The year was 1994. After years as a young kid who was originally big on the NBA, it was time to give football some love. One of the first games the parents bought was Madden NFL Football. The older brother and older cousins were big on Tecmo Bowl for years. Sega’s NFL games were also played as well. While this young kid was dealing with Madden, there were many teams to choose from. Watching a bit of football and collecting football cards and mini helmets, the people surrounding by the most were mostly Packers fans…..due to the obvious fact that ‘Flukadamus’ (me) was born in Wisconsin. However, over the years, there was a lot of gear worn from teams other than Green Bay. There were 49ers sweatshirts, Bears sweatpants, and Chargers accessories just to name a couple.

The older brother, a Redskins fan, was a weird case of the team of choice, but I suppose it made sense. The way he became a Washington fan was due to a trip to D.C. to visit our Aunt who lived there back in the 80’s when they were winning Super Bowls and contending in the NFC. He had a bit of a rivalry with our older cousin (a Cowboys fan) and that, of course, would be disastrous. Our mother, a closet Bears fan, really liked Walter Payton, so in essence, followed the Bears. We had another older cousin who was then playing in the NFL for the New York Jets as a tight end. So in summary, a few of our mother’s side of the family were fans of someone other than Green Bay.

Then I saw two players for the Pack that really spawned the interest: Brett Favre and Reggie White. These two on offense and defense, respectively, were guys that were on local TV almost every other day. It was hard not to like them…..unless you were some of the family members. In 1996, when the Packers made it to the Super Bowl and beat the New England Patriots, it was a celebration for the ages. The Packers, who before had not been to a Super Bowl since 1967, finally win the title after nearly 3 decades. I was just happy to see Brett and Reggie win it all. The next year, they repeat back to the championship to face the Denver Broncos. They lose that game, but then something changes for this kid.

Both parents, who were never really big fans of the Pack anyway, might have brought about some major influence in testing my loyalty as a kid of whether to be a true Packers fan or not. After that, there was a lot of soul-searching. To some, the answer should have been obvious, stay a Pack fan. Instead, there was research done. As this kid got older, rebellion started to sink in. By the teen years, this guy, who was already on the fence of team selections, started making declarations of teams. In college sports, it was the Wisconsin Badgers. In pro basketball, the San Antonio Spurs. In baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals. And finally…after some defiance and maybe some bad influence by the folks, this guy became a Rams fan.

When Tony Banks got traded to Baltimore and Trent Green came in, Issac Bruce the main wide receiver and Marshall Faulk the new acquisition as well as Orlando Pace, it was time to see what this team could do. A team with some history…..maybe not on the right side of winning, perhaps….but a team looking back now, you had to kind of feel sorry for. Underdogs, even. It was a team that was some couple of years removed from Los Angeles (Anaheim to be exact) and came to St. Louis. I wanted to support a Midwestern team….just not anyone (sans Green Bay) from the NFC Central (now NFC North). Chicago? Nah. Minnesota? Talented, but no. Detroit? Loved Barry Sanders, but otherwise, no. Tampa Bay? They’re not even in the Midwest! So taking away the likes of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City and Indianapolis, the then St. Louis Rams was the only choice. It may sound a bit weird, but it made sense to this guy.

When the Rams lost Trent Green and entered in Kurt Warner, this team exploded in front of my eyes. With the amount of yards they put up, they were clearly the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’. And with that, they won the Super Bowl against the Titans…and should have against New England two years later. From 1999-2003 they were a sight to see. Then 2004 happened. Mike Martz the coach, Kurt Warner removed, Marshall on his last legs, it was the destruction of the Rams I knew and supported. Being the only person at middle school and high school and college being a Rams fan were some of the tougher times because no one could relate. But staying true to loyalty, I never wavered. Even when I knew they sucked, they were people asking, ‘Why do you keep supporting that team? Why not someone better?’ The reply was always, ‘Because I’m not a bandwagoner.’ And it was the case, I wanted to stay loyal to the one I invested so much time in following. Nearly 20 years of support for the Rams of St. Louis, even when they hadn’t made the playoffs since 2003 and didn’t have a winning record since 2004. Each year, even when they acquired some shining players like Steven Jackson and Todd Gurley and even a high school alum that currently plays for them, the finish was still disappointing.

Then another blow happened when the owner of the Rams made subtle hints for two years of moving the team back to Los Angeles, where they supposedly belonged. Like some of the loyal St. Louisians, I preferred they stay in Missouri. However, that was not to be the case. Without a proper farewell or a goodbye, they just up and left. Just like that. People knew it, had a feeling about it beforehand, but it still seemed so cold. When I talked to folks about the decision, some wondered if it was about the money. And I said right away…..of course it was ALWAYS about the money and revenue and everything that Los Angeles represented. Some folks wondered then whether my loyalty for the Rams would still be intact.

So here it is now. It feels like originally abandoning the Packers was a very questionable move, especially when they’ve had far more success than the Rams over the last 10 years. Even with all the questions and concerns, the loyalty was there for St. Louis…….but I guess only for St. Louis, not Los Angeles. Now that the Rams are no longer in STL and all for a money-grubbing business move, it’s like when Houston lost the Oilers (renamed the Titans) and the Browns leaving Cleveland (pre-1995 organization now the Ravens). In the end, it’s all business. Sports has become an integral part of the childhood. Though never played in a serious way, being a spectator has been thrilling. Disconnecting from the Pack because Ray Rhodes got fired after one season isn’t a good enough excuse to just up and leave just like that. But as a kid, influence from others was a major problem.

At the moment, there’s a conflict. It would be nice to go back to the team that bears the birth home state. And it would make all the sense in the world. There is also the matter of being faithful to the team you’ve known from most of your time, even when they’ve done questionable things. It could be just as easy as supporting both of them and have it out of the way. Loyalty’s almost dead in business anyway, so why should this be any different? This guy can be both a Pack and Ram supporter no different than Kevin Durant going from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Golden State Warriors. Or Joe Montana from San Francisco to Kansas City. Or even Brett Favre from Atlanta to Green Bay to New York to Minnesota.

One team is modest…..but can’t go wrong with two. The way it is now….screw loyalty. Be selfish and love the ones you like.