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The Lions' Pride

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The Lions' Pride

Black shoes, basic blues. No names, all game

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OT: for the dad's (with sons) on the board

  • Now that my son has started to walk (at 10-1/2 months), I'm getting more excited about getting him interested in sports. Like his sister, he WILL be a Penn State fan. But, I'm not sure if I should "force" him to root for my favorite professional teams, the Broncos, Yankees and Knicks. We live in AZ and I wonder if him rooting for the local teams might be better since his future friends will likely be rooting for them as well. I know he's too young to remember anything yet but want to start getting him some gear. I know a lot of us live grew up in the northeast and now live all over the country. Just wondering what other people's thoughts were.

    Fwiw, my dad was not a sports fan. I became a Broncos fan because I liked their orange jerseys and the nickname "the Orange Crush"

    signature image

    “We need to keep this (expletive) together,” Mauti and Zordich to Hill

    psujmc1992

  • You won't need to force him, he will want to be like dad. We have lived in Florida and north Carolina and both my kids are PSU fans.

    danmcc ●

  • I have four boys (and one girl) and my kids have always grown up wanting to be like dad and like the teams dad likes. I'm a PSU, Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins fan. All my kids are pretty much that too. However, we've always had the "local team" as our second favorite team. Living in Chicago now we've adopted the Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks, and Bulls as our second favorite teams. First and foremost...we're sports fans so just going to sporting events with the boys is great.

    stormpsu1 ●

  • They will wear what you buy them. Take lots of pictures and then show them that they have always been a fan of your teams when they are older.
    It is a good question though. My boys are 3 and 5 and we live near Columbus so anything not Ohio state is taboo. My wife is an Ohio State fan but they have never worn any buckeye gear. Friends have bought them stuff but my wife never puts it on them. In fact, she has never stopped putting Penn State clothes on them since last November. She is wearing PSU tonight herself.
    So I am reading the responses too because it will be rough for my kids if they don't conform.

    My son asked me on Monday why there was a buckeye on the McDonalds cup. "Because that's where a lot of buckeyes work."

    Riverhoundz ●

  • psujmc1992 said...

    Now that my son has started to walk (at 10-1/2 months), I'm getting more excited about getting him interested in sports. Like his sister, he WILL be a Penn State fan. But, I'm not sure if I should "force" him to root for my favorite professional teams, the Broncos, Yankees and Knicks. We live in AZ and I wonder if him rooting for the local teams might be better since his future friends will likely be rooting for them as well. I know he's too young to remember anything yet but want to start getting him some gear. I know a lot of us live grew up in the northeast and now live all over the country. Just wondering what other people's thoughts were.

    Fwiw, my dad was not a sports fan. I became a Broncos fan because I liked their orange jerseys and the nickname "the Orange Crush"

    I think college is different, but if I live in a city with a professional team I make them my team. I was a Steelers fan while growing up, now a bucs fan.

    This post was edited by TpaFan on 10/3/2012 at 10:43 AM

    TpaFan

  • Light touch is best. My son follows all of my teams - because that is what he watched with me all growing up. He does have secondary teams that I'm not fond of - but we have the same main teams.

    waylander

  • Your team. It will make it more special when he is older to share that with his dad and be different than his friends. He can still root for home teams.

    md154

  • Let him like whoever he wants to like. The important thing is that he like the sport instead of the millions of other things kids can watch. He will probably like the opposite team of you for a while just to get a rise out of the old man but in due time he will realize how special it is to sit down with you and cheer for the same team.

    PSUDOG

  • TpaFan said...

    I think college is different, but if I live in a city with a professional team I make them my team. I was a Steelers fan while growing up, now a bucs fan.

    I agree. Pro sports represent your city or home town. I grew up and still live in Philly. I never understood how someone born and raised in Philly could be a cowboys fan because they like the star, or because they won, etc.

    Your sports teams represent you. Your city, your hometown, your university. Good teams equal good exposure for your city.

    If you plan on staying in AZ for awhile, let the pro fandom blossom organically with your son. Never forget your roots, but remember what his roots will be.

    He will eventually go to college and maybe it will be blue and white, maybe not. But he will always keep a spot in his heart for Dads teams as well. Let him figure it out.

    kjc15600

  • TpaFan said...

    I think college is different, but if I live in a city with a professional team I make them my team. I was a Steelers fan while growing up, now a bucs fan.

    Edit double post

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by kjc15600 on 10/3/2012 at 1:41 PM

    kjc15600

  • Just make him read out of his bible/quran/torah every day and eventually... oh, wrong subject.

    I ended up liking the pro teams that had players I liked when I started following pro sports and none of them match either parents leanings. Cowboys, Athletics, Lakers, Flames.

    helpdesk ●

  • helpdesk said...

    Just make him read out of his bible/quran/torah every day and eventually... oh, wrong subject.

    I ended up liking the pro teams that had players I liked when I started following pro sports and none of them match either parents leanings. Cowboys, Athletics, Lakers, Flames.

    Graduated from PSU in 94. Lived in Michigan ever since. Diehard PSU fan but wishy washy Eagles fan. Both kids born in Michigan (currently 14 & 9).
    Both love PSU and the Eagles. Despite the negative publicity against PSU, they still wear PSU stuff every day. Without intentional brainwashing they still want to be like dad.

    Wife wanted to buy my High Schooler daughter some nice new Michigan sweatshirts for back to school..... Daughter refused, screaming loudly in tge store (imagine high pitched moody teenager voice) Mom, everyone knows me as the PSU fan, I can't be wearing UM/MSU stuff !

    Very gratifying.....!!!!

    Sam Fritz

  • Just spend time with him watching your favorite sports teams. My son used to crawl in bed with me everynight and fall asleep watching the Phils with me. He is a diehard Phils now. Poor kid never had a chance with PSU because I'm a diehard and both he and his sister were exposed to everything PSU since they were babies, including a yearly trip to PSU for a game.

    I might add that watching the games in bed are some of my most favorite memories. He's almost 15 now.

    psudave ●

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