Living in New England my entire life and particularly growing up in the hometown of the New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium, I have always been an avid New England sports fan. The Patriots, the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins and even the New England Revolution have always been a part of my life, ever since I was a kid. I know that some families do not always grow up like this though, and some people don't even like sports to begin with. But please don't pretend that you like a team just because they start winning games...the rest of us don’t like you!
When certain people have a serious passion for sports, they don't want people rambing on sounding like fools. I cant tell you how many times I’ve heard “Hey! Did you see that guy kick the puck into the end zone and the other guy caught it for 3 points?”..come on people. Just because you go out and buy the team colors and know a few of the names of the "hot" guys on the team doesn't mean you're a fan. REAL fans don't want to hear you pretending you know what you're talking about because that's just flat out annoying.
The life long fans that sports can create are closely knit. The emotions that rise from a sports "nation" are feelings that people get when they truly have a passion for something. It is a pride that they feel in their team. Maybe they have grown up loving a team, or have a true love of all sports, but it's passion that brings them to love what they're a fan of. And I'm not saying that new fans can’t join, but when they join just for the sake of joining or just because the team is winning isn’t fair, especially to those who truly admire the team or the game.
My favorite example is last year's 2010-2011 Bruin's season. The last time they had won before that was in 1972...Does anyone really think they kept as many fans as they had now for 29 years? Absolutely not. Yep, just climb aboard folks. Probably more than half of them are bandwagon fans. I can see that people get excited even if they're not sports fans and see their home city winning, but don't be fake and pretend you've been a fan the entire time.
And lets be honest, how many people really like the New England Revolution? Only true soccer players right? So that's all fine and dandy. That’s what a sports "nation" is about. Having a true passion for that sport that you love. I give props to those obnoxious Revs fans who sit behind the goal with their drums, face paint, ribbons, banners, and blankets every single game just because they love to be there cheering for their team. That is what it's all about.
So in case you were wondering if you were a "bandwagon" fan or not here is the list of 8 reasons that would make you one:
1. If you can only name the "hot" players on the team
2. Have been a fan for less than a year
3. The only position you can name is the "goalie" or the "quarterback" because a three year old knows what those are...
4. You don't know the coaches' name
5. If asked you don't know whether the time of the game is measured by an inning, quarter, or half
6. You didn't already own an article of clothing from that team and had to go out and buy one once they started winning
7. You don't know the name of the location where they play their home games
8. You only watch the playoffs or the championship game
If any of the above apply to you...I hope you're embarassed.
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