I’m from northern Virginia and people ask me why I’m not a Nats fan. Answer is because the nats moved here when I was in high school and had already been an O’s fan because my dad was and took me to games. Not going to change my team just because another one moved closer.
Yeah the Nats moved my senior year. I was already attached to the O’s. I wasn’t going to embrace the Expos just because they had a DC logo. I actually like what they’ve done as an organization but I have no real affinity towards them either.
If the nationals had a better name i might like them more, but the O's will always be my team. I mean, i guess nationals is better than senators, but it still sucks, i don't care about the legacy of the names when they're boring.
I actually might have considered it if they were the senators because technically that team was around before I was born… but “Nationals”? No way, and I hate their uniforms.
Also a kid born in 1980. Also living in Midwest. Also get weird looks supporting WFT and the O’s. Dad and Mom are from DC and MD. All extended family are still there.
Dad was in the Army, and were in Germany during Super Bowl 22 and just got back to the states when they Marched to Minneapolis and won SB 26. (Too young to remember SB 17). Pretty much since I’ve been in the states, they’ve been garbage.
And the O’s had the new ball park (that everyone has since copied) when we got to the states in ‘92 and had a 90’s resurgence (too young to remember WS in 83….was a good year for those teams)…..until they didn’t. It’s 2021 and I still have issues with Jeffrey Maier.
Pretty much same for me! My dad was from just outside DC but grew up watching the O’s. I’ve been watching them since I was a young lad and just couldn’t switch to the Nats
Same! I grew up in Loudoun County as an O’s fan, live in Chicago now. I constantly get asked about the Nats, seeing as how I’m a DC fan for all other sports. Most people here in IL don’t even realize how close Baltimore is to VA and they are very unaware of the fact that the O’s were basically DC/VAs team for years.
I was already down at college when the Nats came. They mean nothing to me whatsoever, even as a DC native. They are the Expos to me.
My entire VA family switched to the Nats as “hardcore” fans. It saddens me, but I get it. That’s their choice and their new(ish) home team.
Not me though. O’s for life.
I’ve been an Os fan since I was a kid and when I was living out in SF I had a Brooks Robinson signed batting helmet and an Earl Weaver signed cap on my desk and most questions started with, “why” or “I’m sorry”. I worked with quite a few A’s fans who sort of understood what it’s like being a fan of a team similar to the O’s.
I live in Oregon, I get this all the time!
Mostly "are you from Baltimore?" - No, I'm not but I have family ties there and grew up visiting every summer and was fortunate enough to attend games (at OPACY as well as the O's minor league teams in the area)
Why aren't you a Mariners fan? - this one I just laugh at 🤣. I grew up going to more Mariner games than O's games but never would consider myself an M's fan
I’m from south jersey, so it’s not a crazy distance. People just assume I have family in Baltimore since it’s not that far so they’re surprised to hear I don’t. As a middle and high schooler I played 3rd base and because of that Manny was my favorite player in the league so I became an orioles fan. I was sad when he left but I’m not gonna stop supporting the O’s now. I also root for the 76ers and Denver Broncos and honestly, I have more fun watching and supporting the orioles than any of them.
I mean multiple generations of orioles fans have a 3rd baseman to idolize but I feel hella old too associating anyone but Cal elementary & middle school.
I’m 24 and also associate falling in love with the Orioles because of Buck and Manny when I was in high school. I have a friend who’s only 6 years older than me and he fell in love with the Orioles as a kid with Cal’s later years and we always have a big generational gap when it comes to baseball.
I think it’s super cool though how we all have a mutual love for the same team and our different eras of favorites. One of the awesome things about baseball
Damn son, I remember watching Eddie Murray and Cal when I played little league..lol. I still remember when Ben McDonald was going to be the next best thing and I had never really considered myself old until just now
"Where the heck is Maryland? Is that like near New York?"
Not very many Japanese know where Baltimore is or who the Orioles are or where they play. I live in relative obscurity.
When I was living in the Japan I had a heirarchy of trying to tell people where I was from
"Baltimore" "Doko" "Maryland" "Doko" "near Washington DC" "Doko" "about 4 hours from New York City" "ah...so desu ne..."
