This post started with some funny tweets from @Al_Patron.
The best shit is the stories fans of teams outside their city tell you. Oh boy those are just beautiful.
— Alain (@Alain_Patron) November 24, 2014
"See when I was a baby the first world I spelled was Lake, so I became a Lakers fan in 87"
— Alain (@Alain_Patron) November 24, 2014
In the midst of some Dallas Cowboys revelry on my timeline, I was reminded of the dozens of Cowboys fans I knew growing up…in Virginia Beach, VA.
In Hampton Roads (and really all of Virginia), you’re either a Redskins fan or an anti-Redskins fan. And nothing is more anti-Redskin than being a fan of the Cowboys. Plus, the 90’s Redskins routinely won the offseason before finishing 5-11…the 90’s Cowboys were a dynasty. Pretty easy math to do there.
Anyway, in my travels I met several more Out of Town fans. And their reasons were typically hilarious.
Before roasting my friends, I should fess up to being a Detroit Everything fan: Pistons, Lions, Tigers, Red Wings (in the playoffs), and Michigan Wolverines. I got it from my Dad. Simple transaction: I root for the Detroit teams, he agreed to love and raise me. I really had no choice.
So here are my favorite excuses for being a Bandwagon er, fan of out of town teams. Names changed so these people will continue being my friend:
The Florida Fan
From: Southern Florida
Fan of: Florida State Seminoles (defendable), Duke University Basketball, Los Angeles Lakers
Excuse: “See, I’m a fan of defense. When I was growing up, all those teams had great defenses. So, you know, it was just natural that I’d be a fan of them. I mean, it’s not that they WON, it was that I respected the defense of each team.”
My take: The “Showtime” Lakers were not called that because they had a great defense. You’re a bandwagoner.
The Akron Fan
From: Akron, OH
Fan of: New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls
Excuse: Not even sure.
My take: Ok, this isn’t my friend. It’s LeBron James. But HOLY CRAP, what a bandwagon fan. That is the worst.
The initial Decision rubbed me the wrong way. I even wrote about it here. I’m over that though. LeBron is the best player in the world, and has been for at least six years. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t the most obnoxious fan in the world. He must be really broken up about Derek Jeter’s retirement.
Gotta commend him for wearing a Yankees hat…in Cleveland…during a Yankees/Indians playoff game. That’s commitment to bandwagontry.
The Delware Fan
From: Dover, DE
Fan of: Atlanta Braves
Excuse: “They were always on TV…and who else am I going to root for in Delaware?”
My take: This one I can actually forgive. The Braves were ALWAYS on The Super Station. You could count on it like clockwork…especially during the summers off of school.
I also grew up with a soft spot for the Braves. A childhood without high speed internet meant I could only follow the Tigers through box scores. And those were mostly depressing. Only so many 100-loss seasons you can endure before as a kid before your attention drifts. And the Braves were always there, just competent enough to be interesting. Not dominant enough to fully embrace.
We’ll always have ’95 though.
—
Those are the bandwagon fans that I know. Time to fess up…are you an “Out of Town” fan? What are your reasons?
Let the truth set you free in the comments below!
The Southern Yankee Fan
From Alabama. Fan of: Alabama Crimson Tide (duh! can only choose 1 college team) Anti-Atlanta EVERYTHING, Anti-New Orleans Saints (will always be Ain’ts to me) New York Yankees, The Los Angles Lakers during the eighties.. then just fan of individual NBA players. The Arsenal Gunners
Reason/Excuses: For the Yankees it was based on reading history books and how they were revered. and the dapper looking pinstripes. At the time I was reading up on then it was the early 80’s and they sucked but 96 kicked it into gear because they beat the Braves after going 2 down. and a dynasty was reborn.
My anti Atlanta and New Orleans bias was based on how soul crushingly awful those teams would be some times. But with Atlanta it was a whole vibe of thinking they were better than anyone in the South because they were the Black Mecca..
Arsenal.. hey its all bandwagon when you factor in the EPL..lol
Sidenote ..I have now lived in New York (Queens and The Bx.. stand up!) and now in Atlanta. I
Florida State fan since like the mid-90s. You know how a lot of people become a fan of a team around the time they become a teenager. That’s how I became a Seminole fan. And I live in AL and I loathe all things Crimson Tide. I almost went to Auburn so they get my cheers…unless they are playing FSU.
I’ma Clippers fan currently. I took a long break from basketball after Jordan really retired. I’d keep up a little but the past few year I’ve started watching more basketball outside of the playoffs. I’m a Chris Paul fan so that’s how I follow the Clippers. I’m well aware of my bandwagondom in this instance.
I’m a Patriots fan in the NFL…I think this has to do with fantasy football and their dominance in the mid-200s.