Fair Weather Fans: Getting worse?

[rangerfan94]

Im a Pirate fan,and have been since 1970 and always will be. I have a little fun with what I call the reverse pennant race. As of today

the Bucs are in last place with a 1/2 game lead for last place. They should clinch the cellar tittle in mid September

[Still MIGHTY]

Due to my choice in sports teams and their recent successes, I've had to deal with criticisms of being a fairweather/bandwagoner.

(Mighty) Ducks - If you can't tell my by name, I'm a die-hard Ducks fan. I've been there since day 1. I was only 3 when the team was created, but my family has had season tickets ever since. I've been at the Pond for every great moment, and I've been there for the many bad moments. I've taken all the criticism for liking a team named after a Disney movie, but I hold that team higher than most things in my life (save family, friends, and school). I wear my Ducks stuff around a lot but people never really noticed or said anything until they won the Cup and then people who I never even thought knew hockey were all "hardcore" fans. Which is BS. I live and die with every game

Angels - Again, I've been a fan ever since I was able to games. When I was in Little League and I got selected to play for the Yankees and the Mariners, I was sooooo pissed. But I dealt with it. I was there for all those terrible Disney years, those awful logos, uniforms, and those stupid bear mascots. And then of course after 2002, everyone and their mother was an Angels fan. So if I say I've been there since the beginning, I get teh "yeah yeah sure" response.

Colts - This is the one I get the most flack for. I was never a huge football fan when I was younger. I liked to watch, but I never got too emotionally invested in it. Every year my grandpa, my uncles, my cousins, and I would take the train down to San Diego to see a Chargers game once a year. But I never really got too into it. But about 8 years ago, my aunt's fiancee was a huge Titans fan and we sat down and we watched the Colts vs Titans on TV. Because I wanted to have some fun I rooted for the Colts. And for whatever reason from that day on I've been a huge Colts fan. Live and die ever Sunday with the blue and white. And of course the Colts had Manning and were winning all the time won the division every year and now a Super Bowl. When I tell people I've been a fan for about 8 years, I'm a bandwagoner because thats when Manning and them started to become good. I had no big interest in football before then, and we never had a true local team, so one day I picked a team and went with it. Not my fault they decided to become good. Plus Blue was my favorite color.

Lakers - This one is a little bit more legit fairweather. I dont get as much flack for it because everyone is a Lakers fan around here and if you are a Clippers fan you dont tell anyone. Again I wasnt a huge basketball fan until about the 5th grade when I joined NJB and started playing it. It quickly became one of my favorite sports to play (because I sucked at baseball at the time, i hated soccer, i wasnt allowed to play football, and i couldnt skate and rinks were limited to play hockey). So I usually followed whatever team I happened to be Jazz, Hornets, Raptors. Then I watched the NBA playoffs and this was in the middle of the Lakers 3-Peat. So I latched onto them as my favorite team. THey were local, they were on TV, and they were good. But lo and behold the year after I choose my Lakers allegiance I get chosen by the Clippers to play NJB. So I was a Lakers fan, and as was the usual I followed the Clippers because i played for them. I quickly realized even though my Clippers were good (we won the league championship!) the real Clippers sucked, real hard. So since then I've been a Lakers fan. Not as die-hard as I am with the Ducks, Colts and Angels, but still a big fan. I dont really get into the basketball season until about february or march

USC - I've wanted to go to USC since as long as I can remember truly thinking about college. Right now I'm at community college working towards USC so I can save some money (approx. $85,000 for two years). It is a goal I have passion about and am working so hard to achieve. And of course since USC is a football powerhouse and the basketball team is up and coming, I'm a "fairweather bandwagoner." Go figure right. No I'm not a fan because I want taht to be my alma mater more than anything in my life right now. No, its only because they are good.

Manchester United - This one is a bit iffy. I'm a really casual soccer fan. I might check the internet to see how they are doign and if they won or lost or whatever. But I'm not like OI MANCHESTA! GREATEST TEAM!!!! I started liking them mostly after I watched Eurotrip and they had that skit with the Manchester United soccer hooligans. I had no idea who any of the other teams were in the Premier League or heck any other soccer teams outside the Los Angeles Galaxy (who i couldnt really give a damn about). I root for em.

Los Angeles Riptide - I like the Riptide for no other reason than I LOVE playing lacrosse and lacrosse as a sport and they just happen to be the closest team. I like the Anaheim Storm too before tehy folded.

