I am a Carolina Panthers fan that lives nowhere near the Carolinas. I didn't even begin to follow football (or care about any sport) as recently as 2012. Then, that year, I got roped into a fantasy football league as a means of keeping in touch with some college buddies. Following the players got me into the sport and I learned to seriously enjoy watching games. I tried to root for the local team (insomuch as I had one) for a season, but I never got into them. Or the other two relatively close. They just bored me for their own reasons.
But there were some teams I kinda had a soft spot for going into the 2013 season. One of them was a young team lead by a charismatic QB that seemed good at the physical, gritty football that I enjoy most. They were full of fun personalities and genuinely good people that kicked ass on the field and seemed like great community leaders off it. And because they'd had a recent history of losing, they were that sort of underdog story I've always been partial to. When they blew up that year, I went along for the ride. It started off ugly, but then we got it together and coasted through an easy schedule. And we kept on rolling when the going got tough to knock off a couple Super Bowl contenders that nobody thought we had a prayer against. I think that night we beat the Patriots in primetime was the moment that sealed my fandom, because it was the first time I ever found myself with a serious emotional investment in a sports game. I wanted to believe in them to conquer adversity (nobody really took us seriously until we won that game), and they delivered for me and conquered it. I've been a diehard ever since, even through a season that included a 1-8-1 stretch of season in which everything felt totally hopeless.
I guess what I'm saying is that you have to find your own storyline to root for. Players that appeal to you. You don't owe a hometown team anything, so follow games, follow the storylines and let your heart tell you who to like. Every team has a certain personality that they play football with, so find the one you enjoy watching the most.
That said, we're exciting as shit right now, so root for us. Go Panthers!