What's your favorite team?

It happens all the time. I meet someone, we talk, the conversation turns to sports (as most of my conversations eventually do), the other person's eyes light up, "Oh really? You like sports?" Yes. "You play fantasy?" Yes. "You do projections for fantasy football?" Yes. "You joined a fantasy baseball league so you could support your son who wanted to play fantasy baseball for the first time?" Yes. "You wrote a book about fantasy sports?" Yes again. "So, what's your favorite football team?" I dread this question. Ummmmm. Wellllllll. Hmmmmmm. See, I really just love football. I don't have a favorite team. "You must have a favorite team". No, I really don't. I love this game, I'll watch anyone play any time, and sometimes cheer for both sides. It's like a dark confession. I know I'm letting this person down. "No, it's impossible. You can't really be a sports fan if you don't have a favorite team." Sometimes the person will make me offers. "What about the Bills? Buffalo isn't so far from Rochester (my hometown). Or the Giants? New York is New York." Oh well, I hadn't considered that, there you go. Problem solved, I'll be a Giants fan. Thanks so much, dude, is what I might think at this point. But I nod, smile, and say out loud, Yeah, maybe. So the other person can at least feel hopeful that my poor little sports soul may yet be saved.

I teach about favoritism in one of my classes on animal behavior. It's seen all the time in nature, one or both parents single out and give special treatment to one of their offspring. Most species "favorite" the strongest child, the one most likely to survive, attract a high quality mate, and pass on the family genes to another generation. Infrequently, the weakest sibling is favored and perhaps the extra attention boosts the survival probability, thus providing the parents with several offspring capable of extending the lineage. Time Magazine did a big story on favoritism in our species, arguing that all parents have a favorite child, differing only in the extent to which they showed it. A strong case was made that no matter how well the parents thought they were doing at hiding their favoritism, the children all knew the score. From birds to baboons, rodents to humans, it seems like picking a favorite is part of life.

Why, I wonder. Why champion one over all others? Why is this behavior so pervasive? Think about how often you get asked about your favorite things. In my profile I've answered the questions about favorite band, movie, etc. but I've been a bit disingenuous. These are my current favorites. They are subject to change. I don't have an all time favorite movie, book, band, or even color. And I don't have a favorite football team. There are teams I like more than others, but again, it changes from year to year. It would seem that people pick a favorite to champion because when that selection succeeds, there is a rush of positive reinforcement. I mean, this is why gambling is so popular-the mental reward equals the monetary reward when you win. As you'll see if you read me often enough, the answer to why do we do something usually comes back to the reward circuitry in our brains. When this circuitry is activated, by drugs, sex, food, and even winning, a chemical called dopamine is released and we experience pleasure. But picking a favorite team FOR LIFE is quite a different matter. The reward is still there, if you picked wisely, although it is often delayed. You willingly take on years of disappointment and dashed hopes when you pick a favorite team. The rewards of loyal fandom must go beyond winning championships then, because most teams lose. You have memories of winning seasons, you have hope for the future. There was a study from a few years ago about the happiest people in the world. It found that they are those who have things to look forward to, who anticipate and plan for future good times. I think a lot of them must be Bills fans... Loyal fans also have companionship. They have other passionate people that feel the same way about a team with whom they celebrate victories large and small, or commiserate losses and hardships. Most cities have bars that collect fans of certain teams, particularly when there isn't a "home team". Fans can come together from all walks of life and face the Sunday battlefields shoulder to shoulder as allies vs a common foe. Geography is probably the number one reason people have a favorite team. Here's a really fun look at the role of geography in fan loyalty from Deadspin:  http://deadspin.com/5980852/who-is-americas-favorite-nfl-team-facebook-data-offer-a-clear-winner. Cheering for the home team makes finding allies easy, feeding into some of the reinforcement I mentioned above.

I like to gamble. I like to win. I like to be right as much as the next guy. You could say that by not having a favorite team I have the chance to reap those feel good moments more often than most fans, since I care about every game (though I have to say Thursday Night Football did a pretty good job of trying to prove me wrong on this point last year). I'm just not putting all my eggs in one basket. Trust me, some baskets are empty and will stay empty. I have a few least favorite teams, but even those are not totally set in stone. The Oakland Raiders came off the hate list, for example. Some baskets will be more full than others this year too. By the end of the preseason I'll have my 2013 "Favorite Teams" in mind. Two years ago I picked Detroit, last year Seattle was my team to watch. This year I'll be checking out Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and the Bills very closely. I try to pick teams that have done interesting things in the past year and are poised to break out of the rut they've been in. Because my favorite thing is when football succeeds. When coaching and skilled players come together to execute game plans and injuries don't get in the way, it doesn't matter the color of the uniform or the name of the city, that's a win.