Which are the worst bandwagoning teams in sports?

[127crazie]

Don't you hate those teams with too many fans who aren't really fans? That's bandwagoning, folks, and it's possibly the most heinous crime any fan could commit.

The question is: which sports team has the most bandwagoning fans?

I only really watch basketball, and I've got to say the Celtics are number 1, followed by the Lakers and Heat (the Heat will probably top the list shortly though).

Ever since the Celtics' championship in 2008, I've seen countless people wearing Celtics jerseys here in Minneapolis. I understand that KG played for the T'Wolves, but that was years ago now and still no excuse for the number of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, etc. jerseys that I see. Seriously, if I see one more person claiming to have true "Celtic Pride" even though they've watched them for a mere three years, it's not going to be pretty. It's an old franchise, but half of these pretenders weren't watching the Celtics during their 24 win season the year before.

The Lakers also do have a great number of bandwagoning fans, but at least the most I've seen in Minneapolis don't claim to be super fans like Celtics bandwagoning fans do. They admit that it's a more casual following.

And the Heat... well, that's self explanatory. There's so much hate right now that their bandwagon is mostly limited to Miami, but it's certainly going to grow. These guys are soon enough going to take the NBA bandwagon crown from the Celtics.

Agree? Disagree? What's your opinion on other sports?

 

[Eager]

I'd say the biggest band-wagoners are
1. anyone who doesn't live in New Orleans and likes the Saints. Seriously, nobody likes the Saints.
2. people who change their favorites once a year.

Doesn't bother me cause I'm not too into professional sports. Unless you consider MLG.

 

[Peeze]

Currently its Miami Heat fans

 

[Maaaaaaaaaan]

Hmmm... Bandwagoning is a tricky thing to actually throw on a fan. :\

The most common form of bandwagon fans are fans of the sport itself. Basketball is the best example of that. I love the game of basketball, so I love watching half of the teams play. While I hate the Lakers because I'm a Spurs fan for life, I love watching them play ball, especially Kobe. I love Dirk's game soooo much, but I'd never root for the Mavs. Part of me wants the Heat to set all kinds of records, just because I would love to see greatness in the sport.

None of that makes me love my Spurs any less, I just love the game itself. Oh, and in a sport like basketball where each player's accomplishments are easily recognizable, it's easy to have favorite players, regardless of the team. You've gotta' remember, anything mainstream is mainstream for a reason.


That said, the only team that is true bandwagon heavy is the Yankees. Conversely, the Red Sox Nation is heavily composed of fans who hate the Yankees. I'm one of them, but mainly because I loved the comeback they mounted.

The main thing I attribute that too is because baseball is a massively well-known sport, but there's not a lot people who actually understand the details of it. Most people don't know how much detail goes into the game, and since they don't have a deep love of the game, it's easier to just like the better team. After all, everybody likes a winner, and the lack of a salary cap makes baseball painfully unbalanced, making the pool of good teams pretty shallow.

Football suffers from a similar condition, since Football is the most complex sport out there. Not only that, the "Golden Age" of the NFL was very recent, over the 80's and 90's, and a lot of people were raised believing in Dallas (America's Team) and such.


Any casual sports fan thinks to themselves, "Oh yeah, I remember they won a championship, they're a pretty good team." Unfortunately, that changes a LOT in sports. The team of the last decade is the joke of this one.


And for the record, the Saints don't have the love they got last year anymore. Last year was special because of the emotions riding on the season. Bandwagoning on them wasn't bad in my opinion, it was human. Take into account the actual Saints fans: They went from being the New Orleans "Aint's" to not having a stadium, to rumors of San Antonio becoming their new home, to winning a Championship. That level of catharsis is a feel good for anyone with a pulse. But that was last year. They're just another team now with expectations.

 

[LAW2222]

imo
football: saints i guess
baseball: sox nation ()
Basketball: Heat/Celtics/Lakers in no particular order

i think socks nation is the worst though

 

[BEHR]

Maaaaaaaaaaaan pretty much covered it haha

Basketball: Heat,Lakers,Celtics
Baseball: Yanks,Red Sox
Football: Dallas(Americas Team),Ive seen a couple Pat Bandwagons ever since they went undefeated,but loss the Super Bowl.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Being a Miami Heat fan for 5 years, I personally know what I'm talking about when I say the Heat have the most bandwagon fans in all of sports right now.

Most people that I talk to in person who claim to root for the Heat can't even name 2 or 3 players other than Bosh, Wade, and LeBron. Most of them don't even know who the coach is.

 

[Maaaaaaaaaan]

Most of them don't even know who the coach is.

That's actually a funny situation. Most people think the coach is meaningless on a team with all that talent, and the truth is that Spoelstra is a pretty **** good young coach.

 

[sunnynice]

Yup, Spoelstra is nice for sure.

 

[1048576]

Miami Heat's stadium atmosphere is atrocious. The problem is that all the tickets are so expensive only rich, snooty b-list celebrities can afford to go and not actual fans, so there's so much less cheering and shouting than there should be.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Miami Heat's stadium atmosphere is atrocious. The problem is that all the tickets are so expensive only rich, snooty b-list celebrities can afford to go and not actual fans, so there's so much less cheering and shouting than there should be.

THIS THIS THIS I agree x100 we have no atmosphere. I was hoping for crazy audiences like the ones in Boston but NO...

 

[Kole]

CHELSEA

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