Do Your Kids Pull for Local College Teams?

#1
jeblevins

jeblevins

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#1
So here's the deal.....I have a 7 year old son who I have been dressing in O&W and talking football literally since the day he was born. He's got UT stuff all over his room and until recently has proclaimed orange as his favorite color.

Last year we moved to Raleigh, and he has started liking UNC. No big deal, I thought, we very rarely see them on the court and they are in the ACC so when would we ever play them in football? At least it's not UGA or UF. Well, this week I was looking at our future schedules and in 2011 / 2012 we have a home and home with GUESS WHO?

My wife thinks it's cute and has talked about buying him some blue stuff, but I told her that I would not encourage it personally. What do you guys think and is anyone in a similar situation??

Thanks for the help!
 
#2
#2
jeblevins said:
So here's the deal.....I have a 7 year old son who I have been dressing in O&W and talking football literally since the day he was born. He's got UT stuff all over his room and until recently has proclaimed orange as his favorite color.

Last year we moved to Raleigh, and he has started liking UNC. No big deal, I thought, we very rarely see them on the court and they are in the ACC so when would we ever play them in football? At least it's not UGA or UF. Well, this week I was looking at our future schedules and in 2011 / 2012 we have a home and home with GUESS WHO?

My wife thinks it's cute and has talked about buying him some blue stuff, but I told her that I would not encourage it personally. What do you guys think and is anyone in a similar situation??

Thanks for the help!
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I'd just be thankful he doesn't want Duke gear. I'm sure I'll have similar issues in Lex. I'll let my kids pull for whoever they want to pull for, but somebody else is going to have to buy the blue. However, if I ever find any Vandy stuff in the house, they will be disowned.
 
#3
#3
jeblevins said:
So here's the deal.....I have a 7 year old son who I have been dressing in O&W and talking football literally since the day he was born. He's got UT stuff all over his room and until recently has proclaimed orange as his favorite color.

Last year we moved to Raleigh, and he has started liking UNC. No big deal, I thought, we very rarely see them on the court and they are in the ACC so when would we ever play them in football? At least it's not UGA or UF. Well, this week I was looking at our future schedules and in 2011 / 2012 we have a home and home with GUESS WHO?

My wife thinks it's cute and has talked about buying him some blue stuff, but I told her that I would not encourage it personally. What do you guys think and is anyone in a similar situation??

Thanks for the help!
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Ohhh that's a tough one. I would guess that the more that you wear the O&W and support UT, the more he will as well. Also, he may be starting to like UNC, but his favorite team might still be UT, in which case, you have nothing to worry about.
 
#4
#4
I'm trying to decide whether to take the tough line and possibly turn him off to UT or let him wander and figure he'll come back.
 
#5
#5
Handle your household. Get that woman in line! Cute has no place in college sports.

All kidding aside, you can't force your kids to like what you like. From experience, you definitely can't get your wife to wear the Orange unless it's in her blood. Having said that, your kid will stop liking UNC once his daddy's team humiliates them on the field. GBO!
 
#6
#6
I have a step son who pulls for Al. Makes me want to puke. My wife wanted to get one of those house divided plates. I told her this house is not divided, until he makes a few mortgage payments this house is all Vol! My daughter on the other hand loves the Vols and wants to attend college there.
 
#7
#7
Oh, I didn't get into the whole house part of the story.....my wife is a rabid Gamecock and my stepdaughter is a Bama fan. It really gets ugly around our house in the fall. lol
 
#8
#8
jeblevins said:
Oh, I didn't get into the whole house part of the story.....my wife is a rabid Gamecock and my stepdaughter is a Bama fan. It really gets ugly around our house in the fall. lol
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Oh, God! That's crazy. My girlfriend isn't the biggest football fan, but she does pull for Tennessee. I can't imagine having 3-4 different teams supported by one house. Keep fighting the good fight!
 
#10
#10
So glad I married a woman that didn't know anything about football when we started and now is a huge Vol fan.

In this situation tell him he can build his own room outdoors and put whatever team stuff he wants up in it. Until then, your home is orange!
 
#11
#11
the first thing my step daughter ask a boyfriend is who he likes in sports and if not U T she will say well you cant come to my house.
 
#13
#13
I grew up in Wilson, which is just about 45 minutes east of Raleigh. I question your kid's judgement, having picked the Tarheels! I was an NC State fan because I couldn't stand the arrogance of the UNC/Duke fan bases. State fans are passionate, but not obnoxious.
You really should embrace the area and enjoy some good college football. I hate UNC, but their home atmosphere is really nice. State games are a ton of fun too. Duke games are like going to a high school game.
I really enjoyed going to Dowdy-Ficklen to watch the ECU Pirates play.
 
#14
#14
jeblevins said:
Oh, I didn't get into the whole house part of the story.....my wife is a rabid Gamecock and my stepdaughter is a Bama fan. It really gets ugly around our house in the fall. lol
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It sounds like you need to throw everybody out and start over.:)
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#15
#15
My wife came over from Brazil last October. She had never seen American football, but she arrived the weekend of the Alabama game. There were some rowdy Bama fans around us. By the end of the game she told me, "I hate those red people". I told her she caught on fast. She is anxious now for football season to start again.
 