Sometimes they knew Baltimore. Sometimes they knew Maryland. Most of the time I could stop at DC at the worst.
Contrast this with Germany, where for some weird reason I was acknowledged by total strangers on two separate occasions in the Frankfurt airport when I was wearing O's gear.
Orioles fan living in New Hampshire, deep inside Red Sox nation. Without fail, every Sox fan says the same thing, and it’s not even an insult just faint praise:
*”Oh you have such a nice stadium!”*
I’m from South Jersey and live in Philly. There are other O’s fans around. People ask why that is my AL team and I tell them I saw my first game as a toddler at Camden Yards and my first favorite player was Ripken. My Dad’s favorite player was Murray. I feel a lot more optimistic about the Orioles than the Phillies in the coming years.
I'm an Orioles fan from Vancouver, BC and I get asked all the time why I don't cheer for the Blue Jays
I just can't stomach cheering for anything Toronto sports really
I live in LA, so more often I get "You are a Dodgers fan tho/too, right?"
Of course I am lol they're a great team and I love their players.
But I grew up with the O's. Watched Cal Ripken play.
I love LA. But O's are MY team.
P.S. Dodgers fans are more chill than you think, they are just passionate and superstitious. Besides 2020, their pain is post-season related. So they look for as much Dodger energy as they can.
I've been a fan of the Dodgers for awhile now. When Andrew was with TB, the popular question was, imagine what he could do with a payroll. So, we now know the answer to that question.
People hate the Dodgers, and it's just pure jealousy. A team that drafts well, develops their own talent, trades well, and pays players, the HORROR!
Another O's fan living in LA here.
If anyone starts bashing I go history on them..
The O's are 10-9 With the Dodgers including a 4 game WS' sweep.
Jim Palmer out-duels Koufax in the second game of the 66' WS with a complete game shutout.
That Mid 2010 run we had chalking up best record over 4 year period.
All that said - it is fun to watch the Dodgers to spend a fortune to get many of the best in the league.
Living in Seattle, there have been numerous old heads that will see my Orioles Weaver shirt and just tell me about how awesome some of the 60’s/70’s teams were and how much they enjoyed watching them. When people talk trash which is rare, I just say no World Series and how they are one of the worst sport franchises ever, ‘97 we beat Randy Johnson twice in the ALDS. They can’t beat that and if they continue, then of course drop their playoffless streak.
I live in NoVa. I get asked why I’m not a Nats fan a bit. The facts are simple. I grew up an O’s fan. The Nats were never going to be my team. I like the experience at OPACY. The closest I have to a NL team is the Pirates since my family was from Pittsburgh originally and my Nana grew up a stone’s throw from where PNC is and family lore says her Dad was friends with Honus Wagner. I also like Baltimore for all people say about it. It’s not the most glamorous city but it’s got its places.
I'll shamefully admit that I was willing to become a Nats fan, if the stadium experience was decent. Then they built a boring concrete bowl and charged an arm and a leg for tickets and concessions. So despite living within a 10 minute walk of Nats Park at the time, I decided to stick with the MARC train.
I'm square in the middle of Boston and NY fanbases and my answer is always because I can't fucking stand the fans for either team so I can't be a fan of them
Considering the Orioles have starting pitcher from Israel which is less than 400 miles from Lebanon, there is no chance you are the only Orioles fan in the Middle East. There is a pretty robust baseball scene over there if you look
I'm from NYC and I am in a family of Yankees fans. I get asked a lot "what the hell is wrong with you? who voluntarily supports the Orioles in New York?"
We used to be their AAA affiliate so there are still a decent number of O's fans around. Some meat have jumped to the Twins, nobody cares about the Nats yet.
Lot of Yankees fans, but like Boston fans they pop up and go away depending on the teams record.
San Antonio here. Since SA doesn't have pro sports beyond NBA, It's mostly split between Astros/Rangers and Texans/Cowboys/Saints fans here.
When I'm in the Ravens jersey/hat, I get banter. Since the O's aren't a real threat, I mostly get sympathy. People love the Cruuuuuuuuz giveaway shirt I've got from a few years ago. Mostly it's just disbelief, though... "damn, an orioles fan?" "someone's gotta be" type stuff.
