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Fair Weather Fans: Getting worse?


Talon Lardner

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I haven't done much fair weather fanning.

I've been a White Sox fan since I was 5. My dad taught me to like the White Sox and the Mets. I never followed much other sports except when the Blackhawks had good teams in the early-mid 90s. Those of you know in Chicago know how hard it is to be passionate about the Blackhawks. Of course now i'm EXTREMELY excited about this coming season between the new TV/Radio deal, new signings, and the Winter Classic.

NFL, I would root for the Bears casually, but my heart has always been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going back to the "Orange" years.

Other than that, I'm usually more fans of players than the teams themselves (ie. Tim Lincecum, Dan Uggla, and even though I don't really like GB I am a full Aaron Rodgers supporter)

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How about this? Like who you want and :censored: anyone that doesn't like it. B)

Fine with me, as long as your favorite team isn't the Cowboys or Patriots.

Yeah, I'd have to draw the line there myself. I'd also throw in The Red Sox for good measure and if The Mets fans around here keep behaving like they have been I'm thinking I'd have to include them as well. Otherwise, like who you want (with the noted exceptions) and :censored: anyone that doesn't like it. :D

 

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I guess you could say I have a bit of fairweather in me. Take the Kings, for example... they are my team, and I could never see myself rooting for any other NHL team, but the last few years it has been very tough for me to get into their season, because they...um...suck horribly. Add that to the fact that the NFL season is going on at the same time (I enjoy the NFL the most by far of the Big 4 sports), and the fact that school is usually going on at that time, and you'll see why it's hard for me to get into their season. But I still watch whenever I can. It's weird, because I'm a little more into the Lakers than the Kings, but I like the NHL way more than the NBA. I'd say I'm more into the Dodgers than any other team, really, because though I love the NFL most of all, I can't watch all the Colts games (living in Southern California), so during the summer I get my fill of Dodger baseball.

But yea, it annoys me to see all the bandwagon Boston fans... specifically Celtics (after beating LA in the Finals) and Patriots/Brady homers (I'm a Colts fan, figure out why they would be annoying to me). Surprisingly most Red Sox fans (like InTheEnd on this board) don't bother me, as long as they aren't a Pats or Celtics homer as well.

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How about this? Like who you want and :censored: anyone that doesn't like it. B)

Fine with me, as long as your favorite team isn't the Cowboys or Patriots.

Things like this, to me, are about as big of a dickhead thing as you can say.

Sports are supposed to be fun, and when people act like you're a second class citizen because of which team you support, well, then it doesn't become as fun.

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I tend to take a bit of criticism here for liking "too many" teams at times. I think the biggest reason for that is that my die hard feelings for certain sports, and sports as a whole, has faded a considerable amount over the last few years. I used to look at sports and invest so much emotionally that I would take it personal when one of my teams lost, or one of the teams I dislike won. Over the past year or so sports has transformed from an almost cult like following, to more like my ultimate form of entertainment. It's in some ways like the movies for me now. It's a story line that I follow extremely closely and am entertained by, but in the long run it has no real effect on my life. I kind of figure why invest so much into something that I love that when things don't go my way I dislike it? I mean I still LOVE sports, possibly more than any other thing in the world (Family, friends, women excluded. But I think you get the general picture.), but in the long run it's nothing more than an awesome form of entertainment.

Thats not to say I don't have a fandom of certain teams over others.

NFL

BUCCANEERS: This is the one team that I will follow no matter what and not even think of ever replacing. I dunno why I'm a fan, but one day when I was really little I saw them on TV and it just stuck. But it's not to say I don't have a passing interest in other teams from time to time. My first football game was a Raiders game, I lived in San Diego during the Chargers huge run in 06, The Titans initial change from the Oilers is what got me interested in sports logos, my dad is a casual Skins fan, and I've always been a huge Peyton Manning fan. So if the Bucs aren't on, I have no problem cheering a bit for other teams. Hell, I can find something interesting and exciting about every game I watch that has me rooting for some aspect or another. I don't see anything wrong with it. But if the Bucs are on the field, that changes....... Unless they're in Oakland and I'm sitting in the Black Hole, fighting for my life :P

MLB

Now this is the spot where I generally take the most criticism. The issue is, baseball is easily my favorite sport. I could watch any two teams play and really be happy. The sport itself means way more to me than any team does, so I try to stand back a bit and not have a "favorite". I LOVE the Oakland A's, and I guess if I had to choose they would be my "favorite". They're close to where I live and tickets are generally pretty cheap. I grew up watching them and have a lot of great memories of A's games and a kid and they contribute heavily to my happy childhood. But for the same reasons (sans the cheapness) I have similar feelings for the Giants (Mom's favorite team) and the Cardinals (Dad's favorite team).

