They're Still My Team

Your favorite team has a crappy season. Are they STILL your favorite team, or have you become loyal to some other team? Imagine how I've felt all season long as the 2011 Houston Astros finished 56-106 this season by losing 8-0 to the Cardinals. What was sad was that there were more people who cared more about the other playoff races while my Astros just did next to nothing to try to put up any kind of fight tonight.

I've stopped caring about this season as the Astros kept losing and losing and losing. At one point, I was already looking forward to Texans football as the Astros kept tanking games. The one thing I've been angered about is how far they've fallen since their improbable 2005 World Series run. There hasn't been a GREAT Astros team since the 100+ win Astros back in 1998.

After watching the game between the Cardinals at Astros tonight, I really sensed just how much faith most Astros fans had for their 2011 team- next to none. There was more cheering for the Cardinals and for other teams than in the Astros putting up any kind of fight. Almost as if nobody cares the Astros were playing. Fans do have reason to be disappointed in the 2011 Astros, but this was just depressing to watch and hear. The only positive was the great commentary from the TV and radio teams for the Astros. St. Louis put up five runs in the first inning alone. They eventually pounded my boys 8-0 with 12 hits and no errors. My Astros failed to score any runs, only managing two hits and one error. I still watched the game to show that I am not a fairweather fan (explained in the next section). However, this was just a small example of just how bad my beloved baseball team has been this season.

Fan Loyalty.

For many fans, they want to follow winners. Never mind following your favorite team through thick and thin- it's about following who's hot. Such fans are considered "fairweather fans," where they only are only bandwagon fans of teams that are hot. I hate that my Astros failed miserably this season. Basically, no expectations or hope that a team even remotely improves. Where did this lead us? A crappy season. It's one of the worst for the Astros since debuting as the Colt .45's back in the 1960s.

Regardless of our crappy season...

They are still my team.

Why give up on something you love or support? Chicago Cubs fans still love the Cubs even since the Cubbies won the World Series 100+ years ago. Los Angeles Clippers fans still love the Clippers even if they share the same building with the Los Angeles Lakers. I need not even mention the Oakland Raiders or Baltimore Orioles.

When you are a fan of a team that you really love, you honor that team through thick and thin. Let me ask any of you parents out there- if you are the parent of at least one child, especially a child that isn't doing that well in life or school, do you root on some other child of another family while leaving behind your own child? Well, why do that with a sports team you love?

Feeling like there's no hope in sight is what it was like when my Houston Texans finished 2-14 one season. Of course, that was the season when Mario Williams was selected in the following season's NFL Draft ahead of [Houston native] Vince Young and Reggie Bush. You obviously get upset your team isn't doing all that great, but you never stop rooting for your favorite team. I'm not going to switch to respecting some other team just because the one I love most is doing so poorly. I think some fairweather fans still love a certain team but only go with a certain team as a strategic measure. You know, the strategic measure of, "please do better, or I'll start rooting for this team instead."

Cheer on Your Favorites!

You can root for whatever teams and athletes you want. Regardless, if you love a team or a certain athlete, you cheer on that team/athlete to your heart's content as a sports fan. I love a team or athlete with my utmost amount of respect. In no way am I a bandwagon fan. Also, I couldn't care if you think I'm a pathetic fan just because I support a team/athlete that's not all that good. Take me- I don't care if I'm disliked because I'm a Rockets fan regardless of what Spurs, Mavericks, and Lakers fans think. Even as an Astros fan, I do highly respect the New York Yankees. Even as a University of Houston fan, I think the University of Texas is the best schools in almost any NCAA sport.

You cheer on your favorite teams and athletes regardless. No matter what teams/athletes I love...

They are still my team(s).

He/She is still my favorite athletes.

A Brief Houston Sports Rant.

Having said this, I sincerely hope the Houston Astros (along with many other substandard Houston pro and college sports teams) never have such pathetic seasons and tough luck EVER AGAIN. It's sick to my stomach that the city of Houston has had so few pro sports championships. I still remember the back-to-back Clutch City years for the Houston Rockets. I recall the Houston Comets being the first WNBA dynasty. Two years in Houston, two championships for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. I just want Houston sports to really flourish rather than always be among the "pathetic sports cities" year after year.

A Quick Shout-Out...

I want to quickly shout out to Bob Ford Productions down in Galveston for complimenting me on the kind words I've made about him. Bob Ford is the PA announcer who can be heard during Astros' home games. He also does voice-overs for a variety of FOX Sports stations as well as for Houston PBS among others. For more information on Bob Ford, please visit www.bobfordproductions.com.





One last time- my Astros may have been terrible this season... but they're still my team. Some seasons just don't work out. I just hope we don't have as disappointing season like this ever again. That's even if we have to fire Ed Wade (or a bunch of other people) just to be any real contender again. Thank you for reading!

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