Old Bill Simmon's Article on Fan Loyalty

[Newzz]

Loyalties

18. If you live in a city that has fielded a professional team since your formative years, you have to root for that team. None of this, "The Bengals weren't very good when I was growing up in Cincy, so I became a Cowboys fan" crap.

Also, you can't start rooting for a team, back off when they're in a down cycle, then renew the relationship once the team starts winning again. All those Cowboys fans who jumped off the bandwagon in the late-'80s, jumped back on during the Emmitt/Aikman Era, then jumped back off in the late-'90s ... you know who you are. You shouldn't even be allowed out in public.

(There's nothing worse than a Bandwagon Jumper. If sports were a prison and sports fans made up all the prisoners, the Bandwagon Jumpers would be like the child molesters -- everyone else would pick on them, take turns beating them up and force them to toss more salads than Emeril Lagasse.)

19. Once you choose a team, you're stuck with that team for the rest of your life ... unless one of the following conditions applies:

Your team moves to another city. All bets are off when that happens. In fact, if you decided to turn off that sport entirely, nobody would blame you.

You grew up in a city that didn't field a team for a specific sport -- so you picked a random team -- and then either a.) your city landed a team, or b.) you moved to a city that fielded a team for that specific sport. For instance, one of my Connecticut buddies rooted for the Sixers during the Doctor J Era, then happened to be living in Orlando when the Magic came to town. Now he's a Magic fan. That's acceptable.

One of your immediate family members either plays professionally or takes a relevant management/coaching/front office position with a pro team.

You follow your favorite college star (and this has to be a once-in-a-generation favorite college star) to the pros and root for his team du jour ... like if you were a UNC fan for the past 20 years, and you rooted for the Bulls (because of MJ) and then the Raptors (because of Vince). Only works if there isn't a pro team in your area.

The owner of your favorite team treated his fans so egregiously over the years that you couldn't take it anymore -- you would rather not follow them at all then support a franchise with this owner in charge. Just for the record, I reached this point with the Boston Bruins about six years ago. When it happens, you have two options: You can either renounce that team and pick someone else, or you can pretend they're dead, like you're a grieving widow. That's what I do. I'm an NHL widow. I don't even want to date another team.

If you're between the ages of 20-40, you're a fan of the Yankees, Cowboys, Braves, Raiders, Steelers, Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Canadiens and/or Oilers, and you're not actually from those one of those cities ... well, you better have a reason that goes beyond "When I was picking a favorite team as a kid, they were the best team, so I picked them."

At least give me a reason like "Reggie Jackson was my favorite player growing up," or "I always liked the red Bulls uniforms," or even "Everyone in my gang wore Raiders colors." Do you really want to be known as a bona fide Bandwagon Jumper?

20. If you hail from New York, you can't root for the Yankees and the Mets. You have to choose between them. Repeat: You have to choose between them. Don't give me this "As long as one of them is doing well, at least New York is winning" spiels. What is this, the sports fan's version of bisexuality? How about making a choice? Any New Yorker who said the words "It's the Yankees versus the Mets ... I can't lose!" during the 2000 World Series deserves to be tortured with a cattle prod.

Besides, as we mentioned in the beginning of this column, you shouldn't practice "Sports Bigamy" in general. Sports teams are just like wives ... you can only have one wife, you can only have one sports team, and for the love of God, I will not argue about this.

(And yes, I'm talking to you, KJ.)

Bill Simmons writes three columns a week for Page 2.


ESPN.com: Page 2 : Rules for being a true fan

How does the-coli feel about this?

 

[Grifter]

18. If you live in a city that has fielded a professional team since your formative years, you have to root for that team.


Nope

 

[KEEPITTRILLA]

I agree with 18 so much. So many busters trying to go against the grain over here when they're born and raised here. Aint no Lakers doing shyt for San Antonio

 

[JMEWLS]

Agree with 19/20, 18 not so much. Should have free reign of whoever you follow.

 

[Aje]

F*ck Bill Simmons.

 

[tru_m.a.c]

#20 is dead on

Don't come around here with that "I'm just a fan of NY teams." Pick your side. Draw your line. Stick with it.

I think you can only get that out in a sport you REALLY don't follow/feel connected to. For example, I'll root for the Rangers and Islanders. But at the end of the day, I'm more inclined to bandwagon the Rangers and not hit you with that 50/50 shyt.

 

[Arcavian]

I cant agree with 18

Im not a rockets fan, I wish them the best but its been celtics for me since the early 90's.

 

[Codeine Bryant]

I agree with pretty much all of it.

I fully understand that some people don't root for their hometown teams, but it's not something I could ever see myself doing. Also, if you're rooting for a team outside of your hometown, it better have been from childhood. None of that bullshyt about not being a fan of the sport/any team for decades and then up and becoming a Laker/Heat/Yankees/Cowboys fan at the age of 32


There needs to be an addendum regarding Soccer bandwagoning. All these fukking Americans nowadays that take pride in Barcelona or Real Madrid or Man U/Chelsea

 

[The Entity]

agreed fully

 

[concise]

Who cares? You pledge your undying loyalty to some team owned by some rich CEO who gives no real fukks about you or your city. ok

 

[BAMBA]

Jets / Mets / Knicks / Rangers 4 Life...

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

If you're between the ages of 20-40, you're a fan of the Yankees, Cowboys, Braves, Raiders, Steelers, Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Canadiens and/or Oilers, and you're not actually from those one of those cities ... well, you better have a reason that goes beyond "When I was picking a favorite team as a kid, they were the best team, so I picked them."

@Jplaya2023 and like 90% of the coli....

 

[SmoothOperator88]

If you're between the ages of 20-40, you're a fan of the Yankees, Cowboys, Braves, Raiders, Steelers, Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Canadiens and/or Oilers, and you're not actually from those one of those cities ... well, you better have a reason that goes beyond "When I was picking a favorite team as a kid, they were the best team, so I picked them."

@Jplaya2023 and like 90% of the coli....

You can add the Rockets, Spurs, Pistons, Patriots, Broncos, Penguins, Avalanche, NY Giants, Redskins, Niners, A's & Red Wings to that list. And probably take the Raiders off of the list.

 

[Higher Tech]

fukk that. You should be able to root for whoever you want, for whatever reason you want. But if you're gonna talk shyt, you better know your shyt. Seriously, who the fukk wants to root for a shytty team? Like, right now, I feel bad for 76'ers fans.They just told everybody that they aint gonna be shyt next year. Who the fukk would willingly root for that team? Same with the Bobcats. Sucked ass since they got to the league, how the hell do they deserve fans?

When I was a kid I was a big Zo fan from his college days. So when he went to Charlotte, I rooted for them, then when he went to Miami, I rooted for them. I also rooted for Olajuwon, and my brother rooted for Ewing. And we all liked Barkley. And you can't leave out MJ. He was top notch. I guess my point is, you like who you like. You shouldn't be held to liking a certain team for the sole purpose that they're close to you. If a team wants to keep fans, they'll do better at creating a product people want to see.

 

[MicIsGod]

Bandwagon fans
They're everywhere