NHL

I guess it's the Sharks thanks to ICS and Puckguy. I bought tickets to my first NHL game, Sharks vs Avalanche, from them. It was pretty fun so they are basically who I root for. When I was younger I really liked (and still kinda do) the Flyers. I think it was because they wore orange, like the SF Giants, Bucs, and my favorite college team, the U of Tennessee. Really though, hockey doesn't interest me that much.

NBA

Don't really care enough. Warriors and Kings cause they're close mostly.

COLLEGE

This is another hard one for me. There are SO many college teams out there. How can you not have a few teams you really like? I grew up a die hard Vols fan, but I also like U of Nevada (Went there), CSU Fullerton (Same as UNR, sorta), USC (Have a good buddy who plays linebacker there), Cal (Had a football camp there as a high schooler, best football experience of my life), and a TON more. It also makes it hard that, playing college rugby, I play a lot of colleges.

EPL/MLS/THE REST OF THE SOCCER WORLD

In the EPL I should like Man U considering Glazer owns them, but they never much impressed me. My first soccer game was Galaxy vs Chelsea and seeing the type of talent they had really impressed me so I went with it. MLS is a tough one for me. I used to be a HUGE Earthquakes fan, and detested the Galaxy. But then the Quakes folded, and after I moved to SoCal I met one of my best friends who is a DIE HARD galaxy fan. I figured that since I didn't have a team as it was, and considering I can't stand even the concept of Chivas USA (Half because of the fans, half because I'm a casual fan of Tigres) I started rooting for the Galaxy. Lo and behold the Quakes came back and now I've got a problem similar to Helen Hunt's in Castaway :P I also like Celtic of the SPL, but thats mainly due to my Catholic upbringing. My ultimate sports goal is to see Celtic vs Rangers in Glasgow.

And on a final note. I feel that anyone who feels that rooting for another team is like "committing adultry" or the likes near that seriously need to re-evaluate their priorities.

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On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said:
She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.)
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How about this? Like who you want and :censored: anyone that doesn't like it. B)

Fine with me, as long as your favorite team isn't the Cowboys or Patriots.

Things like this, to me, are about as big of a dickhead thing as you can say.

Sports are supposed to be fun, and when people act like you're a second class citizen because of which team you support, well, then it doesn't become as fun.

I think he was joking. I know I was.

 

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I've always been a home-town fan; the only time I jump from team-to-team is when i don't have my own home-town team to cheer for.

In the NBA i was a Blazers fan for a few years in the early 90s, but jumped to the Pacers because I liked Reggie Miller; that all ended once the Raptors came about

In the NFL i was a Bills fan until they chose Rob Johnson over Doug Flutie, since then I've had little interest in the NFL outside watching the playoffs or any game in a snowstorm.

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Founder/Editor, SportsLogos.Net

 

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How about this? Like who you want and :censored: anyone that doesn't like it. B)

Fine with me, as long as your favorite team isn't the Cowboys or Patriots.

Things like this, to me, are about as big of a dickhead thing as you can say.

Sports are supposed to be fun, and when people act like you're a second class citizen because of which team you support, well, then it doesn't become as fun.

I think he was joking. I know I was.

In that case, then I apologize. I haven't been sleeping much lately and might've been a little edgy.

But I've heard similar things too often, with the person being dead serious.

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I like the Detroit Lions. Always have, always will.

LOL! I feel so damn sorry for you... Oh so sorry.... NOT! :P:D

Clever.

