Why hate smaller, unsuccessful teams?

[CrimsonBull9584]

I could be wrong on this, but it would seem that in recent years, a lot of people are down on smaller, unsuccessful teams. Usually you would have people who hate bigger, more successful, and, most often, arrogant teams. Teams like Georgia, Notre Dame, ad Alabama are among my most hated teams because of those reasons, and others. Yet, there seems to be an apparent loathing for teams like Idaho, UConn, and UCF. Teams that have had a history of being unsuccessful on the field or had recent/minor success. I see a lot of people making fun of Idaho and UConn on message boards while teams like UCF are hated when they succeed, like when they won the National Championship. Alabama wins the National Championship and everyone (outside of Auburn) is happy, but UCF wins and people immediately hate them. UConn makes it to the Fiesta Bowl, and they are immediately mocked and ridiculed. Idaho is just... Idaho, and people make fun of them all the time. I'm sure there are more examples out there, but I don't understand the need to punch down at these teams or hate them for finding some success. Am I missing something? Please share your thoughts. 

[IceCap]

5 minutes ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

I could be wrong on this, but it would seem that in recent years, a lot of people are down on smaller, unsuccessful teams. Usually you would have people who hate bigger, more successful, and, most often, arrogant teams. Teams like Georgia, Notre Dame, ad Alabama are among my most hated teams because of those reasons, and others. Yet, there seems to be an apparent loathing for teams like Idaho, UConn, and UCF. Teams that have had a history of being unsuccessful on the field or had recent/minor success. I see a lot of people making fun of Idaho and UConn on message boards while teams like UCF are hated when they succeed, like when they won the National Championship. Alabama wins the National Championship and everyone (outside of Auburn) is happy, but UCF wins and people immediately hate them. UConn makes it to the Fiesta Bowl, and they are immediately mocked and ridiculed. Idaho is just... Idaho, and people make fun of them all the time. I'm sure there are more examples out there, but I don't understand the need to punch down at these teams or hate them for finding some success. Am I missing something? Please share your thoughts. 

Hot take- underdog teams attract contrarian fans. These sorts of fans are, by nature, combative to a degree. A lot of potential feel-good stories end up getting brushed aside because no one wants to deal with a segment of fans that glom onto these teams. Boise State was pretty much universally beloved in the early/mid 2000s, but that underdog status attracted a fan culture that the rest of us just couldn't deal with. Same with the LA Clippers, really. In an ideal world everyone would want to see the Clippers get a ring, but their most vocal fans make that hard to really get behind.

 

There's also the realization that a lot of sports are fun when the old time, big market teams are good. There's nothing in hockey like a Montreal Canadiens home game during a deep playoff run. Basketball has a certain other level to it when the Lakers or Celtics are doing well. The Yankees are so much fun to hate as the Evil Empire. And so on.

 

We all have our favourite teams, but those teams individually have a small percentage of getting it done every year. So the vast majority of sports fans have to find other narratives to hang onto when our teams inevitably bow out. The history and passion behind old, storied teams make them great actors in the drama that's unfolding before us.

[FiddySicks]

Some of the more unsuccessful teams, for example, oh I dunno let’s use someone random, the Sacramento Kings, fully deserve to be punched down on as hard as possible at every given turn because their entire business model is predicated on that absolute suck. Those types of teams get that kind of hate because they’re using a loophole to rake in the cash while spending as little as possible. Or, even worse, it’sa toy for rich people and when it comes to actually running the team once it’s purchased, it’s run by some of the worst businessmen you’ll ever encounter at best, and borderline criminals at worst. 
 

It’s really like any other business. Some of these crappy teams get a lot of hate because they completely deserve it.

[Glover]

I think @IceCap makes a good point about some people just naturally wanting to go against the underdog. But I will take it a step further - I think some fans will hate on the smaller guys for one of two reasons. Either A. Your team is objectively good and you feel disrespected if people are supporting/hyping up the small "no-name" team, or B. Your team is struggling, so you want to remind everyone that this newly successful team used to be the laughing stock. 

