looking forward to watching a DC United game. I'm not the biggest fan of basketball, but it would really be nice to cross going to an NBA game off my list and check out a Washington Wizards game.
It's really exciting to live in a place with so many professional sports teams. Cheering for the Redskins and other teams around here really gives me a sense of belonging, as well as an attachment to my new home. Hopefully I'll get to check out the other professional sports teams here in Washington, and start following some new sports-- not just college football.
