Fair Weather Fans

[sc49erfan15]

I'm pretty sure Shmee's post was in jest...

Wrong. I'm completely serious. Trust me, I've followed the Rangers all my life and between the ages of 6 and 17 there's been to cheer about.

But who am I to criticize someone who starts buying Rangers tickets because they're finally on track to make the playoffs again? What does that guy, or myself, owe to any billionaire who treats his fans like absolute ?

Should Blackhawks fans be faulted for giving up on the club when their owner ignores them, refuses to show games on television, and won't pay to build a team worthy of NHL competition?

Are you a better person than someone else because you're willing to spend your money to go to a baseball game knowing that your team is probably going to lose?

Right, but if the Rangers finally do pull through and win something, won't it make it that much better?

And I think there is a lot of difference between being a fan and being an educated consumer. You can be a fan without going to games. You can be a fan without buying a jersey. It's possible to be a fan of a team, but dislike the owners or certain players.

[The_Admiral]

Enough of this "educated consumer" jibber-jabber. The least you can do is buy a freakin' hat.

[Mings]

So what if you joined the bandwagon when a team won a championship and then stayed a fan through some horrible years (like Shmee, I am a Rangers fan)? What does that make you?

[zer0dotcom]

So what if you joined the bandwagon when a team won a championship and then stayed a fan through some horrible years (like Shmee, I am a Rangers fan)? What does that make you?

I would say that makes you a fan, it's just that high point where you started to become a fan.

There is a line though between a team's owners trying to put together a winning team and a team's owners just messing with the team and not trying to improve.

Like the Blue Jays. I've been going to games for several years when we've been really terrible, when we have no chance. Why? Because I know that the team is trying to improve and get better, and I support that. They are my team and I want to see them do well. Now, if they were just throwing money away and being stupid, like some teams have been, giving up, that would be a different story. But if your bad team is trying to improve, and they are struggling, why not show them support? Yeah, you want your team to do well, but you shouldn't drop them just because they are in a rough patch.

My biggest beef with fair weather fans is whent he team starts doing well again, those fans start coming back, and act like they've been there all along, and then bail again at the first sign of trouble. I've cheered for the Blue Jays and Canadiens faithfully because they are my team, because I know they are making the attempt to field good teams. No, they aren't good all the time, or most of the time. But it happens. If all your fans bail on you because you aren't doing well, then whats the point in trying? The team may as well fold up and go somewhere else

[mkwing]

My take is that there can be degrees of fandom. I'm old enough to have rooted for the 49ers from the days when Brodie was quarterback, Ken Willard ran the ball, and Dave Wilcox (U of O Duck) was at LB. They were my favorite team, and still are. Did I follow them as closely in the late '80s, or in the last three years? Yes, I did. But did I take an interest in the teams that actually were winning something in those years? Well, yes. It's possible to have a favorite team without being monogamous about it. In 1966, I also liked Green Bay. Why? They were fun to watch. I liked to watch them win. I would root for SF against them when they played each other, but I was OK liking Green Bay as well. That didn't make me a fair weather fan; I simply liked watching an excellent team performing so well.

On the negative side, I've been a Trail Blazer fan since Year 1. I've stuck with them as well -- but the last several years have truly tried my patience. This thread does not need a detailed chronology of the "Jail Blazers" years, with the horrendous decisions of Bob Whitsitt, followed by the scorched-earth dealings since his departure. But in the early '90s, with Adelman as coach, you could hardly find a team that was more civic-minded and sportsmanlike than were those Blazers -- who were in two Finals in three years.

I'm still a Blazer fan -- BUT, I've found it very hard to root for a lot of their players over the last few years. Finally having divested themselves of Rasheed, Ruben Patterson, Bonzi Wells, et al., they still have to deal with Darius Miles and Zach Randolph. I will admit that I was glad to see them have a poor season this year -- not because I've abandoned them, but because I hoped it would teach them some kind of lesson. (Idealistic, I know.)

In the perfect world, I'd like to see Portland pick up some more decent leaders to supplement the young talent they have, and slowly climb back up to respectability. Meanwhile, I can still root for the Spurs, the Heat, and the Kings, and for other teams I enjoy. And meanwhile, I'll keep wearing my 49er shirts and caps, while I appreciate both the Seahawks and Steelers long after the Niners have gone home for the season.