From Tennessee With Love

And the Titans are in.  Contents include:

• Tennessee Titans "Support Our Troops" Bumper Sticker
• T-Rac bookmark
• Tennessee Titans pocket schedule
• NFL pocket Schedule
• Fan Info Sheet including info on how to order tickets, programs, and other memorabilia

Again (as is the theme so far) no response as to why I should choose their team, but they are sending me free stuff so I can't complain. How does their response stack up against Buffalo and Detroit? Tough call at this point.  Thanks to the Titans.

Check back later tonight for the breakdown of the history/tradition in the NFC North. 20 points are up for grabs.

Message From the Motor City

And the second response comes from the Detroit Lions. Contents of the package include:

• Detroit Lions pencil
• Detroit Lions rubber helmet keychain
• 2 Lions pocket schedules
• Detroit Lions helmet stickers
• Thank you letter with order form for players/team photos, media guides, and program on the back

The thank you letter reads:

Dear Detroit Lions Fan,

Thank you for your recent request for Lions' paraphernalia. Because of the large volume of inquiries we receive, it is impossible for us to answer each one on a personal basis.

In complying with your request, we have taken the liberty of including several items that we hope you will find interesting.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us and please know that your support of the Detroit Lions is very much appreciated by the entire organization.

Thank you,

The Detroit Lions, Inc.

For a Souvenier Catalog, Please Call (800) 616-ROAR

Now, I have 2 issues with this letter:

1)  Addressing this to "Detroit Lions fan" is a bit presumptuous at this point, isn't it?

2)  My letter was not a shallow "request for Lions paraphernalia", but merely a question of "why should I be a Detroit Lions fan?" Then again, maybe the only reason they can think of is, "because we'll give you free stuff."

In all seriousness, thanks to Detroit for the goods.

Greetings From Buffalo

And we have our first team response courtesy of the Buffalo Bills.  Included in the package -

• Bills Gameday program from the Bills September 3 preseason game vs. the Detroit Lions
• 2 NFL Rush Zone stickers
• Bills schedule
• 8x10 print of Marshawn Lynch 
• 2008 (yes, 2008) team photo. 

 A curious choice of the suspended Lynch as the featured player in the photo as well as last year's team as opposed to the current one, but regardless, I truly appreciate the gifts and the Bills will always hold a special place in my heart for being the first to respond.  I'll start awarding points once we hear from some other teams, but as for now we have a leader in the clubhouse.

Hey Mr. Postman

And the letters are out. After spending two hours and more money than I'd care to admit at Kinko's, I've sent the following letter to every NFL team asking them to state their case as to why I should be a fan of their team (or to just bribe me). Some pics of the letters are attached as well (I bet you can't name ten things more exciting than pictures of letters). We'll see where this leads, but as responses come in I'll post them. However, if you think I'm so shallow that I can be persuaded by a free t-shirt or a Fathead or an all expense paid trip to the Super Bowl then you're exactly right.

In the next post, I'll get into a little more detail on how this selection process is going to work. In the meantime, here's the letter:

To Whom It May Concern:

I'm a 26 year die-hard sports fan. I'm in more fantasy sports leagues than I'd care to admit. My house is adorned with pictures and memorabilia of my favorite teams (Dodgers, Lakers, and University of Alabama). I'll watch just about any sporting event that comes on TV. I have just one problem: I have no NFL team.

This is why I'm writing you (along with the other 31 teams). I need an NFL team to call my own. For too long it has been the one major sport I could casually watch without any real emotional investment, flipping between games to catch the biggest game of the day while monitoring the guys I have on my fantasy team. I am ready to settle down and find a team to spend the rest of my life with. Over the course of the next year, I intend to choose that team, to commit to them, and to support them whole-heartedly for the rest of my life. The selection process will be very thorough, as I will examine each team on its different attributes including tradition, current make-up, location, fan-base, uniforms, and various others. I will keep a running blog (www.singlewhitefan.com) and Twitter account (www.twitter.com/singlewhitefan) throughout the selection process in order to document how the search is going, who has been eliminated, and ultimately which team I choose.

This is no small task for me as I take my "fandom" very seriously. Therefore, I am asking you to make it clear to me why I should become a fan of your team. Please show me what it is about your team that will make my lifetime investment worthwhile. Boast of your merits, convince me of your potential, or bribe me with free stuff. Whatever best makes your case.

While I want to know why I should support your team, it is only fair that I explain why you would want me as a fan. First of all, I'm extremely loyal. My allegiance to the Dodgers, Lakers, and the University of Alabama goes back as far as I can remember and has remained consistently firm. While this loyalty has paid off with some unbelievable memories of buzzer-beating wins, monumental upsets, and the thrill of championships, it has also resulted in heart wrenching losses, silent drives home along southern roads from rival stadiums and midnight trips to the grocery store to avoid watching highlights of blown games. I also do my part economically. I buy merchandise (officially licensed of course), I subscribe to television packages to watch as many games as possible, and I plan my vacation and weekend schedules around attending games in person. I've only missed one University of Alabama home football game in the last eight years (I was in Ethiopia) and travel whenever possible to see the Dodgers and Lakers (including trips to Atlanta, St. Louis, Memphis, Orlando, Cincinnati, and of course Los Angeles). Overall, I make the teams I follow a major priority in my life and support them fervently and whole-heartedly.

So, in summary, I'm a single white fan seeking an NFL team to love and I need you to convince me that your team is the right team for me. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,



Jason Spires
Single White Fan