#16
#16
My son loves UT, but as hard as I try I can't get that kid to watch football. He'll watch baseball all day long, but after one quarter of football he's out the door. To much of my ex in him I guess. My two step daughters on the other hand love football. Forunately both are grown and out of the house since one is an Auburn fan and the other is a Bammer. Funny thing is, the Bammer is the smart one and the one that loves Auburn is dumber than a box of rocks.
 
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#18
#18
They can cheer for whomever they wish, so long as its Tennessee. They aren't yet old enough to go to games (my oldest and I will be at the season opener), but we do a lot of other things to properly instill the orange.

We watch every game together, and while they don't fully understand the intricacies (which will be particularly useful over the course of the next couple of seasons), they know to cheer at just about any play in which Tennessee doesn't get scored on, we go through our pre-game rituals (orange shirt, "T" hat, snacks, etc.), we blare Rocky Top a few times a month either at home to wake mom up (early Saturdays), we play that "Best of the Vols" CD in the car, they have a Power T flag over their fort, their jerseys are #27 and #14, respectively (and they know for whom, and why), they are members of the Jr. Vols, and I've been lucky enought to get them into places where they've met coaches and players - they're typically awestruck, and remember them forever, anytime they see them again.

We also talk about other "bigger" things, like how those players and that team are representatives of our beloved state (or as we call it, "where we're from"), the importance of being good sports, what it takes to be a good teammate, and the importance of doing each to the best of your ability. Unfortunately, we've had far too much practice in cheering for them even after a loss, but they understand that it's our team, win or lose. It even offers me a chance (read: forces) to see things from a positive perspective, when I would not otherwise do so were I alone, simply because I want to be a good example for them.

Corny for sure, wholly unnecessary or overkill to others, but it works for us, and leaves little doubt as to where their allegiances might later fall.
 
#19
#19
My wife is from South Carolina so she pulls for the Gamecocks. The whole family pulled for them in the CWS, me included. My oldest son (11) likes UT but my 9 year old likes Florida.
 
#20
#20
utkell65 said:
My son loves UT, but as hard as I try I can't get that kid to watch football. He'll watch baseball all day long, but after one quarter of football he's out the door. To much of my ex in him I guess. My two step daughters on the other hand love football. Forunately both are grown and out of the house since one is an Auburn fan and the other is a Bammer. Funny thing is, the Bammer is the smart one and the one that loves Auburn is dumber than a box of rocks.
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My sons are only aware that baseball exists insofar as it provides a means for kids who are not good at soccer to get some exercise by playing a less intense sport.

I was forced to play at a young age, and not only was I terribly bored throughout, but I wasn't very good at it. For whatever reason, my apathy toward it has turned to a deep-seated hatred over the course of many years (I think that the strike and the steroid issue forced me to turn the corner from "could care less" to "I hate that sport").

In fact, I was on a business trip in St. Louis when they hosted a World Series game against the Tigers. A friend I was with wanted to go down to get a sounvenir, and with the first inning just starting, a scalper sold us a pair of upper deck tickets for $100 - and I only went in just to say I'd been to a World Series game. Got to our seats in the bottom of the first, and watched the first guy bat. Left my seat and went to the concourse to get something to drink, sat down and started surfing / texting on my Blackberry. Didn't return to my seat until I heard the seventh inning stretch, and we left before the first batter of the next inning was out. And that was more than I wanted to see. I wouldn't watch Di'Maggio's Yankess play Pete Rose's Reds if it were in my back yard.

I hope this didn't come out as a jab against you, the poster, as such was not intended toward you / your kids loving baseball (nothing wrong with that), but rather, my feelings toward the game itself.
 
#21
#21
I imagine, once I have kids, that I'll let them pull for whomever they want. My sister grew up in a household where my mom went to UF but was never really a fan of the game. She goes to USC and is instantly a Gamecock. I don't see it affecting me too much if my kids don't pull for Florida, after all, I've lived in Chattanooga almost my entire life. The odds with fans have never been in my favor.
 
#23
#23
Tenacious D said:
In fact, I was on a business trip in St. Louis when they hosted a World Series game against the Tigers. A friend I was with wanted to go down to get a sounvenir, and with the first inning just starting, a scalper sold us a pair of upper deck tickets for $100 - and I only went in just to say I'd been to a World Series game. Got to our seats in the bottom of the first, and watched the first guy bat. Left my seat and went to the concourse to get something to drink, sat down and started surfing / texting on my Blackberry. Didn't return to my seat until I heard the seventh inning stretch, and we left before the first batter of the next inning was out. And that was more than I wanted to see. I wouldn't watch Di'Maggio's Yankess play Pete Rose's Reds if it were in my back yard.
QUOTE]

wait..... really? i mean, really? I know baseball isnt the the most exciting sport in the world, but come on. Its Americas pastime. Its hotdogs and freshly cut grass. Its the raisiny smell of red man golden blend. Its a box of crackerjacks:popcorn:. Its Manny being Manny. Its screaming "hey batter batter" to the goofiest looking guy on the other team. Drop the blackberry next time and soak it in man. Your missin out.
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#25
#25
rowsdower said:
I imagine, once I have kids, that I'll let them pull for whomever they want. My sister grew up in a household where my mom went to UF but was never really a fan of the game. She goes to USC and is instantly a Gamecock. I don't see it affecting me too much if my kids don't pull for Florida, after all, I've lived in Chattanooga almost my entire life. The odds with fans have never been in my favor.
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One of my best buds (Uffan5) is a gator in chatt. Yall should compare jorts. (Jk)
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