By David Nasongkhla
McDaniel College is filled with a diversity of NFL fans.
I myself am from New York City, and I have a choice between the Jets and the Giants. I’m not one who follows the NFL like others, so I often switch my loyalty every few years.
During the days of Wayne Chrebet and Keyshawn Johnson, I was a Jets fan. But now during the days of Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, and of course, Jeremy Shockey, my loyalty lies with the Giants.
The diversity of NFL fans here at McDaniel runs across the board. My girlfriend’s family grew up near Pittsburgh and are die hard Steelers fans. I know off the top of my head friends that are Cowboys fans, Buccaneers fans, and Colts fans.
However, McDaniel College is in Maryland, and the number of Ravens and Redskins fans is great.
“My dad was in the Baltimore Colts band and I grew up liking Johnny Unitas and the Ravens,” said junior Jay Eaton. “My dad was at Super Bowl three when the Colts played,” he added.
When asked why she liked the Redskins, senior Jane Libert replied, “I live right outside of D.C. and they have been around longer so I just feel a sense of loyalty to them.”
Even though McDaniel is comprised of mostly Maryland natives, there are some fans from here that follow other teams, and of course there are fans from the rest of the country.
Junior James Isaminger, is a fan of both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Francisco 49rs. “I lived in Jacksonville the year the Jags were created, and I lived in Hawaii for five years and the 49ers were the closest team,” he said as his reason.
“I grew up a Philly fan across the board. The Phillies, Flyers, 76ers, and the Eagles are all my teams,” said junior Shawn Yohe.
“The Patriots are my team,” said Camara Kadete, a senior from Massachusetts. “I only like them when they win, though it seems they’ve been doing that all year,” he later added.
Football may arguably be considered America’s sport, so it’s not unheard of that even at small school like McDaniel, the number of teams adored represent almost all of the NFL.