 

I am a Browns fan, they have been trash basically my entire existence. This past season was awesome, and the Browns have some buzz around them. When ESPN puts out a video or article painting the Browns in a positive light, most of the comments are trashing them. You'll have Ravens or Chiefs fans with "Our QB is better. We are going to stomp them this year. They're not even the best team in their division."  You'll also see other various non-playoff fanbases saying "Baker is overrated. OBJ is a clown. Remember 0-16? Last year was a fluke, they'll be bad again."

 

I guess you could argue it is just the nature of being a sports fan. 

[colinturner95]

12 hours ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

I could be wrong on this, but it would seem that in recent years, a lot of people are down on smaller, unsuccessful teams. Usually you would have people who hate bigger, more successful, and, most often, arrogant teams. Teams like Georgia, Notre Dame, ad Alabama are among my most hated teams because of those reasons, and others. Yet, there seems to be an apparent loathing for teams like Idaho, UConn, and UCF. Teams that have had a history of being unsuccessful on the field or had recent/minor success. I see a lot of people making fun of Idaho and UConn on message boards while teams like UCF are hated when they succeed, like when they won the National Championship. Alabama wins the National Championship and everyone (outside of Auburn) is happy, but UCF wins and people immediately hate them. UConn makes it to the Fiesta Bowl, and they are immediately mocked and ridiculed. Idaho is just... Idaho, and people make fun of them all the time. I'm sure there are more examples out there, but I don't understand the need to punch down at these teams or hate them for finding some success. Am I missing something? Please share your thoughts. 

As a Boise State fan and fmr. student, nothing makes me happier than seeing U of I suffer. 

 

Also not gonna completely re-open that can of worms, but it wasn't the success that ticked most of the internet off, it was the arrogance many of the UCF fans approached it with, even the school administrators approached it with. 

 

 

[officeglenn]

26 minutes ago, Glover said:

I am a Browns fan, they have been trash basically my entire existence. This past season was awesome, and the Browns have some buzz around them. When ESPN puts out a video or article painting the Browns in a positive light, most of the comments are trashing them. You'll have Ravens or Chiefs fans with "Our QB is better. We are going to stomp them this year. They're not even the best team in their division."  You'll also see other various non-playoff fanbases saying "Baker is overrated. OBJ is a clown. Remember 0-16? Last year was a fluke, they'll be bad again."

 

I think we also have to keep in mind that the people who leave internet comments have to be motivated to do so, and disliking something/someone is a much stronger motivator than liking something/someone. Or, perhaps in the case bolded, while the people leaving comments disagree, the people who do agree don't comment because they feel vindicated by the post and feel like it speaks for itself.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, take everything you read on the internet with giant boulder of salt. Probably for every one person tearing something/someone down in the comments, there are 10 others who don't agree but didn't say anything. It's one voice that can feel representative of a larger group, but in the end it really is just one voice.

[OnWis97]

I don't feel like I've really noticed a lot of hate on low-profile teams (outside of something like the above-mentioned Boise State fan hating Idaho).  I think there's a difference between tuning in to see high-profile teams (sometimes out of hate) and tuning out when the Suns play the Bucks. I think the best example of attitudes towards the underdog is the NCAA tournament.  We cheer for the underdogs on the first weekend but after that, we want to get down to business and see the UNCs, Dukes, and Kansases in the Final Four.  That doesn't mean people hated Texas Tech and Auburn when they made the Final Four a couple of years ago. It just means they lost some interest when Duke missed out (it was in Minnesota; I went to it; and was disappointed about the lack of star power).

 

The only example I can think of is small-market teams that don't spend enough on salary, most notably MLB at the height of the payroll gap. All the Yankee hate/fatigue did result in some blowback at teams like the Pirates, Twins, and Royals not spending money. For every fan that thought the Yankees were ruining baseball, there was a fan that thought the Pirates were.

 

But I really don't think there are a lot of people in New England that just can't stand the Wild or people in Canada that just hate the Blue Jackets.  