Die-Hard Rankings

1. Ducks

T-2. Angels

T-2. Colts

4. Lakers

5. USC

...MU and Riptide dont really deserve rankings at this point lol. They are casual likes.

[TFoA]

I like your ranking, so I'm going to jack it.

T1: Falcons & Braves

2: Mississippi St. Bulldogs

3: Hawks

4: Thrashers

Casual: Arsenal, Oranje

[KevinMcD]

I like your ranking, so I'm going to jack it.

As am I...

1. Bills (everything in Buffalo revolves around the Bills, I've watched games since I can remember)

2. Orioles (It's different living out of Baltimore but I still try to catch every game and support the O's)

3. Sabres (I watch every Sabres game however I am not as upset as I am when the Bills lose)

4. SUNY Cortland (my school, after I decided to go there I have kept up on their athletics and plan on attending many games this year, It is only D3 but I am still interested)

5. Syracuse (I have liked the Orange since I started watching NCAA Sports in the late 90's, I am up on the team and watch alot of games)

casual: USA National teams/Liverpool FC/Buffalo Bisons/UB Bulls

[Island_Style]

I too like the rankings.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

2. Florida State

3. Florida Panthers

4. Orlando Magic

5. Florida Marlins

6. USA National Teams (any sport)

There isn't that big of a gap between 3 and 6.

[gingerbreadmann]

I too like the rankings.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

2. Florida State

3. Florida Panthers

4. Orlando Magic

5. Florida Marlins

6. USA National Teams (any sport)

There isn't that big of a gap between 3 and 6.

Except your boner.

[Island_Style]

I too like the rankings.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

2. Florida State

3. Florida Panthers

4. Orlando Magic

5. Florida Marlins

6. USA National Teams (any sport)

There isn't that big of a gap between 3 and 6.

Except your boner.

I was left flaccid on this day. Just one huge tease.

[infrared41]

I like your ranking, so I'm going to jack it.

So am I. Thievery is the highest form of flattery or something like that...

Die Hard status...meaning simply that I go out of my way to see these teams.

1. Ohio State Football

2. The Cleveland Browns

3. NASCAR (not exactly a team sport but I do follow it very closely)

Otherwise, I just enjoy watching sports. As I've gotten older, I don't take being "a fan" of any one team as seriously as I used to. As long as the game is entertaining that's all that matters to me. No matter who wins or loses, my life doesn't really change much. So I guess I am the worst offender of all. I am simply a fan of all teams. Some I like much more than others but at the end of the day none of them can ruin my day. Some of them can certainly make my day but that's about as far as it goes.

[BlueSky]

TFoA must go bananas here in Atlanta, one of the worst places on Earth for fair-weather fans. My first year here, 2001, I went to see the Saints and Falcons in the Georgia Dome. There were literally more Saints fans there than Falcons fans. The Falcons were booed during the introductions in their own stadium! Atlanta had a couple of 3rd and short situations on offense, and all you could hear was "DEEE-FENSE! DEEE-FENSE!" Amazing. And a year or so ago, so many Steeler fans were here that after Atlanta's victory, TE Alge Crumpler called it "the best road win we've had in a while."

Even when the weather IS fair, it's tough to find the fans...couldn't believe it a few years ago when the Braves were in the playoffs (again) and you could walk up and buy tickets on game day for the divisional series. Might have even been that way for a couple of NCLS games, can't remember in that much detail. Unbelievable.

[fiasco!]

Another ranking thief here.

1. Detroit Tigers (I bleed Orange and Navy)

2. Detroit Lions (the other side of me bleeds Honolulu Blue and Silver, but not black)

3. Detroit Pistons

4. Michigan State Spartans

5. Detroit Red Wings

6. Clemson Tigers

Casual fan of: Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, Atlanta Braves, Greenville Drive

[FiddySicks]

Ehh, what the hell, rankings it is.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. Oakland Athletics

3. U of Tennessee

4. San Francisco Giants

5. Pretty much whoever else I named

[TFoA]

TFoA must go bananas here in Atlanta, one of the worst places on Earth for fair-weather fans. My first year here, 2001, I went to see the Saints and Falcons in the Georgia Dome. There were literally more Saints fans there than Falcons fans. The Falcons were booed during the introductions in their own stadium! Atlanta had a couple of 3rd and short situations on offense, and all you could hear was "DEEE-FENSE! DEEE-FENSE!" Amazing. And a year or so ago, so many Steeler fans were here that after Atlanta's victory, TE Alge Crumpler called it "the best road win we've had in a while."

