So recently there has been some good spirited debate on Bobby's blog in relation to an article that he posted this week.  If you want to read it click here.  Basically people either agreed or disagreed.  I was part of the latter, and have decided to explain why I believe I don't support one team, but prefer to watch whatever I find the most entertaining.

I can respect and understand why people support and live and die by their chosen team, but I personally came to my own personnel conclusion about a year and half ago that it doesn't matter.  I think living in Boston has given me some perspective into why I see this way.  I have been a part of arguably the greatest span of success by a city (by North American standards) that there has probably ever been.  In this day of parity with the salary cap Boston teams have won 6 Championships, in addition to being being runners up in five championships. (Yes, I did count the Revolution in profession teams in Boston)

So what is my point?  My point is despite all this success people still b*tch and moan regardless of how the teams have been doing.  I see people leaving last nights Red Sox game in the 7th inning, only to miss an incredible comeback.  You have the Patriots put together the most incredible season, only to blow it against the Giants.   Did people talk about how much fun it was to watch the team win 18 games in a row?  No, instead all I hear about from friends or columnists such as the sports guy on ESPN is how they blew it, and went 18-1, against a mediocre Giants team.  Never mind that the Giants put forth one of the most masterful performances in any Super bowl, and trust me I am no Giants fan, (I have rooted for the Eagles since I was eight) But which would you prefer too have, the championship games from the 90's defined by such classics as the Cowboys, 49ers, or Bronco's in the annual dismantling of whomever it was that particular year.  Or a huge underdog play lights out, pull an improbable comeback in the final minutes of the forth quarter, and create lasting memories for years to come.  I doubt I will remember any of the Super Bowls from 90's, but the helmet catch is something that will stay with me forever.

I have also realized that with American sports your bad season doesn't even matter.  Instead you get rewarded with a coveted high draft pick, and the chance to restock your team.  For examples I point to the Celtics, Devil Rays, and Giants.  Both the Celtics and the Devil Rays finished at or close to the bottom of their leagues, while the Giants barely made the playoffs and lost in the wild card.  Yet the following year The Celtics and the Giants won their championship, and the Rays are one win away from playing in their first world series.  So my point is why get so bent out of shape about your team day to day, week to week?  And as I see people roll into work depressed from the Sox going two games down vs. the Rays, and forgetting the last two championships that they won in the last four years, I feel as if I have made the right decision. 

Now after reading that here is probably how an argument might go, now all the reasons I outline for not following American teams are fine like the season not mattering (NBA, NHL MLS), drafts, as well as other things I didn't touch on like playoffs, and salary caps.  All these methods were put in place to make the leagues fair, and to make sure no one team could dominate their respective sport.  But the European leagues are totally different setup; you have relegation, promotion, and European spots.  These reasons and more are why I love the European leagues, especially the premier league, but also why I have never fully embraced one team.

Using the premier league as an example I will outline the three categories of teams I see the league consisting of, the haves, the almosts, and the have nots.  Teams like Manchester United and Liverpool are the haves, and what do they have?  Money, respect, prestige, pedigree, and history, all combine to make these teams so successful year after year.  The almosts are teams like Tottenham and Everton.  They are able to mount domestic cup challenges from time to time, maybe nick that fourth champions league spot, but seem never quite capable of getting over that hump to make it into the haves.

The last group is the have nots, this last set is basically all the teams not in the premier league, and a good chunk of teams in the premier league, such teams as Fulham, Bolton, or Wigan.  These teams are the ones fighting for the scraps, hoping for the occasional upset, and always fearful of relegation back to anonymity.  These teams will probably never be successful in the premier leagues current set up for various reasons such as lack of fan support (Bolton), playing in an undesirable location (Wigan), or unable to make enough money to replenish the team due to such factors as the size of their stadium, (Fulham).  Not only that but typically if one of these teams finds an undiscovered gem, or brings up a player through their youth team, usually a better team with more money, and respect steals them away.

Using the examples I pointed out early, you can being to understand why I haven't avidly followed a team since the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles.  In the American system you have teams rewarded for poor a season with high draft picks and a season of tanking to achieve that coveted high draft pick can be erased from memory with two blockbuster trades. (See Celtics Summer 2007)  While in Europe you have clubs that have become so successful that they are able to replenish their ranks every year, which keeps them among the elite, while the majority of the other teams just fight for survival, some going bankrupt in an attempt to keep up.

At the risk of getting too philosophical the reason we as people love sports is because regardless of whom you are where you are from, and how much money you have, when you step on that field or court, to face your opponent, you are their equal.  Until after the game is over, we decide who was better based on strict rules that make it so that the only way to win is because you earned it with their hard work, and the skills that you were born with.

Which is why the only team I truly enthusiastically support is the US men's national team.  The beautiful thing about international soccer is you never have to worry about your favorite player jumping ship for more money, or your country not being able to compete because another country has more money.  Yes there are some situations like Wales a small country who will probably always be a minnow on the international scene, compared to say England, still though this is much more fair than the current European League setup, and more enjoyable to watch than the American league setup.

So no I am no supporter of any one team, but I am a fan of great teams, and will happily watch Cristiano Ronaldo score at will, using his bag of tricks, or Arsenal put together 23 passes on their way to a signature Gunner goal.  I much more prefer this than being a fan of a club like Barcelona, whom two years ago had just wrapped up their second straight La Liga, as well as the Champions League.  Yet last year I read countless articles on the situation in that city, whether it is the fans, the players, or the management, and I must say I no longer miss that feeling.

Now I assume that the majority of people reading this will disagree with my view.  That is fine, I know the way I see this is unique, so please if you read this and feel the need to comment, please try and not resort to any insults or anything along those lines.  I have never had that issue on this blog before, but I feel that this subject of all the blogs I have written has the most potential to comeback at me with angry comments that my view is incorrect.