Don’t get us wrong, Canada is great. But there are definitely a few things that we can’t help but want from our southern neighbours. Their unconditional love for football, especially the NFL.

Before we dive any further, we’re aware of the CFL and the amazing talent it showcases, but there’s just something about the league Roger Goodell is running that just straight up fires you up and has you counting down the minutes until the next week.

But year after year you hold off on truly investing your time in the league and by the time the Super Bowl rolls around, you missed yet another entire football season and the opportunity to be cheering for one of the 32 NFL teams.

Well not anymore. Consider yourself a born again sports fan, because we’re going to outline a guide for our fellow Canadian’s on which NFL fandom to choose.

Homegrown pride

True North Strong and Free. This factor alone could narrow down your list of potential teams to follow. Within the NFL there are currently ten players from the Great White North, with “America’s Team” itself the Dallas Cowboys housing two of our own. Long snapper L.P. Ladouceur and freshly acquired from the 2020 draft, defensive end Neville Gallimore hail from Montreal and Ottawa respectively. Another Canadian powerhouse that is giving JuJu Smith-Schuster a run for his money, comes from Abbotsford, British Columbia and is none other than Week 5's AFC Player of the Week, Chase Claypool.

Four touchdowns, seven receptions, and 110 receiving yards. Jerry Butler? Harlon Hill? Nope, but you may as well get the history books ready because we’re waving our terrible towels for this Canadian goat.

Still not sold? Let us introduce you to Super Bowl LIV champion, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Born in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec and an alumni from McGill University, the Kansas City Chiefs starting right guard made headlines this year for more than just his on field success. Hanging up his Super Bowl ring, Dunvernay-Tardif decided to opt out of the 2020 season and continue to help on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. Though you won’t see him on the field with Patrick Mahomes this season, it definitely gives you that Canadian sense of pride by cheering for the Chiefs.

Some road trip action

Another factor that could narrow down your decision is to look at a team’s geography in two ways. First, which American states are closest to you and can you easily travel there to watch a game? If you’re based out of Southern Ontario, you may want to pick a team from a surrounding border town such as the Detroit Lions or you may want to go along with the rest of Ontarians on the Greyhound bus down to Buffalo and jump on a foldable table prior to the Bills kick-off.

If you’re out west, you may as well go with Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. If you’re out in the more eastern provinces, you’d probably hop on the Cam Newton train to New England. There’s a few options for our border town friends, and most likely some success too for our Cinderella Man, Josh Allen.

Backer trackers

When you join a specific team’s fandom, you can sometimes feel like you’re in a sea all alone because no one else around you also follows the same team. You’ll probably end up getting chirped by your friends. Well, thank god for the internet and being able to bring people together, because you can actually track online for team specific fan chapters in your area. Some teams like the Buffalo Bills or Cleveland Browns have dedicated “Backer Trackers” on their site to find chapters virtually anywhere in the world.

Other fans may have to use the good ol’ internet and do some more digging to find other fans. But within these fan clubs, you can meet with other fans at local bars to watch games, eat and drink, play games and even make other fans that go through the ups and downs with you.

City-wide fan

Additionally, a geographical factor that comes into play is if a team you already follow is within the same city or state. Are you a Washington Capitals fan? May we suggest the rebranded Washington Football Team? Or maybe you’re a fan of the New York Rangers and want to extend your fandom to the New York Jets (WARNING: this option may bring more pain and suffering, proceed with caution).

Either way, since teams within the same city tend to carry on that hometown pride, this isn’t a bad way to select your NFL team. Who knows, maybe your worlds will collide and you’ll end up seeing your favourite athlete shotgunning a brewski in the VIP boxes during another sports game in the city.

(Subtle Browns are 4-1 flex.)

So did you choose a team?

There are various factors that can go into why a person may choose a certain NFL team to root for. Star players like Julio Jones or even Ezekiel Elliot may have you wearing your favourite crop top on your coach next Sunday. Or maybe one of the reasons listed above truly resonated with you and have helped shape your selection in choosing where your NFL fandom lies.

We just hope none of these choices has you reaching FOUR Tom Brady and the Bucs.