Even when the weather IS fair, it's tough to find the fans...couldn't believe it a few years ago when the Braves were in the playoffs (again) and you could walk up and buy tickets on game day for the divisional series. Might have even been that way for a couple of NCLS games, can't remember in that much detail. Unbelievable.

Oh Lord. That Steelers game is STILL fresh in my memory. I knew there were gonna be alot of them, but it really had to be 60/40 Steeler fans, AND THIS WAS DURING THE HEIGHT OF VICK'S POPULARITY (seriously, there was a point where Vick could've run for mayor and won. Easily.)! But as visible as the Steelers fans were with the terrible towels, the Falcon supporters (can't really call em fans now since they all of a sudden disappeared) still out shouted them, and thank you LORD the Falcons won that game. The last thing I wanted to endure was ANOTHER "LET'S GO STEELERS" chant. But I guess that didn't really anger me too much since the Steelers do that everywhere they go. Hell, when they went on that Super Bowl run, they might as well had home field advantage because they still had a damn good margin of fans there. So I guess I could chalk that up to being:

Large traveling/national fanbase + fairweather fans in ATL = THAT debacle.

If there's any team CITY that needs to implement what the Cardinals are doing, it's Atlanta. It happens to every team here: The Falcons whenever some popular team comes, the Braves whenever they go to the playoffs ( ), the Hawks whenever a popular player comes (I think one of the reasons why the Hawks had one of the best home records and almost upset the Celtics was simply to shut up all the bandwagon fans that showed up for the other team. Josh Chilldress even said so after they beat the Lakers and Philips was invaded by Laker Kobe fans.), and the Thrashers when the Sabres come. Seriously? The Sabres?

But that said, I guess it's a good thing because I've learned how certain fans can be. The real fans are normally the ones who are respectful and are just there to cheer their team on. More than likely, the bandwagon fans are the ones that come in with the intention of taking the place over, get drunk, and proceed to attempt to do so. It's fun with the real fans, not too fun with the bandwagon jumpers.

But I guess I've learned to live with it. Even if Falcons/Braves/Hawks are really good, if they play a popular team in the championship (LMAO), their fans will probably still be outnumbered. Its sad, but it's a fact of Atlanta sports.

[Thad]

I guess I will steal the ranking thing too:

1. Anything Alabama (Dad's alma mater - been rooting for them since I was 2. Hopefully where I get my MBA) & Anything Appalachian (My alma mater in 2010 and beyond)

2. Atlanta Braves (born there)

3. Atlanta Thrashers (born there - wasn't really into hockey until they got a team)

4. Atlanta Hawks (born there - been a fan since MOOOOOOOOOOOKIE and the gang)

5. New York Jets (Dad was a Jets fan back in the day because Joe Namath went to Alabama and it rubbed off on me)

[Talon Lardner]

Looking at this thread does indeed give me hope, I must admit. I had worried that there was indeed a trend torwards liking only winning teams, but I'm glad to see that it was just in my head.

As for myself, NFL wise I'm big into the Lions and Bears. I know that they are rivals, but those two teams got the air time during my youth as a kid, and I could never choose between the two.

Strange thing, though. I've found myself actually starting to have a little bit of a "bizzaro-fair-weather fan" relationship with the Tigers and the Red Wings. When they started becoming consistantly good, I found myself rooting for them less and less. I guess part of it could be that before them, I thought of them as my "own little team", and was frustrated that suddenly, everyone else liked the team only I liked. But I guess it is just me overreacting to something that wasn't even a problem.

[mjrbaseball]

I am occasionally accused of being a fair-weather fan because I am a Yankees fan. But the accusers don't realize that I started following the Yankees in the mid-'60s (when they were really bad) simply because I lived in northern N.J. and they were the first team I saw in person. I also suffered through the late-'80s/early-'90s drought. Because my team happens to be successful now, does that make me a fair-weather fan?

[BlueSky]

On this topic, one vivid memory stands out...a Saints-Jets preseason game at Tulane Stadium around 1973. I didn't attend that one but remember the reports in the paper and on TV. The entire game was played in a torrential downpour and by late in the 4th quarter, it was 38-0 Jets. There were still fans there. In my mind, any Saints fan still present at that point gets "fan for life" status, no questions asked.

[PeytonManningRocks]

I guess I'll do my rankings, based on how much I follow the individual team, not sport as a whole.

