1 Comments

1. 

   I loved this podcast. It's especially nice for someone like me, who is not originally from Portland and didn't grow up with the Blazers like many of you did so getting a better grasp on the emotions that two long-time fans had been through was very nice. At the end of it, I found myself thinking about how came to be a Blazers fan, and here it is.
   
   I grew up in Chicago during the Bulls dynasty and that's where all my early basketball knowledge is at. I followed them but was never a true fan of the team, and by some accidental stroke I chose to become a fan of the Dallas Mavericks, since I looked at the standings and saw this team that won 15 games as opposed to the Bulls 72, and I'm like... well nobody is going to be a fan of them, so I'll pick them. And for 10 years I rooted for them, but as their title run came along I realized that the one thing I liked about the team was Don Nelson's coaching style, and when they lost that and were just left with a boring (albeit successful) team, along with Mark Cuban's urge to make drastic trades at the drop of a hat... I fell out of love with the Mavericks and my fandom was up-for-grabs. It was also at this time that I developed a fascination with Northwest culture and decided to go to Portland State for school, so there were a lot of changes in my life in 2006.
   
   Throughout the 2005-06 College season I had followed Gonzaga, as I loved Adam Morrison, and I loved his passion and heard about the "Draft the Stache" campaign in Portland and got behind the team since I was going to be moving there and my favorite player was going to be playing there for sure. Well, luckily for the team, they were smarter than me and ended up getting Roy and Aldridge as opposed to Morrison.
   
   Ever since then, I've been a die-hard fan of the Blazers in every respect. Games at the Rose Garden have by-far the best crowd atmosphere I've ever been a part of. This is contrast to the many, many Bulls games I've been to over the years; you can just feel something in the air when the Blazers hit the court at home, and I love that. Everything just feels right with this team, and I know that although I have switched teams before, now that I understand the history of this franchise and because I came to be a fan at just the right moment, that I am hooked for life. I have never been as passionate about my fandom for any other team, as I am right now with the Blazers. They will always be my team.

   by Drrn Richardson on 9/10/2010 3:58 PM