Do I let my 6-yo son become a 9er fan?

[Seahawkfan80]

Preface this....I have a friend that is retired military as I am and we were stationed at the same location. Military has multitudes of people from differing locations...therefore different teams are normal for us.

That said, Due to me and a few others, his boy became a Seahawk fan. He is a niner fan. Me and his boy met again a couple years back at a Niner game and he picked up a free Niner Banner for his dad. It is all how you approach the situation and be kind and considerate.

Shower him with the team colors you want him to be a fan of. And if it does not work...Let it go.

 

[kobebryant]

Yep, gotta let it happen organically.

And in terms of gear the 49ers colors and look is one of the best in sports.

Socially, it is probably more important to have teams in common with your peers than with your folks.

 

[ivotuk]

I was a 49er fan in the Joe Montana days. I loved that guy, he was so unflappable. And there was something about the way he seemed so average, yet played so elite that was appealing.

I also enjoyed Bill Walsh's style of offense, and was always surprised at how good their defense was. I believe it was because like Pete Carroll, they "made" elite defensive players out of guys who had the talent, but without the proper coaching, never would have realized it.

I'm a firm believer that players like Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner, and KJ Wright would never have reached their full potential had they played for anyone else. Pete saw what was in them, gave them a shot, and allowed them to become who they were. That's what I saw in SF. A lot of those now great players were not great to begin with. But they were allowed to become great. And shown how to get there. Not told, but shown.

But then SF traded "Joltin' Joe" and I became a Chiefs fan. If he hadn't gotten hurt, I believe he would have taken KC to the Superbowl. I remember Bill Walsh talking about watching Joe at Notre Dame, "He had the best feet I'd ever seen."

That's quite a compliment.

But after that, and once Seattle moved to the NFCW, my ire moved from Oakland and Denver, to SF, the Rams, and AZ.

One thing of note, this has been one of the BEST divisions in the NFL for a long time now. Every team in this division has been to at least one Superbowl, and 3 of them have won it. I still feel bad for Kurt Warner and AZ. Big Kurt Warner fan.

 

[UK_Seahawk]

Surely he cant be a 49er fan as he actually knows who is dad is?

 

[chris98251]

Surely he cant be a 49er fan as he actually knows who is dad is?

Wrong side of the bay.

49ers are Techies, their issue is they never leave their laptops long enough to have kids.

 

[JGfromtheNW]

You can let it happen if you're ok with us calling CPS on you.

 

[LastRideOut]

Interesting thread. My son was born into this family so by birth, he is a Seahawks fan. No two ways about it.

He is 11 now, and is likely a bigger fan of the Seahawks than I am. He gets real upset when they lose, and walks with a swagger in school the next day when they win. He lives and dies by the Seahawks. Shoot, he has action figures of Alexander, Lynch, Wilson, and Sherm on his desk in his bedroom. He also watches Seahawk highlights on youtube through the year, not just during the season.

Wasn't that hard for him to become a Seahawks fan. Don't overthink this.

 

[IndyHawk]

I was about 6 when I went to my first Hawks game in the Dome
I was hooked by all that energy so it was easy for me to decide.
My dad took me to that game but he was a Bears fan then but
we became Hawks fans together that day in the Hawks first
season.
I say you have to let him choose but take him to Seattle first :2thumbs:

 

[Popeyejones]

A few thoughts:

(1) Fully agreed with Marvin that the 9ers are the Bay Area's team for a whole generation (I grew up in the East Bay when the Raiders were in Los Angeles), and that the cavalry of really die hard 9ers fans mostly come from this time period too.

The team was so bad for about a decade (say 2001 to 2011 roughly) that there was maybe only 50% fandom adoption from kids who were picking teams. The Giants were GOOD. The Warriors were AMAZING. Kids, in deciding which teams they're gonna fall in love with, are obviously gonna pick the winners. This was absolutely no different for me as a kid when I became a diehard 49ers and A's fan -- and those are the two major fandoms formed in my childhood that I still maintain, even as those teams having gone through long spells of sucking.

