Thursday Rockpile: Can Rockies fans root for other teams?

Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, January 9, 2025

As often happens to my rotted brain, a piece of social media caught my attention this week. With news swirling that Nolan Arenado may be soon to depart the Midwest in favor of a trip out east to join the Boston Red Sox and, maybe more importantly, reunite with former Colorado costar Trevor Story, this tweet popped up on my feed offering an interesting opinion:

My knee jerk reaction to this claim was that it would be ridiculous for Rockies fans to ever cheer on the team that bounced them so unceremoniously from their lone World Series appearance. After spending some time thinking, though, maybe that’s not fully true.

It seems that it’s a much more common occurrence these days for sports fans to gravitate more towards individual athletes rather than form allegiances to teams. This is especially true in basketball and soccer, but I’ve seen this attitude reflected in almost every major sport at this point.

This, of course, includes baseball. The signing of Shohei Ohtani doubtless brought a massive global audience to Dodger Stadium, and the acquisition of superstar Juan Soto is likely to produce similar results for the New York Mets. They’re just two of the most major examples, but just about every team has a star that fans all over the baseball landscape can gravitate towards.

For a while, the likes of Arenado, Story, and Jon Gray were those stars for Colorado. Since they left the mile-high city and entered the next stage of their careers, the Rockies have moved on and are (hopefully) on the cusp of creating a new generation of exciting players. Even with the next wave about to crest, there’s likely many a fan that still follows and roots for these departed talents and want to see them succeed.

It’s for that reason that I ask – is it okay, or even somewhat necessary, to root for franchises other than the Rockies?

When a team has been as starved for success as the Rockies, it can cause folks to look elsewhere to scratch that postseason itch. If that team features former Colorado talent, even better. It’s for that reason that some will want to see Boston succeed this season, especially if Story is finally able to overcome the physical ailments that have so badly derailed his time out east. If Arenado does partner up with him there, it may be hard to not flash back to those halcyon days gone by, and be overcome with excitement of seeing those two friends make a genuine run at the playoffs together.

It’s not just Boston, though. As recently as 2021, fans have been drawn to the Atlanta Braves for featuring Tyler Matzek in a bullpen role. Seeing him go from depth piece to valued late-inning arm was cathartic, especially when one factors in the struggles that he had overcome to get there, and it all culminated in him becoming a key factor in Atlanta’s eventual World Series victory.

Matzek is no longer part of the Braves organization, but his defining moment – and hilarious Twitter handle – live on. Rockies fans looking for a current-day Colorado connection in Atlanta’s bullpen should be on the lookout for Pierce Johnson, the curveball specialist that spent the first half of the 2023 season at elevation.

Then there are the Yankees. Fresh off of a near-World Series win, their roster includes arguably the best second baseman in Rockies history in DJ LeMahieu. With respect to the two-time batting champion, his best days are likely behind him and he’s likely to be more of a veteran bench presence than a full-time starter for the Yanks. Still, including one of the most beloved Rockies of all time on your team is enough for some Coloradans to want to see you find success, and many would shed a tear at the sight of Deej holding up a World Series trophy before he calls it a career.

Of course, a team doesn’t have to hold a Rockies connection to be considered for alternative fandom. After all, Colorado is a state known for its willingness to accommodate transplants such as myself (I know, sorry), and these people often carry their prior allegiances with them, such as my ill-begotten dedication to the Chicago White Sox.

We all know that person that roots for two or more teams. There’s usually enough space between them for it to be fine – such as my aforementioned NL and AL picks – and at the very least they’re virtually never division rivals.

(That’s not a thing, right? Like, there’s no one that would say “oh yeah I like the Rockies and the Giants,” is there? I mean there probably is, it’s a big world and all, but man, that’s a tough way to be).

But back to the original question – is it acceptable to cheer on multiple entities? Is rooting for a second club akin to, dare I say, cheating on our beloved Rockies?

I say thee nay.

I mean, at the end of the day, you’re a person and you can do what you want. More than that, though, people get into and follow sports for a multitude of reasons, and maybe that’s the work of multiple franchises. The Rockies are (hopefully) at the front of your heart, but if you want to see the Reds do well because you like Noah Davis, or you like the Orioles because of their history, or you cheer for the Mariners because of Jon Bois, then that’s cool! Make it yours.

Baseball is baseball, and while the Rockies will always be my first love, I’m still going to want to see my other favorite players and team(s) do well.

What about you? Do you have secondary teams you like to root for? Let me know!

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