Switching Sports Teams Rarely Happens And Here’s Why

by Richard Janvrin, March 03, 2026

Growing up, sports are so ingrained in culture and upbringing that it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly when someone became a fan of a team. Instead, it’s just natural. If you were born in Massachusetts, there’s a pretty good chance you’re a New England Patriots fan, and it just happens because, well, that’s the way it is.

Nowadays, with the rise of online sports betting, some of that is shifting toward chasing moneylines, point spreads, or parlays, but even so, people want their childhood teams to succeed.

Below, I’ll examine why switching sports teams isn’t common and answer questions like, “Can you be a fan of two teams?”

Let’s dig in.

• Loyalty Starts With Identity
• Team Identity Becomes Personal Identity
• Community and Belonging
• Psychological Commitment Makes Switching Difficult
• The Rivalries
• When Fans Switch and Why It’s Rare

Loyalty Starts With Identity

You hear the story all the time of someone saying they’re a fan of a certain team because their dad was or their grandpa was. Those connections are rooted in a time before you may even have been aware of the sport. You may look back at childhood or baby photos and see yourself wearing a jersey or onesie of that team.

These teams can also be symbols of and reasons for families to come together, whether it’s every Sunday to watch the football game or to meet up sometime during the weekend for hockey, baseball, or basketball.

Instead of simply being a fan of the team, they’re the catalyst for unforgettable memories that set emotional bonds, often tying major moments in sports to a time in your life. Thus, switching sports teams almost seems unfathomable.

This can be especially true if the team your family is into has success when you’re in your youth. Your family’s excitement is a core memory.

Team Identity Becomes Personal Identity

As you get older, the glory of wins and agony of defeat isn’t something that just passes you by. It’s almost as if a win or a loss for a team can shape how you feel for the rest of the day or until the next game. With this, the question of “Can you be a fan of two teams?” doesn’t seem possible, given the emotional investment.

You often threaten yourself with the idea of changing your favorite sports teams, but you know you simply can’t do it. Sports teams, with a few exceptions, have their highs and lows. For example, the Patriots went on a 20-year run that came undone in the early 2020s, only to return to the Super Bowl with Super Bowl 60.

This feeling often spreads throughout your community. When you go to school, your friends may also have feelings similar to yours about the result of the game. When you’re older, and you go to work, you may sense the air sucked out of the building if the team blows a lead or loses in the playoffs.

But at the same time, the general mood can be uplifted, no matter where you go, when a team succeeds.

I can remember being a kid in New England during the 2000s, and when the Patriots won, it seemed like school was that much better. In fact, the week leading up to the Super Bowl, the lunch menu would change to a team-themed menu.

That is something incredibly unique that makes switching favorite sports teams seem almost sacrilegious

Community and Belonging

According to a study done by Yuan Cheng and Yin Wu, “Fans stimulate emotional resonance through symbolic practices such as cheering and dressing up at live events, strengthen their sense of belonging through online discussions and collaborations, and construct their identity through continuous communication.”

As human beings, we naturally want to be part of a group or a community. This gives us the chance to be bigger than ourselves, even if it’s only for the time a game allows. When you watch a game at home, you want to be with people, and if you attend a game live, you have no problem high-fiving strangers because you both have a deep love for the team. Sports allow fans from all walks of life to come together. In those moments, socioeconomic status or the prestige of a job goes out the window. Instead, you’re simply a fan of the team.

So, with that, you’d think that the question of “Can you be a fan of two teams?” would result in more of that community and belonging. Still, I think it’s important to keep in mind that it can be difficult to maintain the emotional bandwidth to be fully dedicated to multiple teams.

That said, there are rare circumstances, such as growing up in an area and being a fan of one team, and later in life moving to a new city and becoming a fan there as well. That results in you being a fan of two teams, but it’s safe to say that you’ll always root for that childhood team more. This isn’t a case of switching sports teams; it’s about integrating into a new community without leaving the other team behind.

Psychological Commitment Makes Switching Difficult

Changing sports teams almost seems improbable. There is something to be said about a sunk-cost effect. After years of emotional turmoil, whether a team gets a big win or suffers a crushing loss, you simply can’t turn your back on it. It almost feels like turning on your own memories.

In fact, some fans view themselves favorably for sticking with them through the bad times. For example, the New York Jets haven’t won a Super Bowl since Super Bowl III in 1968. When they finally reach the mountain top again, you’ll see fans come out of everywhere saying they’ve been a fan of the team since a certain year, wearing that as a badge of honor. Sure, changing favorite sports teams could’ve resulted in your “new team” winning a championship, but you don’t have those core memories or history to feel the weight of that win.

The Rivalries

Almost every professional sports franchise has a big rivalry. Whether it’s the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens, these games, even during the regular season, have a heightened sense of importance.

These are moments you look back on for years to come. To the rest of the world, it’s just Week 7 of the NFL season or Game 78 in the MLB season, but to you, it’s a pivotal moment in your fandom, especially if you’re experiencing it with others.

You may look back on the last time you watched a Yankees-Red Sox game with your grandpa before he passed away, or remember going to a game with a parent.

Rivalries make these emotional bonds that much stronger.

When Fans Switch and Why It’s Rare

That said, there are times when fans switch teams, and there can be valid reasons.

As mentioned before, moving cities at some point in your life could lead to it. Of course, some circumstances do matter. For example, if you moved from Maine to Arizona when you were nine years old, it’s understandable if you became an Arizona Cardinals fan. At the same time, your grandfather is a Patriots fan. You grew up in a new environment, surrounded by it.

As an adult, it makes sense, too, especially if it helps you make new friends. That said, it’s important never to leave that childhood team behind; in fact, you could use your fandom of another team to have a fun rivalry within your new friend group.

Then there’s another side of the story, such as major scandals or ethical issues. For example, it would make sense if someone left the Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders after learning about the culture within the organization under former owner Dan Snyder.

Overall, there are some exceptions where it makes sense to change teams, but the emotional bonds and ties to a team are largely unshakable, making changing favorite sports teams unfathomable.