Is [insert team or athlete here] cool?

[Bammer]

What do other RMers think about your favorite teams / athletes?

What are your impressions of teams / athletes you don’t necessarily follow or root for?

[Bammer]

I’ll start with my local teams.

Seattle Mariners - Yes they were extremely cool in the ‘90s thanks to Griffey. Otherwise unremarkable, with Griffey on the team I feel like a lot of fans adopted the M’s as their “other” favorite team. Rappers wore the M’s hat in music videos, we had a fairly famous playoff series win over the Yankees ... of course Jay Buhner ... for a while there I feel like the Mariners were pretty hot shit. Am I wrong?

Seattle Seahawks - Meh. Nothing to speak of for decades, and with their recent success I don’t feel like there is really any love outside their fan base (which is largely bandwagon and frowned upon locally). Survey says? Not cool.

Seattle Supersonics - Definitely cool. The Payton/Kemp duo was definitely more fun to root for than the competition at the time (Utah, Houston, etc.). There is also a favorable mystique around the team since they were stolen and relocated to Bumfuck, USA.

[Bammer]

Did everyone else think the Larry Johnson / Alonzo Mourning era Charlotte Hornets were as cool as I did? LOVED that team.

[philpritchard]

The Mariners were my "second team" when they got John Olerud, which, conveniently enough, coincided with the arrival of Ichiro and the single-season wins record. That was pretty cool.

[The Argonaut]

I’ll start with my local teams.

Seattle Mariners - Yes they were extremely cool in the ‘90s thanks to Griffey. Otherwise unremarkable, with Griffey on the team I feel like a lot of fans adopted the M’s as their “other” favorite team. Rappers wore the M’s hat in music videos, we had a fairly famous playoff series win over the Yankees ... of course Jay Buhner ... for a while there I feel like the Mariners were pretty hot shit. Am I wrong?

Seattle Seahawks - Meh. Nothing to speak of for decades, and with their recent success I don’t feel like there is really any love outside their fan base (which is largely bandwagon and frowned upon locally). Survey says? Not cool.

Seattle Supersonics - Definitely cool. The Payton/Kemp duo was definitely more fun to root for than the competition at the time (Utah, Houston, etc.). There is also a favorable mystique around the team since they were stolen and relocated to Bumfuck, USA.

So, to sum up your questions:

Is Seattle Mariners cool?

Is Seattle Seahawks cool?

Is Seattle Supersonics cool?

[numbers]

The Mariners were cool in the 90's but have been pretty meh since they moved into the new park.

The SuperSonics will never not be cool.

[Simple Torture]

The Mariners were cool in the 90's but have been pretty meh since they moved into the new park.

Also, longest postseason drought in professional sports. Cool!

[numbers]

The Mariners were cool in the 90's but have been pretty meh since they moved into the new park.

Also, longest postseason drought in professional sports. Cool!

It makes me feel old when I see that.

[E.H. Ruddock]

The Mariners were cooler with Ichiro

[Simple Torture]

Red Sox - everyone hates them

Patriots - everyone hates them

Celtics - I am not old enough to remember, but I feel like the Celtics may have had a flash of coolness in the '80s that fizzled out quickly due to the popularity of the Lakers. I think the KG-led C's had a chance, but it came at a time when the other, widely hated Boston teams were doing well, so my feeling is that they got some rub-off hate for being from the same region.

Bruins - I get the feeling (but please correct me if I'm wrong) that the Bruins are widely respected both around the league and by people who know hockey, but that does not make them cool. I'm not sure if there are any cool hockey teams--Vegas certainly had a run recently, but no other teams come to mind.

[philpritchard]

Bruins - I get the feeling (but please correct me if I'm wrong) that the Bruins are widely respected both around the league and by people who know hockey, but that does not make them cool. I'm not sure if there are any cool hockey teams--Vegas certainly had a run recently, but no other teams come to mind.

Get rid of Marchand and I'll reconsider the "widely respected" thing.

[Bammer]

For me the Red Sox hate is only post-2004.

Up til then they were cool and their comeback over the Yankees was undeniably cool. It was fun rooting for them to break the curse.

Then it all fell apart.

[Bammer]

John Mcenroe: Cool.

Andre Agassi: Cool at the time because I was 8 years old, looking back now ... meh.

[philpritchard]

For me the Red Sox hate is only post-2004.

Up til then they were cool and their comeback over the Yankees was undeniably cool. It was fun rooting for them to break the curse.

Then it all fell apart.

I agree. They're on the same level as the Yankees as far as unbearable dickishness now, but before 2004 they were just a bunch of harmless, lovable losers.

[Bammer]

The SuperSonics will never not be cool.

It’s 1996 (shit, it’s 2020) and you’re playing an original copy of NBA JAM. You decide not to use your hometown team. So which team do you choose to play with? Pretty good chance you’re choosing The Reign Man

[philpritchard]

The Jays have had spurts - they were pretty cool from the mid-80s to the World Series years, then completely forgettable for a couple decades. I think the swagger of the 2015-16 teams was the definition of cool, too (though "swagger" is something many people love in their own team and hate in others, so I doubt many non-fans feel the same way). They're probably going to be one of the "coolest" teams in the league for the next decade, which is pretty exciting.

The Leafs were cool in the 60s.

[Simple Torture]

The Jays have had spurts - they were pretty cool from the mid-80s to the World Series years, then completely forgettable for a couple decades. I think the swagger of the 2015-16 teams was the definition of cool, too (though "swagger" is something many people love in their own team and hate in others, so I doubt many non-fans feel the same way). They're probably going to be one of the "coolest" teams in the league for the next decade, which is pretty exciting.

The Jays are the Jays, but there's no denying how fucking cool this is:

[Bammer]

I liked the Cubs well enough before Eddie Vedder ruined them for me.

[Bammer]

The Jays have had spurts - they were pretty cool from the mid-80s to the World Series years, then completely forgettable for a couple decades. I think the swagger of the 2015-16 teams was the definition of cool, too (though "swagger" is something many people love in their own team and hate in others, so I doubt many non-fans feel the same way). They're probably going to be one of the "coolest" teams in the league for the next decade, which is pretty exciting.

The Leafs were cool in the 60s.

Gun to my head, I would say yes the Blue Jays are cool. The Joe Clark walk-off was amazing. One day after I’m retired I am going to streak at a Blue Jays game so whatever charges they file against me don’t go on my record in the U.S.

[philpritchard]

The Jays have had spurts - they were pretty cool from the mid-80s to the World Series years, then completely forgettable for a couple decades. I think the swagger of the 2015-16 teams was the definition of cool, too (though "swagger" is something many people love in their own team and hate in others, so I doubt many non-fans feel the same way). They're probably going to be one of the "coolest" teams in the league for the next decade, which is pretty exciting.

The Leafs were cool in the 60s.

Gun to my head, I would say yes the Blue Jays are cool. The Joe Clark walk-off was amazing. One day after I’m retired I am going to streak at a Blue Jays game so whatever charges they file against me don’t go on my record in the U.S.

Joe Clark for Prime Minister!