It's alright Joel, he's a Washington Husky fan

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Let's be careful to make the distinction between bandwagon fans and fair-weather fans. Bandwagon fans are ones that have no rooting interest in a team until they start winning. Fair-weather fans have their interest for one team spike during periods of success. To that end, I think everyone is a fair-weather fan to some degree. If you tell me that you're as in to every pitch of every game of your favorite baseball team during a year when they go 70-92 as you are during a year when they're in the thick of the pennant race? I don't buy it.

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Let's be careful to make the distinction between bandwagon fans and fair-weather fans. Bandwagon fans are ones that have no rooting interest in a team until they start winning. Fair-weather fans have their interest for one team spike during periods of success. To that end, I think everyone is a fair-weather fan to some degree. If you tell me that you're as in to every pitch of every game of your favorite baseball team during a year when they go 70-92 as you are during a year when they're in the thick of the pennant race? I don't buy it.

This is a good point. To expand on it, is it fair weather, bandwagon, both, or neither to be a fan of a moment?

For example, I'm not a hockey fan but my GF at the time was, having grown up on Long Island. We lived in Dallas-Fort Worth when the Stars won the Stanley Cup (Sabres fans, insert long, loud gripe about the skate in the crease...) and between her teaching me the game and watching the great playoff series on TV, we had a lot of fun. I haven't watched hockey again since.

This kind of thing can even last just one game, or even a quarter; I was watching the Colts-Steelers game (Big Ben's "the tackle" game) a few years ago and my wife came in during the 4th quarter. She follows Oklahoma (and the Saints now out of courtesy to me) and though neither of us has a rooting interest in either the Colts or Steelers, she - like me - can't resist the drama of a great game. We were on the edge of our seats for the rest of the game. I'll even watch a sport I have little or no interest in - the NBA, NASCAR, tennis, baseball, even golf - if it's an exciting, dramatic, or historic moment. I guess the exception is soccer; I wouldn't know a dramatic or historic soccer moment if it kicked me in the a**. B)

Probably the best example of "moment" fandom is the Super Bowl. When it's a game like last year's, aren't all on the bandwagon for those few hours?

As for being a long-term fan, if it's the Saints (Cardinals, Falcons, Lions, et. al.) you have to want it. Teams like those have historically punished their fans again and again. As a Saints fan since 1969, I can testify that it's sometimes torment...you want so bad to root for a successful team but if you're a real fan, there's no way to just switch your allegiance. One time the old GF who taught me hockey saw my frustration with the Saints and said, "Why don't you just root for another team?" It just doesn't work that way.

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Let's be careful to make the distinction between bandwagon fans and fair-weather fans. Bandwagon fans are ones that have no rooting interest in a team until they start winning. Fair-weather fans have their interest for one team spike during periods of success. To that end, I think everyone is a fair-weather fan to some degree. If you tell me that you're as in to every pitch of every game of your favorite baseball team during a year when they go 70-92 as you are during a year when they're in the thick of the pennant race? I don't buy it.

This is a good point. To expand on it, is it fair weather, bandwagon, both, or neither to be a fan of a moment?

For example, I'm not a hockey fan but my GF at the time was, having grown up on Long Island. We lived in Dallas-Fort Worth when the Stars won the Stanley Cup (Sabres fans, insert long, loud gripe about the skate in the crease...) and between her teaching me the game and watching the great playoff series on TV, we had a lot of fun. I haven't watched hockey again since.

This kind of thing can even last just one game, or even a quarter; I was watching the Colts-Steelers game (Big Ben's "the tackle" game) a few years ago and my wife came in during the 4th quarter. She follows Oklahoma (and the Saints now out of courtesy to me) and though neither of us has a rooting interest in either the Colts or Steelers, she - like me - can't resist the drama of a great game. We were on the edge of our seats for the rest of the game. I'll even watch a sport I have little or no interest in - the NBA, NASCAR, tennis, baseball, even golf - if it's an exciting, dramatic, or historic moment. I guess the exception is soccer; I wouldn't know a dramatic or historic soccer moment if it kicked me in the a**. B)

Probably the best example of "moment" fandom is the Super Bowl. When it's a game like last year's, aren't all on the bandwagon for those few hours?

