How do you watch other teams?

Tonight, there will be an actual football game on the television. It's the first one that "counts" since last winter. And, it will be between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Bleh.

I have this odd distaste for the Packers that some 49er fans seem to hold and others seem to find really weird. But, this is a team that employed Brett Favre for years. On purpose. They did that. More importantly, however, the Packers always seemed to knock the 49ers out of the playoffs during my childhood (/90s kid). This was traumatic and perhaps criminal of them. The league should look into it.

This is to say, when I first learned that the Seahawks and the Packers were opening the season, for a brief second, I actually hoped that the Packers would lose. The notion is absurd, of course. I dislike the Seahawks even more than the Packers. Moreover, it's always good when a division rival loses a regular season game. The 49ers only benefit from a Packers win; thus, it's only logical to root for a Packers win.

But, it raises an interesting question for discussion that I would like to pose in anticipation of tonight's game: how do you watch games that don't include the 49ers? Let me elaborate. Do you watch them game impartially? Or, do you choose a team and root for it? And, if you root for a team, is it chosen based upon your feelings for the two teams playing? Or, is it based purely on how it would impact the 49ers?

For me, tonight's game is a good indicator of how I watch games. I definitely root for a team. And, though I really want to root against the Packers because I have a strong dislike for the team, I can't bring myself to root for something that would hamper the 49ers. I imagine this is true for most friend - we need only be reminded of Panthers watch and Chefs watch.