Where did your favorite team get its nickname?
By the way, the two best teams are the
San Francisco 49ers and the
These results are as of January 1967, when the first Super Bowl was played. NFL Championship games have been played since the 1920s. The AFL came into existence in the 1960s. The first 4 Super Bowls were played between the champions from each league. In 1970, the two leagues merged, and formed one league with two conferences — the NFC and AFC.
My family has always had a love of baseball. The earliest World Series I remember watching, was in 1979. Our family was rooting for the Pirates to beat the Orioles. We never really had a “family” team we followed, but usually rooted for the underdog. Sometimes, we would pick a team in the playoffs that we liked watching, or who we thought deserved to win, and then we would root for them. I have personally been following the Red Sox since the late 80s, and fell in love with the “curse” legend about Boston. In 2004, it was magical to see them go on the run they did and break the 86 year-old “curse”. In the National League, I probably follow the San Francisco Giants the most. I just enjoy the game, whoever happens to be playing.
The first Series was played in 1903 with the Boston Americans (Red Sox) beating the Pittsburgh Pirates. The following year, the New York Giants refused to play Boston, so there was no Series. The only other time there has not been a Series, was in 1994 due to a players’ strike which ended the season in mid-August of that year.
Growing up in the town I did, it was impossible to not like basketball. I still enjoy it greatly, although I haven’t followed the NBA closely in many years. I followed it closely throughout the 80s, and into the 90s before tiring of it. I was one of the few kids in my school who would root for teams like the Celtics and Pistons instead of the Bulls and Lakers. I can also say I have liked the Duke Blue Devils since the mid 80s before they had won anything. Pick a team, and stick with them people. Bandwagonners drive me crazy.
I have followed tennis for many years, and particularly enjoy watching the 4 “Grand Slam” tournaments that are held throughout the year.
The French Open is held in late May and early June, and is played on a clay surface. Some in the sport consider it the most grueling of the slams because of the slowness of the surface that takes away the “big serve” advantage of some players.
Wimbledon is the oldest of the “Grand Slams”, dating back to 1877, and is still played on the original tennis surface, that of grass. Many people consider it the most prestigious tournament in the world.
The U. S. Open has been played on grass, clay, and since the 1970s, hard courts. It is famous for playing night matches, having the largest tennis stadium in the world, and having a winner-take-all fifth-set tiebreaker. It’s hard surface is designed for the tennis balls to travel faster with less bounce.
For tons of information about the history of Grand Slam Tennis, go HERE.
