Get off their backs

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat

So they did it again.

The Chicago Bulls, basketball's franchise of the '90s, won their third title in a row for the second time this decade.

One would think congratulations are in order.

Congrats Mike, you just won your sixth finals MVP trophy in six finals series. Congrats Scottie for playing through pain and proving you're not the NBA's Tinman after all. Congrats Dennis just because you're a freak and a winner, not two things often linked together.

And a special congratulations to Jud Buechler and Steve Kerr, who wandered onto the team and are now two-time defending world champions.

How could anyone not like the Bulls?

Have you ever heard of Bulls players being arrested for beating their wives or having sex with underage girls?

And while everybody knows Rodman is smoking something when he's off the court, he always shows up to play when it matters.

Which is why I don't understand this sizable subculture of Americans who hate the Bulls. Sports Illustrated recently ran a column about how the Bulls should disappear because everybody is sick of Jordan's face and Jackson's Zen theories.

Why this hatred of a first-class team that has done nothing but handle itself with dignity? Sure, they have a swagger, but how can anyone blame them for that?

The only answer readily available is that disliking the Bulls doesn't really have to do with the Bulls at all.

Remember the Cowboys of the early '90s? After years of close calls the Cowboys were everybody's underdog of choice.

But after winning it all in '92, '93 and '95, public sentiment had turned drastically around. By the time the Carolina Panthers eliminated Dallas in the '96 playoffs, fans from all around cheered that finally the dynasty had fallen. The new king, Green Bay, only enjoyed one championship before John Elway's Broncos became the team of choice.

For some reason, America just loves underdogs. It's OK for a team to win it once or twice, but then it becomes fashionable to root for the underdog.

Now, I recognize that most Boston fans are going to dislike New York teams and an Indiana Pacers fan can certainly be excused for rooting against the Bulls, but aside from geographic biases, it's stupid to root for or against someone based on who is the favorite.

What is the fascination in rooting for underdogs? How is that any different than rooting for the favorite just because they're favorite? That's called being a fair-weather fan.

I heard someone was rooting for Nigeria in the World Cup just because they are the underdogs.

I'm sorry, but it is a sad state if on the second biggest international sporting stage, Americans are not behind their own team, which is also, by the way, an extreme underdog.

Now I'm not saying you should root for the Bulls or anyone else, but if you do decide to go to a game or watch one on television, don't align yourself with a team based on hype or the betting lines. Root for someone because you believe they deserve to win.

I have no feelings for the Denver Broncos, but I was rooting for them in the Super Bowl because Elway deserved a championship ring.

Root for someone because they have class. Root for someone because you think they deserve to win. But please, don't root for a team or a person because it is fashionable to do so.

And as for all those who just don't like the Bulls, that's OK too.

Seth Doria is Sports Editor for the Arizona Summer Wildcat