I became a Phoenix Suns fan by happenstance. I started liking basketball at a time they were doing well, and started following them. I stuck with them, though, because there has been kind of one family behind the organization since its inception (the Colangelos), and they have a philosophy that gibes with me. The teams traditionally play a style of basketball I like, no matter the personnel, and they’re committed to, essentially, non-poor sportsmanship–both on and off the court (they traded Jason Kidd, their best player, because he was involved in a domestic disturbance with his wife–I mean, damn! That adversely affected their team for several years!). I think that’s pretty cool, so I root for them.

Several people I know root for college teams all the time–and different ones for different sports–as if they were professional franchises. First, they are guaranteed to have different personnel every single year–I mean, kids are there for a maximum of four years! Further, what is the college doing for you? Why would anyone in California root for Duke? They’re on the East Coast! I root for Cal not only because I went there, but because when they do well, they get national TV coverage, which leads to more money in the general scholarship fund. I also root for teams from the Pac-10, because the better the conference is, the more attention it gets, which leads to more money to colleges. For a public university, that money ain’t nothing. I don’t necessarily agree with the system, but if that’s the system, I want it benefitting my college–a place where I still have friends, both as students and as faculty members.

So that’s my take on it (or at least part of it). This is dragging on, so I’ll end it here.