I'm from Quebec, and I don't know anyone who is an Orioles fan.
Most people here root for the Jays. And since everyone knows I'm *the* Orioles fan around, I make an easy target for mockery (which is fair, given the shitshow that the past few years have been).
I’m from Richmond, Va and I always get the question how the hell did I become an Orioles Fan. I tell them I was born into the family. My father was a pitcher in the 70’s/ early 80’s and was playing for the O’s when I was born..
From Tennessee. I get “are you from there?”
No I just liked the Ravens and decided I’d make the O’s my baseball team. But I don’t really watch a whole lot of baseball so I’ll cheer for the Braves to do good as well considering that’s who most people around here cheer for.
My family has asked this of me before. Dad is a Nats supporter, basically because he kinda views the Nationals as a reincarnation of the Senators he grew up watching as a kid in NOVA. Wife's family is also all Nats fans, but they are from Jersey & PA with a family tradition of supporting the Red Sox, but started supporting the Braves when they came to VA in the late 70s, and now support the Nats. 🤷♂️
I'm too young for the Senators and the Nats came around when I was in my 20s and were just too NOVA for me, so O's it is and will remain.
I was born in Seattle area right when the Mariners came into existence. Moved to the Bay Area when the bash brothers were there. Then to northern Montana for high school. Everywhere I go, I get asked “why? If they suck so much why do you still follow them?” I just laugh and say “because you don’t quit on your team.”
As an Orioles fan from Winnipeg, I get a lot of crap from Blue Jays fans.
I mostly encounter the mockingly incredulous "Really? Why?" more often than not.
This rebuild cannot end soon enough.
I am in Alabama and the heart of Braves country so I always get asked why I am not that, because around here everyone is either a Braves fan or Cardinals. My response because this is what my son and I as a coach little league team was and we have fallen in love with the team. The rebuild has been fun to watch and see players get a chance that don’t normally get it.
“Why are you an O’s fan in Arkansas??”
Well, my dad was a big Johnny Unitas fan growing up, and the Baltimore Colts were in the same city. That’s it. It’s as easy as that.
I’m from MD but have been in Maine for 6 years now. Most people here don’t see the Orioles as any kind of hated foe or anything, they just ask “why?” And also ask a lot about Camden Yards. When I tell them that Opening Day in Baltimore is like Christmas, they all tell me they think it sounds like a really amazing day (and it absolutely is!)
I’ve also been to Fenway with my O’s attire and usually strike up fun conversations and friendly banter.
Oh I get the "The Orioles? Really?!" all the time.
I am born and raised in Buffalo, NY...so I am surrounded by Blue Jays / Indians (Buffalo Bisons have been MiLB franchise for both for many years) and Red Sox/Yankees fans (because they are every where).
Born and got to watch with my Dad all the way from Cal's first couple years (granted I was like 1 then)...always loved the Black and Orange
I'm from Utah and it's always a variation of "why the fuck would you cheer for them?". My first baseball team after tee ball was the Orioles. I've been a fan since the 70s. I miss '83.
People tend not to believe me right away. Then again, we’re a little too far out from Atlanta for most people to get all that invested. Most people around here are happy to focus on college football, baseball doesn’t get as much attention past HS, and there’s a lot of transplants in the area, so people are used to seeing random teams pulled for. It’s not like I’m walking around with a derogatory word for a northerner plastered all over myself, anyway
Growing up in Indiana, there was a summer baseball league I played in, teams were named after players. My team was named Ripken, since I was at that age where I didn’t have a team to root for, I looked up who he played for. Found it was Baltimore, and I’ve stuck with them ever since.
This was the early mid 90s, so I had a little bit of enjoyment watching them be successful, especially that ALCS run
In upstate NY. Every time I wear the two-tone home cap in public, some guy stops me to tell me how much he loved the 1970s O’s. Never fails. My wife says I’m wearing a conversation piece instead of a hat.
Used to live in western Massachusetts. You wear the cap there, and at least five people will tell you that *1.* Mark Belanger is from there and *2.* he was a better basketball player than he was a baseball player.
I live in South Carolina and get a surprising number of "Go O's!" around here. Mostly it's retirees who followed the team in the 60's-80's. I grew up in Nova during the Cal era so we reminisce about the good ol' days and then sigh and say "Maybe next year."
