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[equippedwithtowel]

Bandwagoners get a bad rep for the "cutting the line" aspect, but also they tend just to be ignorant of the sport. Plus trash talking rings much more hollow when you always pick the winning side.

Opiate it's rational for a community to be hostile against individuals who are trying to logically optimize something as abstract as fandom, why should they put up with it if it means getting shit on more often than not?

 

[Talon]

I mean, really, the irony here is that I refuse to buy any sports memorabilia despite being a die hard fan because I don't feel a need to advertise at all times.

 

[cdyhybrid]

Well, those personal experiences are exactly why everyone has such a strong reaction towards these bandwagon fans.

If they went to games for a different team every year, bought jerseys for every player in the league, etc., they'd get nothing more than light ribbing and puzzled looks from people.

It's when they go around and start telling everyone that their team sucks and they're fools for rooting for them, that people object.

Also, to follow this up, it's not always the case that a bandwagon fan turns into an asshole and starts talking shit to "real fans". But bandwagoning opens the door to it.

There are "real fans" who are huge assholes too, and that should also be discouraged. There's no reason we can't all be civil.

 

[East Lake]

I guess bandwagoning is logical if sports is like getting the new iphone after you had a flip phone for all these years.

 

[SlackAdjuster]

To some people: you don't have to be from a place to be a fan of a particular team, especially if you're living in a state sans any teams. Or you're international.

True. There are always exceptions. HOWEVER.
If you are from that place, my rulebook says you should support that team and not someone elses.

 

[Devolution]

True. There are always exceptions. HOWEVER.
If you are from that place, my rulebook says you should support that team and not someone elses.

What if there are multiple teams? What if your parents grew up rooting for a team and that's who you rooted for as a result? These hard fast rules about being a fan aren't so good.

 

[cashman]

It's 2013. You can watch any team you want nowadays, so geography shouldn't be a limiting factor. What matters is just sticking with that team when they inevitably decline.

 

[equippedwithtowel]

True. There are always exceptions. HOWEVER.
If you are from that place, my rulebook says you should support that team and not someone elses.

That's stupid. As long as you don't flop around eventually every team falls. Then again I say this as a hockey fan who hasn't lived through a mega-bandwagon forming dynasty in his lifetime so ymmv.

 

[Talon]

What if there are multiple teams? What if your parents grew up rooting for a team and that's who you rooted for as a result? These hard fast rules about being a fan aren't so good.

Devo, nobody was even claiming that until you jumped into this thread strawmanning that argument.

Devo'd

 

[Kano on the Phone]

It's 2013. You can watch any team you want nowadays, so geography shouldn't be a limiting factor. What matters is just sticking with that team when they inevitably decline.

And there you go.

Devo, nobody was even claiming that until you jumped into this thread strawmanning that argument.

Devo'd

No one ever claimed the the statement that she was replying to?

 

[wedward]

my rulebook says you should support that team and not someone elses.

These hard fast rules about being a fan aren't so good.

?

 

[SlackAdjuster]

What if there are multiple teams? What if your parents grew up rooting for a team and that's who you rooted for as a result? These hard fast rules about being a fan aren't so good.

Its my rulebook, I can make my own rules.

 

[Talon]

No one ever claimed the the statement that she was replying to?

Nobody in this thread was arguing "you can't be a fan unless you're from that town." The conversation wasn't around that concept at all.

The closest I can see is when I said:

For many of us, it's a tie to our roots. I haven't lived in Atlanta for nearly a decade, and I probably won't ever go back, but I'll enjoy the highs and suffer the lows of the Braves, Hawks and Falcons every season.

For others, it's an inheritance from our parents. My buddy was born and raised in Indiana, but he's retained his Dolphins fanhood from his dad. It's another commonality with his father - memories generated during his youth.

The idea of only watching for the successes is counter to the institution of being a fan. That's why bandwagoners get tarred and feathered. That's why the Seahawks fans get extra shit in NFL-GAF.

