Walter Johnson is filled with sports fans who support a wide variety of teams. Many students have come to support non-local teams, whether they’re from other states or even other countries. Most students at WJ live in the same general area, so one might think that the support for professional teams would be concentrated on the few teams in our area; however, this is not the case.

European Leagues and teams are far superior to soccer teams in the U.S. and this has led many soccer fans to support them as opposed to the MLS teams. Also, all of the international stars play in European leagues which gives these leagues a lot more attention.

“I’ve always been a Manchester United fan. When I first started falling in love with the game I loved Manchester United. Also, my uncle has supported them his whole life because he lived in Manchester for a few years and he has definitely influenced me. They were also one of the best teams when I started watching which really attracted me to the team even more. Nobody wants to root for a terrible team,” junior Ahmed Gugssa said.

In contrast to soccer, basketball is a more American sport with all the best teams being from the United States’ NBA. Many students have still come to support teams from various places all over the country.

“I’m a Warriors fan and a Steph Curry fan. I’m more of a Steph Curry fan, but that still means I support the Warriors. People call me a bandwagon, but really my dad is from there and he’s been a Warriors fan forever,” sophomore Fraol Kebede said.

The local team for this area is either the Orioles or the Nationals. Most students support one of these two teams, but some support non-local teams.

“I’m an Astros fan, although I do root for the Nats as well. I would vote for the Astros if they played against each other though. I’m an Astros fan because my mom grew up in Houston, Texas and that’s where she met my dad in college. My dad grew up in a foreign country and so I root for most Texas teams because of my mom. I’m not a very avid fan though, I don’t watch a lot of the games,” junior Erik Austegard said.

The WJ area is also a Commander’s or Ravens area, but there are plenty of people who choose to root for other teams.

“I root for the Packers because I love Aaron Rodgers and my dad went to Wisconsin and has liked them since college. He’s passed this team onto me, and I love them,” junior Tommy Dash said.