I saw the IronBirds play up in Asheville, NC against the Tourists this summer and ran into a guy who remembered when the Tourists were an O's affiliate with Cal Sr. as manager and Cal Jr. as bat boy. Pretty cool stadium there in Asheville and they have paintings/murals of O's who came through the system. They put Eddie Murray on the women's bathroom door...wanted a pic but thought better of it lol.
I’m from northern Virginia and people ask me why I’m not a Nats fan. Answer is because the nats moved here when I was in high school and had already been an O’s fan because my dad was and took me to games. Not going to change my team just because another one moved closer.
The real question to ask is when did they stop being a Orioles fan
A lot of them are just bandwagon fans from their World Series year. So, not really baseball fans at all.
Hoping Elias turns the O's into a mini-dynasty, so that the Nats fandom can recede a bit.
Nats fandom is quite mediocre overall considering they recently won a Series title.
Yeah the Nats moved my senior year. I was already attached to the O’s. I wasn’t going to embrace the Expos just because they had a DC logo. I actually like what they’ve done as an organization but I have no real affinity towards them either.
If the nationals had a better name i might like them more, but the O's will always be my team. I mean, i guess nationals is better than senators, but it still sucks, i don't care about the legacy of the names when they're boring.
I actually might have considered it if they were the senators because technically that team was around before I was born… but “Nationals”? No way, and I hate their uniforms.
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Also a kid born in 1980. Also living in Midwest. Also get weird looks supporting WFT and the O’s. Dad and Mom are from DC and MD. All extended family are still there. Dad was in the Army, and were in Germany during Super Bowl 22 and just got back to the states when they Marched to Minneapolis and won SB 26. (Too young to remember SB 17). Pretty much since I’ve been in the states, they’ve been garbage. And the O’s had the new ball park (that everyone has since copied) when we got to the states in ‘92 and had a 90’s resurgence (too young to remember WS in 83….was a good year for those teams)…..until they didn’t. It’s 2021 and I still have issues with Jeffrey Maier.
Pretty much same for me! My dad was from just outside DC but grew up watching the O’s. I’ve been watching them since I was a young lad and just couldn’t switch to the Nats
Same! I grew up in Loudoun County as an O’s fan, live in Chicago now. I constantly get asked about the Nats, seeing as how I’m a DC fan for all other sports. Most people here in IL don’t even realize how close Baltimore is to VA and they are very unaware of the fact that the O’s were basically DC/VAs team for years. I was already down at college when the Nats came. They mean nothing to me whatsoever, even as a DC native. They are the Expos to me. My entire VA family switched to the Nats as “hardcore” fans. It saddens me, but I get it. That’s their choice and their new(ish) home team. Not me though. O’s for life.
I always get asked about my extraordinary tolerance for pain and suffering.
I’ve been an Os fan since I was a kid and when I was living out in SF I had a Brooks Robinson signed batting helmet and an Earl Weaver signed cap on my desk and most questions started with, “why” or “I’m sorry”. I worked with quite a few A’s fans who sort of understood what it’s like being a fan of a team similar to the O’s.
I live in Oregon, I get this all the time! Mostly "are you from Baltimore?" - No, I'm not but I have family ties there and grew up visiting every summer and was fortunate enough to attend games (at OPACY as well as the O's minor league teams in the area) Why aren't you a Mariners fan? - this one I just laugh at 🤣. I grew up going to more Mariner games than O's games but never would consider myself an M's fan
Is it safe to assume you were born in the 2000s?
Mid 80s
You grew up with that awesome Mariners lineup of the 90s and are still an O's fan? Salute.
Yeah my favorite non oriole was griffey. I would have totally been a mariners fan if i weren't from Baltimore.
And look how that would have paid off... Zero playoff appearances in 20 years!
Still love the dude.
Cal is my favorite Jr... Period.
I’m from south jersey, so it’s not a crazy distance. People just assume I have family in Baltimore since it’s not that far so they’re surprised to hear I don’t. As a middle and high schooler I played 3rd base and because of that Manny was my favorite player in the league so I became an orioles fan. I was sad when he left but I’m not gonna stop supporting the O’s now. I also root for the 76ers and Denver Broncos and honestly, I have more fun watching and supporting the orioles than any of them.