As for being a long-term fan, if it's the Saints (Cardinals, Falcons, Lions, et. al.) you have to want it. Teams like those have historically punished their fans again and again. As a Saints fan since 1969, I can testify that it's sometimes torment...you want so bad to root for a successful team but if you're a real fan, there's no way to just switch your allegiance. One time the old GF who taught me hockey saw my frustration with the Saints and said, "Why don't you just root for another team?" It just doesn't work that way.

Fair enough. I'm a White Sox fan first and foremost. But, because my g/f likes the Cardinals I've adopted them as my National League team and root for them except if they were to play the Sox. When they won the Series in '06, we had fun celebrating. But it was nowhere near as much fun (and I didn't have near as much pride) as when the Sox won in '05.

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If you tell me that you're as in to every pitch of every game of your favorite baseball team during a year when they go 70-92 as you are during a year when they're in the thick of the pennant race? I don't buy it.

Well, it's a good thing that I'm not trying to "sell" you anything.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I root for my teams - passionately - both in good times and in bad. As far as I'm concerned, that's the point in following my favorite sports teams. If I were to allow my passion for a favorite team to wax and wane simply based upon whether it was winning or not, I might as well be playing a video game.

When my favorite teams are successful, the emotional highs are exhilirating. When my favorite teams are struggling, the emotional lows are excrutiating. Using your hypothetical as an example, if the Red Sox were on there way to a 70 and 92 finish, I'd still be hanging on every pitch. The difference is, I'd be agonizing over the team's inability to compete, rather than celebrating the team's run to the playoffs. I'd be finding occasional solace in glimpses of improvement, rather than allowing my mind to contemplate post-season match-ups.

Bandwagon? No. I long ago staked-out my favorite teams territory. In those cases where I began following a sport later in life, on-field success wasn't the most important criteria I used in selecting a team to root for. Rather, other factors (geography, team identity, family and friends already rooting for the team, etc.) inevitably weighed into the decision.

Fair weather? No, again. I'm as invested in my team during the competitive droughts as I am during the championship runs.

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Growing up around Philly fans, I think I've just gotten used to fair weather fans. They're always 'this is the year' for the first month, then cry and complain about management and players for the rest of the year. Granted, history's somewhat given them a reason to, but that's no reason to abandon your team, only to come back and root for them again in a week when they win a few games. Thus, I'm not a Philly fan because I can't stand the majority of the city's fans.

As a Lions fan, I've gotten used to losing. I still love the Lions, regardless of how many single-digit-win seasons they have. In baseball,. I stuck by the Angels during the late 90s(Disney years), only to see them win a World Series out of nowhere in '02. I do, however, switch my 'second team' in baseball, as I generally follow wherever Jim Edmonds is at. I wouldn't consider myself a Cubs fan right now, really, but I wouldn't mind it if they won a World Series(unless it was oer the Halos). In hockey, the Red Wings have been good for as long as I've been a fan of theirs(first grade, so uhh....1991). In basketball, I stopped watching for a few years, although I've been a Suns fan for as long as I can remember, taking a brief stint as a Heat fan due to His Thunderness' reign in Miami.

I can't really imaging just abandoning a team I've followed for years. My teams have stayed the same for as long as I've been following sports(except for the few years I followed the Heat over the Suns).

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If you tell me that you're as in to every pitch of every game of your favorite baseball team during a year when they go 70-92 as you are during a year when they're in the thick of the pennant race? I don't buy it.

Well, it's a good thing that I'm not trying to "sell" you anything.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I root for my teams - passionately - both in good times and in bad. As far as I'm concerned, that's the point in following my favorite sports teams. If I were to allow my passion for a favorite team to wax and wane simply based upon whether it was winning or not, I might as well be playing a video game.

When my favorite teams are successful, the emotional highs are exhilirating. When my favorite teams are struggling, the emotional lows are excrutiating. Using your hypothetical as an example, if the Red Sox were on there way to a 70 and 92 finish, I'd still be hanging on every pitch. The difference is, I'd be agonizing over the team's inability to compete, rather than celebrating the team's run to the playoffs. I'd be finding occasional solace in glimpses of improvement, rather than allowing my mind to contemplate post-season match-ups.

