Bucs Biggest Rival?

[bradentonian]

who would you say is the Bucs biggest rival

AARP

[Lord Freesus]

a rivalry is mutual hate... eagles dont talk about us as much as we talk about them...

I'd say the dirty birds

[HughC]

For awhile I thought it might be nice if our stadium was a little less friendly, but after thinking about that for a bit, I really don't have too much of a problem with the visitors. The ones I can's stand are the folks in Bucs gear every week except the week we play their real team. LAME!

When I lived in Boston I wore a Bruins jersey even when the Lightning came to town. Even then I knew my residence in Boston was temporary still there's a reason you're in the town you live in, Represent Already! If you don't want to represent, move.

Help me out here, I don't follow the line of reasoning.  First, you don't like it when a fan originally from elsewhere (Green Bay or Chicago) moves to another area (Tampa), cheers for that team (Bucs) but then changes allegiance when the 'old flame' comes to town (Packers or Bears).

Then you move (to Boston) and then suddenly become the fan of the Bruins overnight without knowing a single player on that team?
Isn't that precariously close to the definition of a bandwagon fan?

I understand a fan staying faithful to their original hometown team, even when they move.
I also understand eventually becoming a fan of the team you keep on seeing in your new home town.
I even understand the original team being the favorite, and the new hometown team being the second favorite team.

I think I have more respect for the fan that kept allegiance to their original team, while learning about and becoming a fan of the team in their new home town, in my opinion.  I have to question how real the allegiance is of a fan who could change colors from one team to another overnight.  Did you ever care about the team, or just care about fitting in with neighbors and co-workers? 

Please excuse me if I'm wrong, but the one thing I don't understand is the hypocrisy of your argument.

[ABuccs Fan]

Panthers. We don't just lose to them, they put players on IR. Even when we beat them, someone goes on IR or is lost for a long period of the season.

We've done this before, but It bears doing again. I can't remember them all, but add to the list of players who have been put on IR or lost significant time after the Panthers games over the years.

Mike Alstott
Joey J
Luke Petitgout
Carnell Williams
Chris Simms
Anthony McFarland

[HughC]

Sorry for hijacking the thread; back to the original question.

Right now there is no "biggest" rival, in my opinion.  For a while you could say it was the Eagles, we were always meeting them in the playoffs.  And there was a time it was the Packers; they were the hurdle the Bucs had to get past - win in cold weather, beat the division champ, replace green jerseys with red jerseys in the stands - that's what was needed in order to win the division, succeed in the playoffs, and win a championship.

Thanks to the NFL realigning from six divisions to eight, the Bucs found themselves in a division with three new teams to play twice a year and three rivalries were history.  Eventually the biggest rivals will be the Falcons, Panthers and Saints.  Atlanta (closest city) is the logical choice to become the biggest rival, but they are not exactly the most passionate fans - the city couldn't sell out playoff games when the Braves dominated in baseball. 

Carolina is a more likely option to become the biggest rival in the immediate future; I can see the two teams battling for the division title in the next few years.  In addition, Carolina (and Atlanta) are the only cities that have teams in the same division in more than one sport, as the Lightning and  Hurricanes compete in the same division on the NHL.  Being able to hate another city in multiple sports can go a long ways to building a rivalry.  New Orleans is most likely to be the #3 rival; they are the furthest away and we play them in no other sports.

Every season bringing a new division champion has kept all four team's fans interested in the NFL and their team but it hasn't helped in building a rivalry in a brand new division.  Of course, if the Bucs repeat as division champs three or four years in a row, then each of the other teams will hate Tampa Bay and all three of them will consider the Bucs to be their "biggest rival."

[MiltonMack21]

The Falcons.. I HATE the Falcons.

[rowdie]

a rivalry is mutual hate...

Wrong.

[rowdie]

For awhile I thought it might be nice if our stadium was a little less friendly, but after thinking about that for a bit, I really don't have too much of a problem with the visitors. The ones I can's stand are the folks in Bucs gear every week except the week we play their real team. LAME!

