Are you a Dirk or Mavs fan? - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

pkdumas · 04-03-2010, 11:55 PM

Just curious who is a Mavs fan because of Dirk and who is a Dirk fan because of the Mavs. Personally, I would "go with" him if he got traded. It would be nice to seem him surrounded by more NBA-caliber athletes and less veteran jumpshooters. I did live in Dallas for Dirk's first few years, but I'm definitely a Mavs fan because of him (and Nash).

Flacolaco · 04-04-2010, 12:04 AM

I root for the laundry. Because of my geographic circumstances. Like a real fan.

That Dirk is here makes it that much better. So very much better.

If he left, would I like to see him do well? Sure. (If he were with a team I don't hate. Which is a small list.)

pkdumas · 04-04-2010, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

I root for the laundry. Because of my geographic circumstances. Like a real fan.

That Dirk is here makes it that much better. So very much better.

If he left, would I like to see him do well? Sure. (If he were with a team I don't hate. Which is a small list.)

I appreciate what you're saying, especially if you live in Dallas, but I personally save my "laundry" loyalty for college sports. NBA... it's a business, so I like to pull for something I can emotionally invest in (I do always start with underdogs). I was a Sonics fan in throughout the 90s. Mavs fan for the last ten years. We'll see where this goes...

rabbitproof · 04-04-2010, 12:10 AM

The litmus test is if Dirk left today, joined your least favorite team today tomorrow and then played the Mavericks the day after, who would you root for?

Dirk is my favorite athlete of all-time but I'm a team guy.

pkdumas · 04-04-2010, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabbitproof

The litmus test is if Dirk left today, joined your least favorite team today tomorrow and then played the Mavericks the day after, who would you root for?

Dirk is my favorite athlete of all-time but I'm a team guy.

It would be tough to see Dirk give up like Pau did and join the establishment. But it would be cool to see Dirk take a young team with potential over the top.

aurelino9 · 04-04-2010, 12:26 AM

Kidd fan first, Dallas fan second.

Mavs Maniac · 04-04-2010, 12:40 AM

I'm a Dirk fan BECAUSE I am a Mavs Fan!

jcm28 · 04-04-2010, 12:49 AM

I became a Mavs fan because of Dirk, but i'll keep being a Mavs fan and keep reading this forum even if he leaves/retire.

bernardos70 · 04-04-2010, 01:12 AM

Tough call. My genes are that of a Brazilian Soccer fan: I cannot deny the team. Sure, Dirk is the reason I watch at all in the first place........ but I"ll still be Mavs fan forever. I hope he retires a Mav and remains involved in some capacity with the organization, although he doesn't seem like that type that would. Dirk is awesome.

left texas · 04-04-2010, 05:07 AM

I love Dirk, but I watched the Mavs for a long time before Dirk got here and will watch them for a long time after he leaves.

ghazi · 04-04-2010, 05:19 AM

Ive been a Mavs fan for 8 years and Dirk's been a constant during these 8 years. If Dirk was traded in the 2nd year I would've still remained a Mavs fan and perhaps wouldn't have had as great an appreciation for Dirk as I do, now if Dirk was traded or retired I would still be a Mavs fan but I can't say there wouldn't be an emotional withdrawal from the franchise. I feel like this is just natural. If Dirk was traded to another team I would definitely have a rooting interest in that team as well. I wanna see the Mavs win a championship but would feel great joy to watch Dirk win a title as well, even if in a different uniform.

I don't think this makes me a bad or bandwagon fan, I really do (somewhat irrationally) feel pain when the Mavs lose and joy when the Mavs win. I really do root for them and try to watch every minute I can. Isn't that what being a fan is?

mary · 04-04-2010, 08:07 AM

I'll gladly lead the pansy contingent.

This is like one of those "What would you do if you were walking down a dark alley and someone jumped out and pulled a gun on you?"...or "You're walking along, and your husband and your dog are both drowning, but you can only save one of them" type deals.

I'll just have to wait and see when it happens, but I find it highly unlikely that I would be able to turn my fandome off for either one of them.

jthig32 · 04-04-2010, 08:31 AM

Are there really that many people on this site that didn't root for the Mavs before Dirk was here?

Wow.

Usually Lurkin · 04-04-2010, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthig32

Are there really that many people on this site that didn't root for the Mavs before Dirk was here?

Wow.

It's been a whole decade. If you are in your twenties, then that is a significant portion of your life. IOW, maybe you are old.

Murphy3 · 04-04-2010, 08:40 AM

I'm kinda with Mary on this one. I was a Mavs fan long before Dirk came along. However, if he were traded, I would instant become a huge fan of whatever team he was on. Yes, the Mavs would still be my favorite but only by a thin margin.

dude1394 · 04-04-2010, 08:41 AM

I was completely out on the nba after watching snack/barkley use their considerable butts to foul defenders while they backed 'em down. Cubes/dirk/little stevie brought me back into being a mavs fan (good grief it's become an obsession).