Which couldn't really be confused for being exclusionary based on regional ties. Unless you're fishing.

 

[Kano on the Phone]

Nobody in this thread was arguing "you can't be a fan unless you're from that town." The conversation wasn't around that concept at all.

No, the argument was the converse, "you should be a fan if you're from that town," which is also what the response is to. It's like we're reading different threads.

 

[SlackAdjuster]

It's 2013. You can watch any team you want nowadays, so geography shouldn't be a limiting factor. What matters is just sticking with that team when they inevitably decline.

So much about sports IS geography though. The best college football rivalries are about in-state games or neighboring states battling one another.

 

[Talon]

No, the argument was the converse, "you should be a fan if you're from that town," which is also what the response is to. It's like we're reading different threads.

Uh, sorry? The Opiate, Cdy, Me, Brandy, Dy convo wasn't about that all.

 

[Devolution]

The dude can't be from Miami , who in their right mind would want to move to a Northern State from Miami?

It was in Chicago, the Heat are from Miami, and coming off two seasons straight of winning the NBA championship. They are ripe with bandwagon fans.

There's always the chance that he's from Miami, but odds are better that he's a bandwagoner.

.

Yeah didn't come up earlier or anything.

 

[Kano on the Phone]

Uh, sorry? The Opiate, Cdy, Me, Brandy, Dy convo wasn't about that all.

If you want, I can record myself reading aloud the post she was replying to. I don't really know how to make it any clearer than that.

So much about sports IS geography though. The best college football rivalries are about in-state games or neighboring states battling one another.

You can watch those games outside of those states, too.

 

[wedward]

.

Yeah didn't come up earlier or anything.

Even if he is from Miami there is still a good chance he is a bandwagoner.

 

[equippedwithtowel]

Uh, sorry? The Opiate, Cdy, Me, Brandy, Dy convo wasn't about that all.

I definitely see the username of the person she quoted in that list.

 

[grandjedi6]

This much conversation from the Bulls tongue-in-cheek jab only justifies it. It's getting exactly the type of reaction you want from such a troll. They'll probably do this everytime the Heat visits from now on.



As for the current discussion, a distinction between bandwagoners and fair-weather fans should probably be made. The Miami Heat fanbase is mostly fair weathers. Whenever the game gets boring (either because the Heat are sucking or doing too well) they move onto other opportunities like Miami's abundance of bars or beaches. That's the real reason Miami's sport culture sucks at times.

Bandwagoners, however, would be the non-Miami based Heat fanbase. You know, the ones who were probably Bulls fans in the '90s and Lakers fans in the 00's. Every team that's doing super well is doomed to deal with them at some point. As a Bulls fan, I can't really criticize Miami for that considering that in the 90s there were millions of "Jordan fans" who didn't even know who Pippin was.

 

[Vilam]

The dude can't be from Miami , who in their right mind would want to move to a Northern State from Miami?

I'm from Miami and couldn't wait to to get out of there. Fuck Florida temperatures; I love cold weather.

 

[cashman]

So much about sports IS geography though. The best college football rivalries are about in-state games or neighboring states battling one another.

I feel like that applies more in college, than in pro sports though. Aside from Bengals-Browns (even that isn't completely geography related.) I can't think of many direct geographical rivals.

 

[Kevtones]

Bandwagoners are those people who invite themselves to your barbecue and try to laugh with you and your friends during an inside joke. They may even get the joke, but they're not really part of it, and they don't have a deeper appreciation for it.

That's fine and all and they're still getting their 'rational' enjoyment out of the joke, but that doesn't change the fact that they're still on the outside.


Bandwagoners also drink our beer, sit in our seats (and drive up the cost of said seats), and are usually a little behind on the esoteric knowledge of the sport/team.

 

[erlim]

To be fair, there are a lot of bulls band wagoners, or at least it HAS been cool to sport their branding; now and especially in the 90s.