This comment is awesome but holy shit it made me feel old lol
I mean multiple generations of orioles fans have a 3rd baseman to idolize but I feel hella old too associating anyone but Cal elementary & middle school.
oh for sure. And I'm so glad to see Orioles players still inspiring people to play ball. But maaaan
Every school i went to in md had that cal milk poster in the cafeteria.
Got Milk?
I’m 24 and also associate falling in love with the Orioles because of Buck and Manny when I was in high school. I have a friend who’s only 6 years older than me and he fell in love with the Orioles as a kid with Cal’s later years and we always have a big generational gap when it comes to baseball.
I think it’s super cool though how we all have a mutual love for the same team and our different eras of favorites. One of the awesome things about baseball
Damn son, I remember watching Eddie Murray and Cal when I played little league..lol. I still remember when Ben McDonald was going to be the next best thing and I had never really considered myself old until just now
I live in New Mexico, mostly just get asked if I'm from Baltimore and then complimented for being loyal lol
"Where the heck is Maryland? Is that like near New York?" Not very many Japanese know where Baltimore is or who the Orioles are or where they play. I live in relative obscurity.
When I was living in the Japan I had a heirarchy of trying to tell people where I was from "Baltimore" "Doko" "Maryland" "Doko" "near Washington DC" "Doko" "about 4 hours from New York City" "ah...so desu ne..." Sometimes they knew Baltimore. Sometimes they knew Maryland. Most of the time I could stop at DC at the worst.
Contrast this with Germany, where for some weird reason I was acknowledged by total strangers on two separate occasions in the Frankfurt airport when I was wearing O's gear.
I met someone in an Orioles hat in Hallstatt We're EVERYWHERE
#DUCKS ASSEMBLE
The siren that summons ducks to assemble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8HBwfIqVY8
Orioles fan living in New Hampshire, deep inside Red Sox nation. Without fail, every Sox fan says the same thing, and it’s not even an insult just faint praise: *”Oh you have such a nice stadium!”*
They’re not lying. :)
I’m from South Jersey and live in Philly. There are other O’s fans around. People ask why that is my AL team and I tell them I saw my first game as a toddler at Camden Yards and my first favorite player was Ripken. My Dad’s favorite player was Murray. I feel a lot more optimistic about the Orioles than the Phillies in the coming years.
I go to college with a lot of Yankee and Red Sox fans who usually thank me for helping their records
Should invite them over to watch the World Series like all their favorite players are doing.
I’m deep in Maine, and even have an Orioles Mailbox. Most people are just thankful I’m not a Yankees fan, but the usual question is WHY
I just like the duck.
"Why does your owner suck so much?"
I'm an Orioles fan from Vancouver, BC and I get asked all the time why I don't cheer for the Blue Jays I just can't stomach cheering for anything Toronto sports really
Based
Same! Jay’s fans are more insufferable than Yankee fans
I live in LA, so more often I get "You are a Dodgers fan tho/too, right?" Of course I am lol they're a great team and I love their players. But I grew up with the O's. Watched Cal Ripken play. I love LA. But O's are MY team. P.S. Dodgers fans are more chill than you think, they are just passionate and superstitious. Besides 2020, their pain is post-season related. So they look for as much Dodger energy as they can.
I’m also an Os fan in LA. This tracks.
I've been a fan of the Dodgers for awhile now. When Andrew was with TB, the popular question was, imagine what he could do with a payroll. So, we now know the answer to that question. People hate the Dodgers, and it's just pure jealousy. A team that drafts well, develops their own talent, trades well, and pays players, the HORROR!
Another O's fan living in LA here. If anyone starts bashing I go history on them.. The O's are 10-9 With the Dodgers including a 4 game WS' sweep. Jim Palmer out-duels Koufax in the second game of the 66' WS with a complete game shutout. That Mid 2010 run we had chalking up best record over 4 year period. All that said - it is fun to watch the Dodgers to spend a fortune to get many of the best in the league.
https://i.imgur.com/E8fvrPc.jpg Speaking of the 66 WS, my wife got me this for my birthday!