1. Dodgers

1a. Colts

2. Lakers

3. Kings

4. USC

5. IU

6. Teams that I have a more casual rooting interest: LA Avengers, LA Galaxy

[maz]

1. Penguins - no fairweatherness here. I liked them even through their darkest days (00/01 - 05/06).

2. Steelers - always rooted for em second to the pens, no matter what

3. Pitt - always rooted for em - no fairweathrness

4. Pirates - everyone is a "fairweather fan in the 'casual' stage" of them at this point

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I think I'm a total fair-weather fan, but I don't really care. Anyway, this is fun.

1. Buffalo Bills

2. Syracuse basketball

3. Buffalo Sabres

4. Washington Wizards

5. New York Knicks (although, we can probably flip the NBA/NHL rankings based on who is doing better that season.)

I guess 6. would be Syracuse football, but I'm a fair-weather fan and they haven't been good in forever, so I don't have as active an interest anymore.

7. Seattle Mariners

And I think that's it. When I lived in Louisville I had a more active interest in the University teams than I do for UW sports -- and I'm even a Husky. That might have more to do with U of L being pretty good back then (something like #4 in football and #6 in basketball one year I lived there) or me having more free time then. But I also think the whole university sports thing is more for undergrads. I've been to the games, but I don't hold any real allegiance.

[Sport]

This thread reminds me of this article I read on College Humor called 'Indie Sports Fan'

Me: So what do you think about the Super Bowl this weekend? Think the Pats'll blow 'em out?

Indie Sports Fan: Psh, who even cares about the Super Bowl? The whole thing is just a ploy by the big sports companies to sell advertising. It's not even about the game anymore, it's all about money.

Me: Yeah, I know man, it's all just a big hype machine now, I've gotten pretty sick of hearing about the Patriots every single day all season.

ISF: Tell me about it, I used to like the Patriots back in the early 90s, when they had guys like Andre Tippett and Sam Gash, you know, back before they started selling out. That was their best stuff.

Me: You mean before they started winning?

ISF: I guess if you wanna define sports in terms of wins and losses... but it's about more than that for me, just because a team has a lot of good players and wins a lot of games doesn't make them good.

Me: So who do you like?

ISF: I'd say the only decent team out there is the Lions, they've really stayed true to their roots, but the whole NFL is nothing but crap anyway. It's all the same over and over again, pretty much every play uses the same hook route...

Me: So what do you like, college football?

ISF: Meh, it's better, but not by much, most of the players are selling out by taking scholarships, and the good ones just sell out even more when it comes time to get drafted by the big labels... er... teams.

Me: So you're into High School football then?

ISF: Yeah, lately I've been really into this team, the Clark Fork High Wampus Cats, they're pretty good, but I heard their quarterback just sold out and signed with Boise State, so they're probably gonna start sucking.

Me: Oh no, what are you gonna do now?

ISF: Actually I found this great new team, the Chefs.

Me: The Chefs?

ISF: Yeah, they wanted to call themselves the Chiefs, but apparently that name was already taken... or there was a typo on all the uniforms, I'm really not sure.

Me: Where do they play?

ISF: They play in the MYFL.

Me: Alright, I'll bite. MYFL?

ISF: Metro Youth Football League, I guess you've never heard of it, nobody else I talk to has, I guess I'm the only one.

Me: Pee-Wee football?

ISF: Oh yeah, man, they're freakin' awesome, these guys really play like they mean it... it's like they don't even care about making money or anything, it's all about the game.

Me: . . .

ISF: Get this: they don't even keep score! :censored:in' stickin' it to the establishment!

Me: Um...

ISF: I mean I could show you some videos, but that wouldn't really give you the whole experience, you really have to see them live...

My rankings go as follows

1. Columbus Blue Jackets/Cincinnati Reds. The Blue Jackets have never made the playoffs so no fairweather there. The Reds have made the playoffs twice in my life so no fairweather there either.

2. Cincinnati Bengals The Bengals were absolutely terrible for my entire life. Living in Columbus, I knew probably 10 Bengals fans but during the 05 season they were all over the place. I'd be lying if I said that didn't piss me off. I sat through David Klingler and Akili Smith and these a-holes get to come on board when they're good. That's not the way it works or that's not the way it should work. Bengal "fans" like that give Bengal Fans like me a bad name.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes.

4. Ohio Bobcats

5. New York Islanders

6. Phoenix Suns