Bandwagon? No. I long ago staked-out my favorite teams territory. In those cases where I began following a sport later in life, on-field success wasn't the most important criteria I used in selecting a team to root for. Rather, other factors (geography, team identity, family and friends already rooting for the team, etc.) inevitably weighed into the decision.

Amen.

Hell, I'm a Royals fan. I hang on every pitch and we usually suck every year (sans 2003). But being a Royals fan my whole life I watch as many games as I can (thanks Cox Communications) and even if they are horrible (many 100 loss seasons say that has happend) I will be as excitied to watch as I would be for them to be in the playoff chase.

That is a REAL fan. Anything else is just a passing interest.

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I think I have a number of teams in my signature that may be too many for most people, but I have my reasons and they're all valid.

Bengals - my dad worked for them during my early years

Reds - Born in Cincinnati, first started following them as a 3 year old during the wire to wire season of 1990

Blue Jackets - lived in Columbus during the inaugural season and continue to work at the arena during the season. They are my favorite team in any sport.

Ohio University - currently enrolled and about to enter my Junior year as a Bobcat.

Columbus Destroyers - I've worked 8 of their games and became involved when they went to the Arenabowl. I guess that's fairweather

Ohio State - grew up in Columbus as the son of two Ohio State graduates

Islanders - My dad lived in Long Island during their Stanley Cup years. He LOVES the Islanders.

Suns - I've been to two NBA games and both were in Phoenix with Relatives. I like the NBA the least of any league, but if they have a game on TV here, I'll watch it and cheer them on.

I think that in this day and age it is easier to follow a team from across the country. With the internet and satellite TV it's become easier to follow teams from across the country. Being from a certain place doesn't automatically mean you're going to be a fan of the geographically closest team. So, I guess I'm trying to say that it's become easier to be a bandwagon fan.

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The Braves and Falcons are two teams that I will support 100%, ride or die, win lose or draw. Even if the Braves haven't been as good in recent years, I'm still a 4th generation Braves fan. My dad was a Braves fan in Texas growing up, and my granddad and great-granddad on my mom's side were Braves fans in Mississippi. So cheering the Braves on is a family tradition, and since my family is one that thrives on tradition, breaking that would be terrible.

The Falcons, on the other hand, I'm 1st generation. But at the same time, I've got as much passion for the Falcons as I do for the Braves. If I'm not at the game, I'm watching it on TV and if it's blacked out, I'm either finding a stream online or listening on the radio. There is no way that I'm going to miss a Falcons game on Sundays, no matter how bad they may be. Same with Mississippi St.: As long as they're playing football, I will watch every Saturday (and hopefully I'll be able to catch them in action when they play at GT in September!)

The Hawks have honestly been my team since the 2003-04 nightmare when they won 13 games, only because I went to all 41 home games. The Hawks are a weird case, though. I think the Hawks are in the Marlins boat: The fans don't really go to the games, but their games are highly rated on TV. So they do have fans, they just haven't had much of anything to cheer about since management is cruddy and they don't win too much. That, and the fact that the NBA is geared towards marketing stars, something that the Hawks lacked until Joe Johnson's coming out party this past Spring. Now that they will (hopefully with the signing of Smith) have a core, the Hawks will actually go back to being relevant and bringing folks in to watch. Me, I know that I watched all 82 games last season with as much excitement as I did the playoff games. It was just a bonus to see all the fairweather fans who were afraid to be caught dead at a Hawks game actually show up during the playoffs.

So yeah, I can understand why fans would be fairweather or bandwagon: Why cheer for a team that doesn't win and doesn't seem like it has any interest in winning? I reply with loyalty and tradition. I'd rather endure bad seasons with the hope of someday watching that team enjoy success, than just jumping from team to team. It's just not my thing.

 

 

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See I will always be a fan of Cleveland sports.

I love the Indians, Browns, Cavaliers, and I'm really starting to pay attention to the Gladiators.

Occasionally I will begin to like other teams because of the players on that team, but not because of how well they play.

Right now I'm starting to like the Brewers because of the recent Sabathia trade, but I know for a fact that I won't soon like them more than the tribe.

BROWNS | BUCKEYES | CAVALIERS | INDIANS |

 

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