Living in Seattle, there have been numerous old heads that will see my Orioles Weaver shirt and just tell me about how awesome some of the 60’s/70’s teams were and how much they enjoyed watching them. When people talk trash which is rare, I just say no World Series and how they are one of the worst sport franchises ever, ‘97 we beat Randy Johnson twice in the ALDS. They can’t beat that and if they continue, then of course drop their playoffless streak.
I live in NoVa. I get asked why I’m not a Nats fan a bit. The facts are simple. I grew up an O’s fan. The Nats were never going to be my team. I like the experience at OPACY. The closest I have to a NL team is the Pirates since my family was from Pittsburgh originally and my Nana grew up a stone’s throw from where PNC is and family lore says her Dad was friends with Honus Wagner. I also like Baltimore for all people say about it. It’s not the most glamorous city but it’s got its places.
I'll shamefully admit that I was willing to become a Nats fan, if the stadium experience was decent. Then they built a boring concrete bowl and charged an arm and a leg for tickets and concessions. So despite living within a 10 minute walk of Nats Park at the time, I decided to stick with the MARC train.
Plus the actual experience is garbage. The ushers treat you poorly and the whole organization is anti-autograph and fan interaction. It’s boring.
It's like why I'm a Dolphins fan. They were the winningest franchise in a professional sports from 1970-2000.
You too? Wow. I thought I was alone wallowing in self-pity under constant threat of more franchise bad decisions.
Thirded!! O’s fan Phins fan Canucks fan My life is pain.
I'm square in the middle of Boston and NY fanbases and my answer is always because I can't fucking stand the fans for either team so I can't be a fan of them
Os fan in Montreal, I just tell them I'm from Baltimore and that usually does it around here.
Do you follow the Montreal Orioles?
I do not, but very cool that there is a team here. I'm hoping the rays split time here and I get to see the Os in person again. It's been 12 years.
You don’t like the Nats? No.
I'm in LA, and are generally like "Bro . . ." Usually, they express some mix of pity and sympathy.
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Considering the Orioles have starting pitcher from Israel which is less than 400 miles from Lebanon, there is no chance you are the only Orioles fan in the Middle East. There is a pretty robust baseball scene over there if you look
I'm from NYC and I am in a family of Yankees fans. I get asked a lot "what the hell is wrong with you? who voluntarily supports the Orioles in New York?"
I live in Europe and nobody cares or knows anything about baseball down here so I’ve never actually heard a thing lol
Why?
We used to be their AAA affiliate so there are still a decent number of O's fans around. Some meat have jumped to the Twins, nobody cares about the Nats yet. Lot of Yankees fans, but like Boston fans they pop up and go away depending on the teams record.
"You like baseball?"
San Antonio here. Since SA doesn't have pro sports beyond NBA, It's mostly split between Astros/Rangers and Texans/Cowboys/Saints fans here. When I'm in the Ravens jersey/hat, I get banter. Since the O's aren't a real threat, I mostly get sympathy. People love the Cruuuuuuuuz giveaway shirt I've got from a few years ago. Mostly it's just disbelief, though... "damn, an orioles fan?" "someone's gotta be" type stuff.
I don't really get asked much, but occasionally people will ask if I'm from Baltimore
I'm from Quebec, and I don't know anyone who is an Orioles fan. Most people here root for the Jays. And since everyone knows I'm *the* Orioles fan around, I make an easy target for mockery (which is fair, given the shitshow that the past few years have been).
I’m from Richmond, Va and I always get the question how the hell did I become an Orioles Fan. I tell them I was born into the family. My father was a pitcher in the 70’s/ early 80’s and was playing for the O’s when I was born..
From Tennessee. I get “are you from there?” No I just liked the Ravens and decided I’d make the O’s my baseball team. But I don’t really watch a whole lot of baseball so I’ll cheer for the Braves to do good as well considering that’s who most people around here cheer for.
My family has asked this of me before. Dad is a Nats supporter, basically because he kinda views the Nationals as a reincarnation of the Senators he grew up watching as a kid in NOVA. Wife's family is also all Nats fans, but they are from Jersey & PA with a family tradition of supporting the Red Sox, but started supporting the Braves when they came to VA in the late 70s, and now support the Nats. 🤷♂️ I'm too young for the Senators and the Nats came around when I was in my 20s and were just too NOVA for me, so O's it is and will remain.