For the last five years it's basically been impossible to find an 8-12 year old within a 100 mile radius who isn't decked out in Warriors gear. They'll stay Warriors fans through thin years too. It's just the way it is. The Hawks have built up a ton of young lifelong fans since 2012 I'd imagine too -- kids who coulda ended up as die hard Mariners fans are now life long die hard Hawks fans.


(2) I don't think the move to Santa Clara is really what's going on with anything, but rather, the move to Santa Clara happened somewhat concurrently with MASSIVE changes to SF, the South Bay, and East Bay.

There's always been *some of this* but the Bay Area is now basically Los Angeles: an entire region of transplants with wildly diverse rooting interests from all across the country, and with a ton of people who grew up in the area not being able to afford to stay (they're getting pushed out to places like Stockton at the closest, and really getting scattered away all across the country). Transplants will adopt winners (see the Warriors fandom), but basically just ignore the existence of local teams that aren't front runners.

At the end of the day the lack of 9ers fans around (which I've seen too when I go back home) has WAY more to do with changes to the Bay Area than it does the 9ers or their stadium.

FWIW though I loved growing up in the Bay Area, and now can't stand the place. :lol:

 

[Popeyejones]

Oh, and as for the actual question, the problem with kids is that in the long run they're going to do what they want to do. :lol:

I don't even live in the U.S. anymore and my five year old daughter roots for the 9ers simple because she has no idea what the hell is going on and I root for the 9ers. She has a Frank Gore jersey, but again, I'm just kind of going with the flow on it. She's expressed some interest in local teams and sports because her friends are into them, so I just support that too. :2thumbs:

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

There's always been *some of this* but the Bay Area is now basically Los Angeles: an entire region of transplants with wildly diverse rooting interests from all across the country, and with a ton of people who grew up in the area not being able to afford to stay (they're getting pushed out to places like Stockton at the closest, and really getting scattered away all across the country). Transplants will adopt winners (see the Warriors fandom), but basically just ignore the existence of local teams that aren't front runners.

While this is all true, it is most true for those fans who aren't invested in the sport itself.

If you are, the most available way to get games is on the local market, which you can do even without cable, or just with an AM radio. The local sports coverage you'll listen to will mostly be those markets. You go to the gas station or to the mall, the merch there is going to be 90 percent local teams.

So I'd expect people to gravitate toward the local teams, especially if those teams are the only ones the kid is seeing despite the record. I'd encourage Dad to invest in Sunday Ticket or Gamepass that he and the kid can both watch on their TV.

As far as the prospect of kids getting bullied for this, for reasons that Popeye said, I think it's not that likely here even if it is the Hawks. It could happen though. Kids are notorious for torturing others for bad reasons.

 

[Popeyejones]

^^^ Yeah, absolutely.

In a funny way I think it's as likely in the next ten years or so that I end becoming a half-fan of the local teams BECAUSE OF MY KID as my kid ends up becoming a half fan of my favorite non-local teams because of me. :lol:

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

Popeye? I don't know your history (outside of your board history), but I would put the odds of you transitioning fandoms as extremely low.

You sound like someone who came of age w/the 9ers. Maybe when you were younger, you saw them practicing in Redwood City or your PeeWee team got brought to Candlestick for some honorary event. In my experience, this is what makes young fans stay even through the thinnest of years. That and being with their parents watching when an especially explosive play came down.

 

[stang233]

It is more about the love of the game. Everyone has to have a team. Let the team come naturally. Let him root for whatever football team he wants. Help him build that foundation of respect and desire to root, cheer and even play footbal soon. It's all about the game!!!

 

[Marvin49]

A few thoughts:

(1) Fully agreed with Marvin that the 9ers are the Bay Area's team for a whole generation (I grew up in the East Bay when the Raiders were in Los Angeles), and that the cavalry of really die hard 9ers fans mostly come from this time period too.