 

I do recall around 1990 in high school I had a friend who fell in love with the Charlotte Hornets (and their colors). But I recall, as a Laker hater, him saying how much he hated the Bucks, Mavericks, and Nuggets. And there was absolutely no point in hating any of those teams at that time (the Mavs and Nugs were pretty moribund and the Bucks were recently removed from being competitive but not winning anything).  It sounded so strange when he said it and to this day I don't know what prompted that. But that really seems like an outlier (and that guy was a clown).

 

The case with the Browns feels more like them being a constant punch-line and people saying "no, sorry; same old Browns). Eitehr that or if ESPN hypes someone/some team, fans are ready to be negative.

[GriffinM6]

1 hour ago, colinturner95 said:

Also not gonna completely re-open that can of worms, but it wasn't the success that ticked most of the internet off, it was the arrogance many of the UCF fans approached it with, even the school administrators approached it with. 

 

 

This is my issue with UCF. Their fans on Twitter are absolute pests. Anytime Miami, UF, or FSU schedules an OOC game not against them, their fans lose their s**t in the replies. Always clamoring "YoU'rE tOo ScArEd To PlAy Us!", completely unprovoked. It's incredibly annoying because I honestly like watching their team play, but their fans stop me from actually liking the team itself. 

[dont care]

16 hours ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

I could be wrong on this, but it would seem that in recent years, a lot of people are down on smaller, unsuccessful teams. Usually you would have people who hate bigger, more successful, and, most often, arrogant teams. Teams like Georgia, Notre Dame, ad Alabama are among my most hated teams because of those reasons, and others. Yet, there seems to be an apparent loathing for teams like Idaho, UConn, and UCF. Teams that have had a history of being unsuccessful on the field or had recent/minor success. I see a lot of people making fun of Idaho and UConn on message boards while teams like UCF are hated when they succeed, like when they won the National Championship. Alabama wins the National Championship and everyone (outside of Auburn) is happy, but UCF wins and people immediately hate them. UConn makes it to the Fiesta Bowl, and they are immediately mocked and ridiculed. Idaho is just... Idaho, and people make fun of them all the time. I'm sure there are more examples out there, but I don't understand the need to punch down at these teams or hate them for finding some success. Am I missing something? Please share your thoughts. 

UCF is hated for claiming a national championship they never won. And then have the arrogance and audacity to say teams are scared to face them when they come to them and say they’ll play them but it will be at our stadium and UCF backs out.

[RyanMcD29]

Yeah what everyone said about UCF, and also how CFB Reddit *still* drags out the 2018 UCF Season and continues to be as unbearable as they were that fall with them

 

UConn basketball (both men and women) does no favors for their other teams. Disclaimer: Syracuse grad you're talking to, so mileage may vary

[heavybass]

UCF had a VERY legit national championship claim though... which pissed off the playoff :censored:s.

[LMU]

 

In the case of the little guy, their first taste of success is a good story but once that little taste of success brings with it any semblance of ego without actually accomplishing anything, that's when they lose me.

 

The Clippers are a prime example.  It was always a cute story in LA when they'd make the playoffs but the minute their fans started getting chesty with Laker fans during the Laker down years with only this past year making the conference final they painted a giant target on themselves.

 

Also see Gonzaga.  All the media slurpage year after year for a team that has yet to win a national title.  And year after year, the team whines constantly about the disadvantages about its conference, to the point of forcing a change in conference tournament format to pad its RPI, and every year they use the conference as an excuse for losing.  Yet, they still want us to think they're Cinderellas.

[tp49]

19 hours ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

I could be wrong on this, but it would seem that in recent years, a lot of people are down on smaller, unsuccessful teams. Usually you would have people who hate bigger, more successful, and, most often, arrogant teams. Teams like Georgia, Notre Dame, ad Alabama are among my most hated teams because of those reasons, and others. Yet, there seems to be an apparent loathing for teams like Idaho, UConn, and UCF. Teams that have had a history of being unsuccessful on the field or had recent/minor success. I see a lot of people making fun of Idaho and UConn on message boards while teams like UCF are hated when they succeed, like when they won the National Championship. Alabama wins the National Championship and everyone (outside of Auburn) is happy, but UCF wins and people immediately hate them.   Am I missing something? Please share your thoughts. 