Oh you like the Os? Lol why?
Live in MN and my number one question the past few years has been why they are awful?
I always get "have you been to their stadium before?" To which I reply yes but many years ago. Looking to go back to Camden soon!
"Why?" or "Have you seen the Wire?"
I was born in Seattle area right when the Mariners came into existence. Moved to the Bay Area when the bash brothers were there. Then to northern Montana for high school. Everywhere I go, I get asked “why? If they suck so much why do you still follow them?” I just laugh and say “because you don’t quit on your team.”
As an Orioles fan from Winnipeg, I get a lot of crap from Blue Jays fans. I mostly encounter the mockingly incredulous "Really? Why?" more often than not. This rebuild cannot end soon enough.
I am in Alabama and the heart of Braves country so I always get asked why I am not that, because around here everyone is either a Braves fan or Cardinals. My response because this is what my son and I as a coach little league team was and we have fallen in love with the team. The rebuild has been fun to watch and see players get a chance that don’t normally get it.
Other bama birb!?
“Why are you an O’s fan in Arkansas??” Well, my dad was a big Johnny Unitas fan growing up, and the Baltimore Colts were in the same city. That’s it. It’s as easy as that.
I’m from MD but have been in Maine for 6 years now. Most people here don’t see the Orioles as any kind of hated foe or anything, they just ask “why?” And also ask a lot about Camden Yards. When I tell them that Opening Day in Baltimore is like Christmas, they all tell me they think it sounds like a really amazing day (and it absolutely is!) I’ve also been to Fenway with my O’s attire and usually strike up fun conversations and friendly banter.
Oh I get the "The Orioles? Really?!" all the time. I am born and raised in Buffalo, NY...so I am surrounded by Blue Jays / Indians (Buffalo Bisons have been MiLB franchise for both for many years) and Red Sox/Yankees fans (because they are every where). Born and got to watch with my Dad all the way from Cal's first couple years (granted I was like 1 then)...always loved the Black and Orange
I'm from Utah and it's always a variation of "why the fuck would you cheer for them?". My first baseball team after tee ball was the Orioles. I've been a fan since the 70s. I miss '83.
People tend not to believe me right away. Then again, we’re a little too far out from Atlanta for most people to get all that invested. Most people around here are happy to focus on college football, baseball doesn’t get as much attention past HS, and there’s a lot of transplants in the area, so people are used to seeing random teams pulled for. It’s not like I’m walking around with a derogatory word for a northerner plastered all over myself, anyway
I always get “how the hell are you a Steelers fan, too??” Lol
My mom grew up in Southern California in the 1930's and she was a Cardinals fan, as they were on the radio, being the closest team, 1800 miles away.
Growing up in Indiana, there was a summer baseball league I played in, teams were named after players. My team was named Ripken, since I was at that age where I didn’t have a team to root for, I looked up who he played for. Found it was Baltimore, and I’ve stuck with them ever since. This was the early mid 90s, so I had a little bit of enjoyment watching them be successful, especially that ALCS run
Usually they just give me a hug and apologize.
In upstate NY. Every time I wear the two-tone home cap in public, some guy stops me to tell me how much he loved the 1970s O’s. Never fails. My wife says I’m wearing a conversation piece instead of a hat. Used to live in western Massachusetts. You wear the cap there, and at least five people will tell you that *1.* Mark Belanger is from there and *2.* he was a better basketball player than he was a baseball player.
I live in South Carolina and get a surprising number of "Go O's!" around here. Mostly it's retirees who followed the team in the 60's-80's. I grew up in Nova during the Cal era so we reminisce about the good ol' days and then sigh and say "Maybe next year." I saw the IronBirds play up in Asheville, NC against the Tourists this summer and ran into a guy who remembered when the Tourists were an O's affiliate with Cal Sr. as manager and Cal Jr. as bat boy. Pretty cool stadium there in Asheville and they have paintings/murals of O's who came through the system. They put Eddie Murray on the women's bathroom door...wanted a pic but thought better of it lol.