I never really understood the “our team” stuff for any sport. Its not like the team is going to perform better or worse. I think its a substitute for tribal behavior that has gone away from American life. People want to feel “part of something” but there are a lot of people who dont want to put in the work, so buying a jersey and cheering is easy.
Now, it just done out of habit, or from a lack of imagination.
And in what way is 'American' not tribalistic?
Some long time ago we could all claim to be part of some grand American experiment in freedom and justice based on a Constitution and the rule of law.
But those days are long gone. Rooting for America is becoming more and more difficult given how low huge sections of the population have gone and how many people on American soil are not really American having gotten here illegally.
Jim Bunning, Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Don Mossi, Rocky Colavito, Frank Lary et. al. were real men and real heroes. No national anthem demonstrations, no showboating after a home run, just a bunch of humble guys happier than anything to be paid for playing a kid's game that they loved in front of thousands of adoring fans.