The team was so bad for about a decade (say 2001 to 2011 roughly) that there was maybe only 50% fandom adoption from kids who were picking teams. The Giants were GOOD. The Warriors were AMAZING. Kids, in deciding which teams they're gonna fall in love with, are obviously gonna pick the winners. This was absolutely no different for me as a kid when I became a diehard 49ers and A's fan -- and those are the two major fandoms formed in my childhood that I still maintain, even as those teams having gone through long spells of sucking.

For the last five years it's basically been impossible to find an 8-12 year old within a 100 mile radius who isn't decked out in Warriors gear. They'll stay Warriors fans through thin years too. It's just the way it is. The Hawks have built up a ton of young lifelong fans since 2012 I'd imagine too -- kids who coulda ended up as die hard Mariners fans are now life long die hard Hawks fans.


(2) I don't think the move to Santa Clara is really what's going on with anything, but rather, the move to Santa Clara happened somewhat concurrently with MASSIVE changes to SF, the South Bay, and East Bay.

There's always been *some of this* but the Bay Area is now basically Los Angeles: an entire region of transplants with wildly diverse rooting interests from all across the country, and with a ton of people who grew up in the area not being able to afford to stay (they're getting pushed out to places like Stockton at the closest, and really getting scattered away all across the country). Transplants will adopt winners (see the Warriors fandom), but basically just ignore the existence of local teams that aren't front runners.

At the end of the day the lack of 9ers fans around (which I've seen too when I go back home) has WAY more to do with changes to the Bay Area than it does the 9ers or their stadium.

FWIW though I loved growing up in the Bay Area, and now can't stand the place. :lol:

Wow. Really? I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. 3 hours from snow, 45 minutes from beach.

Weird part is that I almost never make it into the city. SF itself holds no power over me.

Downside to the area is cost of living which has driven several of my friends out to Tracy and another to Virginia, but thankfully I bought my house young so rent/mortgage is a lot less than if I were buying now.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

Of course you "let" him. Can't choose who you love, right? That being said, with a proper Seahawks home environment, it should never be in any doubt.

 

[RolandDeschain]

While I don't support being a fan of the 49ers in general, I also don't support nationalism. Being pro-something by virtue of your physical location isn't a valid reason by itself to be a fan of something, though it's why almost all of us (and every other fan of every other team) is a fan of their team, myself included.

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

While I don't support being a fan of the 49ers in general, I also don't support nationalism. Being pro-something by virtue of your physical location isn't a valid reason by itself to be a fan of something, though it's why almost all of us (and every other fan of every other team) is a fan of their team, myself included.

I think if you grow up in an area, you're predisposed to be a fan of the team just because of the local media saturation and that among your peers if you care about sports at all. I also think parental intervention (even if this is just expressing a different view) can change or dissuade this.

Case in point, I grew up in Broncoland. I did not care for sports at all, nor did my parents, but remember fully the Cowboys beating them, and remember all the "Yee Haws" from Cowboy fans coming in to where I was skiing. To this day, even as I shifted my extremely weak allegiance toward Denver, I have retained my resentment and hate for anything Cowboys.

So with that, I think the stakes go way up if there is another SEA/SF NFCCG.

 

[Mad Dog]

There are only a few ways a child can lose his way and screw up his/her life:
1) Drug addiction
2) Teen pregnancy
3) Gang membership
4) 49er fandom

I'm sorry the child will be sorely tempted growing up in the Bay area. May he resist temptation and not lose his way.
We can only pray for his soul here at .net

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

If Dad gets Sunday Ticket and reps Hawks at home, if the kid plays PeeWee, I doubt this stays the situation for long.

When I was this kid's age, the voting ticket was McGovern vs. Nixon. The whole block was for McGovern (this was Boulder) but my parents were for Nixon, so I was too. These days I don't have a political party, but I'm not bashful for saying why. Such an early experience makes one stick up for oneself.

Like others have said, it's less and less likely that you'll have strong parental involvement. Most parents aren't that invested in their own rooting activity. This kid can still be saved with Sunday ticket and maybe a birthday party where everyone gets a Halloween-sized Skittles bag to take home.