I typically watch one or two NFL games a week, and yet, I don’t really have an NFL team. (I’m currently watching the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football as I write this.)

When I was little, I was a Cowboys fan. We’re taking about the Tom Landry, Danny White, Tony Dorsett era Cowboys. When Jerry Jones bought the team and got rid of all my favorite players and their legendary coach, I decided I was no longer a Cowboys fan. I briefly pulled for the Bears when I lived in Chicago and they won the Super Bowl, but I was never fully invested and then, they fired Ditka.

In the early 2000s, I had a fantasy football team each season. That meant that I pulled for players, not teams. Every year, I’d pick a new team and have a new rooting interest.

I’m a South Carolina Gamecocks fan, so I’ve often pulled for teams with former Gamecocks. But trades and free agency happen. The Bears and Alshon Jeffrey became the Eagles and Alshon Jeffrey. The 49ers and Deebo Samuels became the Commanders and Deebo Samuels. Picking a team based on a player means that when a player leaves, your affinity for that team fades.

I’ve only been to one NFL game — a battle between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets when my dad lived in Miami. Both teams were terrible and I can’t remember who won. I obviously didn’t develop an affinity for either of those teams.

Every so often, I feel like I’m missing out by not having a favorite NFL team. But how do I choose?

• I’m not choosing the Cowboys. Also, I’m not choosing a team with orange as their primary color.¹ As a Gamecocks fan, I do not wear orange.
• I could pull for Chicago Bears since I grew up there and am already a Cubs fan and Bulls fan. I could probably live with their orange secondary color.
• I could pick my team based on geographic proximity. The Carolina Panthers are a couple hours up I-77. I do live in South Carolina, and the Panthers are theoretically my “home” team despite being just across the border in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• I could pick my team based on color palette. My favorite color is green. The Jets, Eagles, Packers and Seahawks are the only teams in the NFL with green incorporated in their team colors.

After thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I think that the most logical team for me to pull for is the Carolina Panthers. They have been terrible, but seem to be improving. (They just beat the Cowboys today.) They usually have a couple of Gamecocks on the roster. I do love their black and blue color scheme. And if I really do become a fan, I could easily catch a game up the road. I’m going to start making a point of watching Panthers games. We’ll see if it sticks.

And if being a Panthers fan doesn’t stick, I’ll just go back to pulling for good games and Gamecocks.

Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.