When I lived in Boston I wore a Bruins jersey even when the Lightning came to town. Even then I knew my residence in Boston was temporary still there's a reason you're in the town you live in, Represent Already! If you don't want to represent, move.

Help me out here, I don't follow the line of reasoning.  First, you don't like it when a fan originally from elsewhere (Green Bay or Chicago) moves to another area (Tampa), cheers for that team (Bucs) but then changes allegiance when the 'old flame' comes to town (Packers or Bears).

Then you move (to Boston) and then suddenly become the fan of the Bruins overnight without knowing a single player on that team?

I knew players on the team.  I wasn't just a lightning fan but also an NHL fan. Indeed I was an NHL fan before the Lightning existed. Not that it would matter.  How rooting for the team were you have chosen to live makes you a bandwagon fan I just don't even begin to get. That's your home town team, you're allowed to root for them. That's like saying You can only root for the college you first attened. Like some how your post grad work doesn't mater. Or for that matter when You send your kids to a college you won't be allowed to root for them.

Isn't that precariously close to the definition of a bandwagon fan?

No, that is in no way an bandwagon fan. Not even close. 

I understand a fan staying faithful to their original hometown team, even when they move.
I also understand eventually becoming a fan of the team you keep on seeing in your new home town.
I even understand the original team being the favorite, and the new hometown team being the second favorite team.

I understand that's weak. Move back.

I think I have more respect for the fan that kept allegiance to their original team, while learning about and becoming a fan of the team in their new home town, in my opinion.  I have to question how real the allegiance is of a fan who could change colors from one team to another overnight.  Did you ever care about the team, or just care about fitting in with neighbors and co-workers? 

Maybe you just bop around from town to town. Most folks I believe think hard about where they're going to live.

I believe I have no respect for these posers.
Of course you care. Couldn't care less what the neighbors or co-workers think.

Please excuse me if I'm wrong, but the one thing I don't understand is the hypocrisy of your argument.

There is no hypocrisy in my argument. Seems I apply the rule across the board evenly. Root for the team were you have chosen to live/make your living. I can only imagine you have an improper definition of hypocrisy. I would be a hypocrite if I didn't like the folks that wear their Greenbay gear while living in Tampa if I myself had continued to wear my Lightning gear at the fleet center/boston Gardens.  That would be hypocritical. The fact applied my beliefs about these fans to myself is the the exact opposite of hypocrisy.

So, what team do you really support? GB? Bears?  Washington?

[Voodoo Man]

I think the Saint fans and Buc fans have a mutual respect for each other...both are franchises that have been losers for most of their existence. And from what I read, both fans treat each other very well when visiting (for the most part).

I agree.
My sister has lived in Tampa and has had season ticket for over ten years now. She (and her friends) come to the Dome one season and My gang and I make a trip Ray Jay. I look forward to when our teams meet up. Starting the season off in the Dome with the Bucs will be a blast. We have a saying that goes "we can drink with each other before and after the game. It is only during the game we hate each other" After the game when we all meet the losers buy the  winners the 1st postgame beer and all is good.

[Bucs Capacitor]

I think the Saint fans and Buc fans have a mutual respect for each other...both are franchises that have been losers for most of their existence. And from what I read, both fans treat each other very well when visiting (for the most part).

I agree.
My sister has lived in Tampa and has had season ticket for over ten years now. She (and her friends) come to the Dome one season and My gang and I make a trip Ray Jay. I look forward to when our teams meet up. Starting the season off in the Dome with the Bucs will be a blast. We have a saying that goes "we can drink with each other before and after the game. It is only during the game we hate each other" After the game when we all meet the losers buy the  winners the 1st postgame beer and all is good.

That is a really cool tradition!  This is one of the reasons why I wanted season tix so badly.  But alas, I got the call after three years on the waiting list this summer, and it so happened to be the time I had the least money.