However if dirk left tommorrow and it was his team winning a championship versus the mavs, I'd pick dirk to get it. I would also be surprised if I continued to have such an obsession about it, maybe I could finally get on with my life.

jthig32 · 04-04-2010, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

It's been a whole decade. If you are in your twenties, then that is a significant portion of your life. IOW, maybe you are old.

Nope. I'm in my twenties.

Usually Lurkin · 04-04-2010, 08:42 AM

For me, it's a matter of emotional investment.
It's easy to know that I'm a Mavs fan because if Dirk has a bad game or 2 or 3, then "eh, oh well, he'll do better soon." If the Mavs have a bad game or 2 or 3, then I'm ticked of to no end, and my days are not only ruined, but get progressively worse until they play well again. Same on the other side. If Dirk has a great game or 2 or 3, then "woo hoo. I love watching that guy play," but when the Mavs a good game or 2 or 3, then everything is right in the world.

Usually Lurkin · 04-04-2010, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthig32

Nope. I'm in my twenties.

Were you rooting for the Mavs when you were that young, or were you including yourself in your "are there really. . ." post above?

jthig32 · 04-04-2010, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

Were you rooting for the Mavs when you were that young, or were you including yourself in your "are there really. . ." post above?

My obsession with the Mavs began with Kidd's rookie year and hasn't slowed down one bit since.

xrobx · 04-04-2010, 09:45 AM

i'm a kentucky fan who started rooting for the mavs because they drafted jamal mashburn, that's when i first started watching the nba, and the mavs have always been and will always be my favorite team.

Underdog · 04-04-2010, 09:58 AM

I'm a David Stern fan...

Where's the option to vote for him?

Bayliss · 04-04-2010, 10:55 AM

My fandom with basketball started with Bird. I wasn't a fan of the Mavs in the 80's. But in the early 90's (when Larry retired) I quit watching the Celtics... and started watching the Mavs. And it was partly Kidd. But it was the young talent that really got me hooked. Guys like Tony Dumas, Donald Hodge, etc.

Been watching them ever since.

Of course, Dirk became my favorite player after the "dunk." The moment that he had officially arrived.

Dtownsfinest · 04-04-2010, 11:44 AM

I was a Mavs fan before Dirk and I'll be one after him. It's funny I remember going to the Mavs hoop camp when I was younger and Dirk attended one of our camps. I don't recall him speaking a lick of English. It was pretty nice to shoot around with him. Never imagined he would be the face of the franchise for years to come.

I'm a fan of Dirk the player but I wouldn't lose sleep over his departure. Finley and Nash were my favorite players to ever wear a Mavs uniform but I'm a Dallas fan first.

Dirkules41 · 04-04-2010, 11:53 AM

Im a Dirk fan! Became a Mavs fan because of Dirk and I dont know what will happen if Dirk leaves the Mavs to another team! I just hope he will play for the Mavs until he retires!

AO41 · 04-04-2010, 12:03 PM

I would still like Dirk...but I could never root for the Lakers even if he was on that team...for example.

The BIG 3 got me into the Mavs and been a fan ever since. There are other individual players that I am a fan off and if they are on teams I dont like I dont really root for them.

Murphy3 · 04-04-2010, 12:35 PM

I've been a big Mavs fan since shortly before the arrival of the 3 J's...

Dim499 · 04-04-2010, 12:49 PM

I used to be a big NBA fan since I was single digits, started liking the Allen Houston, Starks, kneeless Ewing Knicks a little, always hated Detlef Schrempf like the plague. Never really had a team until Dirk came into the league and I got obsessed.

Thought about this quite a bit, but when he retires I will probably root for him to stay the best Mav ever and hope the Mavs never make the playoffs again to illustrate to Dallasites that they didn't know what they had til it was gone.
But more likely I'll stay attached to Roddy and company and still cheer for those guys until eternity. Who knows.
I really hope I will be able to stop following this crooked league when Dirk's gone. I kind of hate myself for it. Such a time waste. =)

rabbitproof · 04-04-2010, 01:00 PM

This is crazy to me at first glance, meaning that 40%+ of this site would drop off or care about the Mavs signicantly less if Dirk retired or got traded. But I suppose this is what 10x50 preceding the worst sports franchise of the decade will do to a team's fanbase.

fluid.forty.one · 04-04-2010, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

I root for the laundry. Because of my geographic circumstances. Like a real fan.

...

Anyway, I love Dirk and Nash/Dirk were the reasons I became a Mavs fans when I was about 13, but I'm a Mavericks fan through and through. I actually think I liked Nash more than Dirk before he left and now I despise him. I loved Devin Harris and I lost all emotional investment when he left.

I don't think we will ever see Dirk play for another team, but I hope he does very well if he decides to.... except against the Mavs.

fluid.forty.one · 04-04-2010, 01:21 PM

This is why I think the "geographic circumstances" being all-important is bullsh*t. I hate the Blazers. I have ever since Sebonis and Grant left. Just because they are the closest team to me (even though its a different state) I have to like them/root for them? It's not like I'm switching from team to team. Ever since I joined this site 4 years ago (and lurked since about 2003) I have been on this site for an hour or more a day. I think about the Mavs constantly through each day. Every single game can affect the mood of my whole day. I live and breathe Mavericks basketball and it's the only team in professional sports that can move me so much. I will be a Mavericks fan until the day I die.

