Fan loyalty is a pretty interesting phenomenon. For many, rooting for a favorite sports team is a great interest or hobby to spend leisure time. For others, it builds friendships through the camaraderie one experiences with others following on the same side. And for some, it provides something to believe in.
And for the most part, being a sports fan makes one competitive. And with competition comes harassment, heartbreak, and unfortunately in some cases, violence. Though one can write novels on the instances where being overly passionate with a claimed team can get ugly with those on the opposing, no one ever talks about the drama that may exist between those on the same side. The “intra-“, rather than “inter-“. The “true fans” versus the “bandwagon.”
With the emergence of notable organizations and clubs in American sports who, until recently, have been pretty awful, fans who have claimed loyalty start calling out those who have hopped on the new talents’ bandwagon. Familiar phrases range from “where were you when they sucked?” to “name 5 players on the team 2 years ago.” And though there are definitely these types of fans that exist, I have proposed a theory as to why they exist. And even more importantly, why one knows they exist.
1. Everyone needs to start somewhere – Let’s face it. If you are self-proclaimed loyal fan, think back to when you started rooting for your first team. Why did you follow them? It was probably because they were good (or starting to get good), right? Very few people will say that they started their cult-like following for a team with a losing record. So for those that did not grow up rooting for whoever their Dad rooted for, or those from areas without a hometown team, you are more likely going to “hop on” to whoever is playing well at the time rather than a team that is, well, not.
2. Facebook wasn’t out 10 years ago. Just because you notice someone is a fan now, doesn’t mean they weren’t before. With social networking at an all-time high, people share their life much differently than they did back then. That includes changing profile pictures, status updates, and tweeting nonstop about nothing other than likes of your favorite organization. With all this exposure, the love for your team is now shown in ways that could not have even been imagined years ago. Add that with the new coincidental success your team has achieved (that probably exacerbated the posting frequency to begin with) and you have the perfect formula for what others could conclude as a bandwagon fan.
3. Supporters versus Followers. Many of the said bandwagoners out there may have only started following their teams now, but that does not mean they didn’t support them on a more general level before. I can admit to this, as there were times when I just didn’t care about sports. But if anyone had to ask me what team I would choose, you better believe it was all of my Bay Area/Northern California franchises, regardless of how successful they were or were not. And in relation to point number one, it’s tough to follow a “losing team”, especially when you live in an area where they aren’t as exposed.
But at the end of the day, a fan is still a fan, regardless of their origin. Instead of spiting each other, fans should come together and continue to show love and support for their subject of mutual admiration. Cheer hard when they win, cry softly when they lose. But whether we’re riding solo with bragging rights, or hopping on with everyone else, let’s just admit one thing: These fools make way too much money to care about who was their fan first.
Noteworthy. 