It Was in the Cards

You may have caught my comment about this year being the most entertaining Final Four in recent memory. I may be wrong about that because I can't say I've watched every minute of the last several Final Fours... especially last year because kansas was in it.

But here's how I know I'm a good sports fan:
I will always cheer for the following teams no matter what the situation (barring a gun to my head): Chiefs for NFL, Royals for MLB, Pacers for NBA (or the Kings if they ever get better), Missouri for college sports, and USA for international sports.
I will always cheer against the following teams no matter what the situation: Raiders, Yankees, Lakers, kansas, and France.
But if I'm watching a game that does not involve one of those teams, I tend to have a heirarchy of "fandom" and always find myself cheering for one team over another. The pro teams are pretty cut-and-dry, as you can see:

NFL (bottom up)
Raiders, Broncos, Cowboys, Chargers, Bears, Ravens, Steelers, Browns, Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Rams, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Giants, Eagles, Titans, Texans, Vikings, Lions, Saints, Jaguars, Colts, Bengals, Redskins, Falcons, 49ers, Packers, Bills, Panthers, Chiefs.

MLB
Yankees, Tigers, Indians, White Sox, Braves, Cubs, Mets, Dodgers, Twins, Padres, Mariners, Angles, Brewers, Astros, Rays, Rangers, Phillies, Blue Jays, Athletics, Nationals, Diamondbacks, Orioles, Rockies, Pirates, Marlins, Cardinals, Red Sox, Giants, Reds, Royals.

NBA
Lakers, Knicks, Nets, Spurs, Grizzlies, Rockets, Bobcats, Wizards, Cavaliers, Bucks, Jazz, Hornets, Mavericks, Blazers, Timberwolves, Magic, Pistons, Raptors, Sixers, Suns, Clippers, Hawks, Nuggets, Bulls, Warriors, Celtics, Thunder, Heat, Kings, Pacers.

When it comes to college sports (and international sports) it's much harders to define a heirarchy because there are so many teams.
- I will cheer for the "feel good story" or severe underdog in most cases (if they cancel out, who knows)
- I will never cheer for Illinios, Alabama, Iowa State, Colorado, Oklahoma, Nebraska, or Texas unless they are playing kansas.
- I will never cheer for Duke, Connecticut, Kentucky or UCLA in basketball (unless they are playing kansas).
- I tend to cheer against SEC conference teams unless it benefits me or Missouri.
- If I know someone who is an alum or fan, I will cheer for that team.

This brings us to this year's NCAA tournament. When your team is out on the first day, there is little left to get excited about. Other than the Gonzaga/Wichita State second half, the Indiana/Temple last 10 minutes, and the Michigan/kansas overtime, I didn't watch any games after Mizzou lost, until the Elite 8.
The Sweet 16 carried a very wide spectrum of entertainment value for me... best case Louisville, La Salle, Miami, and Florida Gulf Coast would have been a fun idea (if quality games), and worst case Duke, Ohio State, Syracuse, kansas would have meant keeping the TV off. I got a darn good compromise. Underdog Wichita State, feel-good Louisville, Fab Five (huge fan at the time) revival Michigan, and eh, fine, Syracuse. It's so much fun to watch a basketball game (especially close ones) when you don't care who wins... turns out I cared.
Hey, I'm happy for Louisville. But I found myself cheering for the Shockers and Wolverines, maybe because Pitino had been there before, maybe because I love the upset. All the same, it was a damn good tournament. As long as there are more guys like Kevin Ware and Luke Hancock and less like Marshall Henderson, I'll be happy.