Hey friend,
Welcome back to a beginner’s guide to the NFL series and this is the post i’m the most excited about, partially because my team’s identity has truly become part of my personality. If you missed the first two posts of the series you can read the archive where, we went over why we watch football and the basics.
But, before I talk about how to pick your team, the scale of the NFL clubs are huge. There are 32 teams in the league, split into two big groups, the NFC and the AFC. All of the teams are organized into smaller groups called divisions. The best part about those divisions is that every team in your division plays each other twice a year, once at home and once away. It creates this built-in rivalry that gets really intense because at the end of the day, your team’s success usually comes at the direct expense of the other teams in your group, which makes those matchups wildly competitive.
Understanding the how the league is set up is pretty simple, but the hardest part about following football can be finding your team. There is no single right way to do it, but here are the three easiest and quickest paths you can take before the season starts:
check your home team first
This usually makes the most sense because it’s the easiest to watch locally and get to home games logistically. So if you live in New York, the Giants are huge here. If you live in Philly, the Eagles fandom is something you’re basically born into. But every once in a while, you get people like me who have a popular home team, and accidentally choose a favorite team that’s (luckily) just an Amtrak ride away (go birds). It’s always nice to root for your home team because it’s also easier to find community on game days.
follow a team’s player you already like
If you don’t want to choose your home team, you can also pick a team because of a player you’re already rooting for. Remember those quarterbacks we talked about last week? If you love watching a specific player, let him be your entry into the fandom. Football is fast and chaotic, and locking onto a single player you already love makes watching a game every week so much easier.
bonus option: borrow a friend, family member or boyfriend’s team
Simple but effective. It’s a huge pro because you’ll always have someone to text during the game and share snacks with <3
Beyond just the cities and the players, every single fanbase in the NFL has its own distinct personality. Some fanbases are more calm and community-focused, while others treat every Sunday like it’s the Super Bowl.
At the end of the day, whether you’re adopting a team for location, a borrowed family tradition, a favorite player, or just because you like a fanbase, the only thing that matters is that you have fun.
Wholesome read!