So I'm considered less of a fan than someone who lives 15 miles away from Dallas and watches maybe 10 or less games a year?

I'm not even sure why I'm arguing it because I know anyone lucky enough to live close to this awesome team will always toot this horn, but in the mean time I promise you I'll enjoy the highs and feel the lows just as much as anyone here.

Dirkgreatness · 04-04-2010, 01:34 PM

Dirk actually got me into watching the mavs and actually basketball in general. That 02-03 team was awesome, I remember it like it was yeaterday. Before that, I wasn't much of a sports fan to be honest. I was the typical soccer playing mexican kid lol.

Dirkules41 · 04-04-2010, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dim499

Thought about this quite a bit, but when he retires I will probably root for him to stay the best Mav ever and hope the Mavs never make the playoffs again to illustrate to Dallasites that they didn't know what they had til it was gone.

Thought about that one too, would be hard to see someone taking Dirks rekords or winning a championschip with the Mavs if Dirk couldn't do it! I think there are few Mavs fans who dont know what the have in Dirk and make him responcible for losing or not winning titles!

Dirkgreatness · 04-04-2010, 01:38 PM

Oh and i would still root for the mavs if Dirk left. I'd still follow Dirk somewhat but I'm a mavs fan first then a Dirk fan.

esoteric562 · 04-04-2010, 03:14 PM

just like when nash left, i would still root for the mavs! but i would root for nash when he plays other teams lol.

Nowitzki4President · 04-04-2010, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthig32

Are there really that many people on this site that didn't root for the Mavs before Dirk was here?

Wow.

Well, I'm 16 and have been a Mavs fan since the age of 6... When I found out what a basketball was. But as for the older folk here that became fans when Dirk was here, I don't really blame them. I mean, who would want to root for the Dallas Clippers when you have the Dallas Cowboys? Seemed like unnecessary stress.

nowhereman · 04-04-2010, 07:56 PM

I started following the mavs at the end of the lockout year/ Dirk's rookie season. My favorite Mavs in order were Ceballos, Finley, Nowitzki.

It seems conceptually impossible for me to have one without the other.

Dirkadirkastan · 04-04-2010, 08:05 PM

I'm a Mark Cuban fan first and foremost. I assume I'll bolt outta here for the Cubs at some point.

rabbitproof · 04-04-2010, 08:18 PM

Flaco is just insecure, f41. I think you're more involved with the Mavs than a lot of people in Dallas.

In some respects, it means more to maintain an outside allegiance in enemy territory.

92bDad · 04-04-2010, 09:46 PM

I grew up a Mavs fan...and have been fortunate to see Dirk spend his career in Dallas.

Hopefully, soon he can get his Championship with the Mavs...no doubt, that would make the old Karl Malone fans CRAZY!!!

Dirk with a better career than the "Mailman" ... of course without a title, the Mavs fall into the same category as the Utah Jazz...just another good team that simply couldn't close the deal.

Nothing would frustrate me more...in sports, than for a winning/non-title legacy!!!

Would I follow Dirk if he was traded?

Let's see, I currently dislike Steve Nash, Michael Finley, etc...so as far as I'm concerned, I'm a Mavs fan and when a player moves to another team for whatever reason, they become the enemy.

That's why I laughed with Emmitt Smith went to the Cardinals, and in the game he played against Dallas he finished with NEGATIVE YARDAGE!!! Felt sorry for him regarding the injury, but enjoyed seeing him SUCK it up against the Boys!!!

I'm a Team first type of fan!!!

That being said, I would hate to see Dirk go anywhere else, but if he did, and the Mavs were out of the playoffs, I would no doubt be rooting for Dirk to get his ring!!!

For the record, my fan days with the Mavs goes back to the mid 80's...yes, I remember Brad Davis the player, Rolando Blackman the player, Derek Harper the player...Mark Aguire, James Donaldson...and the frustrations of Roy Tarpley!!!

Before this 10 year run of the post-season, I was at Reunion for the last playoff series in which the Mavs Lost...and I remember the hope of the 3 J's...I was stationed in Germany during that time, and with the Glory of the Cowboys, I was talkin BIG smack when the 3 J's started off...the Mavs had a good run the first week or so...then things went to crap.

Then we move the past 10 years...it's been a fun ride and one that I greatly appreciate as a fan. They've brought us to the finals, and Dirk is the MVP of this organization...while no doubt Cuban has been beyond amazing as an owner. Saddly, they were not able to do what Jerry did with the Cowboys after that ownership transition...but perhaps the 2nd 10 years will be better than Jerry's 2nd 10?

Enjoy the ride friends...with or without Dirk...Team loyalty as a fan is more rewarding than bandwagoning with players!!!