There is so much wrong with what you've written.  Alabama is viewed much in the same way that teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are and trust me most folks aren't happy when they win a National Championship or World Series which is fine.  I'm a fan of both Alabama and the Yankees but I love a good underdog story and don't mind pulling for one.  However, the level of arrogance shown in the above pales to what even the most obnoxious fan of one of those bigger, more successful teams shows.  Last I checked UCF never won a National Championship not in 2018 and not ever.  For them, their administrators and their fans to claim as much is a level of arrogance I don't think even the biggest Yankees or Red Sox homer could attain.  

 

Thus, UCF deserves all of the animosity they get as it's caused by their extreme arrogance.  Want to call yourself a National Champion, might actually want to win one first.  Hubris is one thing and is fine but arrogance is something else and UCF specifically has an undeserved amount of the latter.

[SFGiants58]

In no FBS championship system would UCF have been declared champions. Not in the poll, not in the BCS, and not in the playoffs. Heck, they'd have probably lost in the expanded playoffs.

[Sec19Row53]

2 hours ago, tp49 said:

There is so much wrong with what you've written.  Alabama is viewed much in the same way that teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are and trust me most folks aren't happy when they win a National Championship or World Series which is fine.  I'm a fan of both Alabama and the Yankees but I love a good underdog story and don't mind pulling for one.  However, the level of arrogance shown in the above pales to what even the most obnoxious fan of one of those bigger, more successful teams shows.  Last I checked UCF never won a National Championship not in 2018 and not ever.  For them, their administrators and their fans to claim as much is a level of arrogance I don't think even the biggest Yankees or Red Sox homer could attain.  

 

Thus, UCF deserves all of the animosity they get as it's caused by their extreme arrogance.  Want to call yourself a National Champion, might actually want to win one first.  Hubris is one thing and is fine but arrogance is something else and UCF specifically has an undeserved amount of the latter.

All this. I couldn't figure how to respond to something that isn't more than 'why do you hate what I like', only it's written from the theoretical perspective of someone else.

[heavybass]

Would of been swept under the rug except the NCAA validated their unbeaten season so UCF has a national title of sorts.

[DnBronc]

I am sick of the Lakers and Celtics. I had enough of them being in the finals every year in the 80's growing up. I was happy when the Pistons broke through. I also was happy for the Bulls after their first one, but I got sick of them as well.

[tBBP]

AND, I don't think too many people are crying over the NFL's favorite little media darlings, the Cowboys, having not won a dang thang since I was in eighth grade (I'm 39 now),  nor are many of us exactly pining for them to get back there, either. So there's that. 

 

I would say people were probably relieved to not see the Patriots in the SB last year--except Brady and then Gronkowski, so...--and speaking of which, should Tampa repeat this upcoming season, will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of all teams, join the ranks of the hated?

 

(Speaking of Tampa, I haven't been following it closely enough to know, but now that the Lightning have lifted Lord Stanley thrice, are they among the hated, far as ice hockey goes?)

[The_Admiral]

1 hour ago, tBBP said:

(Speaking of Tampa, I haven't been following it closely enough to know, but now that the Lightning have lifted Lord Stanley thrice, are they among the hated, far as ice hockey goes?)

 

It's annoying that they've combined Red Wings draft luck with the legal cap circumvention of no state income tax, but I've never been able to work up real hate for them. They're running a professional operation that isn't bleeding out taxpayers or covering up for scumbag ownership by doing Meme Magic, so you kind of have to respect what they've done. They're not really the Red Wings.

[See Red]

1 hour ago, tBBP said:

(Speaking of Tampa, I haven't been following it closely enough to know, but now that the Lightning have lifted Lord Stanley thrice, are they among the hated, far as ice hockey goes?)

 

As far as r/hockey goes, yes.  Mostly because of the whole Kucherov LTIR thing.