[stands up]
Hi everybody. My name is Mojo and I’m a Washington Bullets fan.
[sits down]
“Wizards”? Ugh.
mojo: I sympathize. Red Storm, indeed.
Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine
Squiddly Diddly and Peyote Dude –
I understand that you may pull for another team in the post season. I myself root for the underdogs each year during March Madness, even if I haven’t seen them play that year. It’s just my way of enjoying the tournament. But that is a far cry from going out and proclaiming their perfection as soon as they win a championship. Crowing to friends and neighbors that they are the best team ever assembled. That everyone else’s teams suck.
There’s a difference between rooting for a team to better enjoy a game or tournament and being a bandwagoneer.
True fans know the difference.
Additionally, I can’t bring myself to root for two teams consistantly. I have one fave and put my heart and soul behind it.
I just don’t understand, so can’t support, NFL bigamists.
Peyote:
Just yanking your chain. Clearly your devotion to the hapless Hoosiers demonstrates you are NO bandwagon Indiana fan. RE: UK’s academic strengths – Of course, this is endlessly debatable, but I will say that in certain areas, especially the medical school, UK has a national reputation.
Chief Scott:
Are you suggesting you have to limit yourself to one team to be a good fan? I disagree. There are levels of loyalty. For instance, I am a diehard Miami Dolphins fan. Have been since I was a kid – don’t know why. But I also like the Rams, the Raiders and the new Browns. Of course, if one of those teams play the Fins, I’m rooting for the Fish. But the rest of the time – go for it!
Plunging like stones from a slingshot on Mars.
Try being a Dodgers fan in a state where its practically illegal not to be a Mets and/or Yankees fan!
Frankie –
You succinctly summed up my thoughts. I choose to root for only two teams though…
the Eagles and whoever’s playing the Cowboys.
Mojo -
I hear ya. I remember when they used to play at the Capital Center…sigh
< USAir Arena? HAH! >
Yeah, that one was bad. Lou Carneseca must be turning in his grave. Even if he is still alive.
And how could they change the name of Capital Center, where the unforgettable “Heavy Metal Parking Lot Video” was filmed?
And ChiefScott, to claim to be a Philly fan is about as anti-bandwagon as you can get. Do you realize you’re aligning yourself with a group that:
-Assaulted Santa Claus with snowballs
-Beat up the 'Skins mascot (Chief Ike- an eldery black man in native american garb) while he was using the mens room
-Threw batteries at a baseball player who chose not to sign with Philly (wonder why)
-Cheered for Michael Irvin’s serious spinal injury
If you had mentioned the Sixers, I would have thrown in Barkley spitting on a little girl. But you didn’t so I won’t.
ChiefScott, there are more things in heaven and the NFL than dreamt of in your philosophy.
Let’s agree to disagree.
GO COLTS!!!
GO NINERS!!!
I am a devoted Broncos fan have been since I was a little girl.
After two Super Bowl wins they sure as hell are screwing up, on top of that all the injuries.
BUT I still wear my Broncos clothing and earrings, go to the games and even sport a Bronco name on my AOL account.
They are saying that Broncos items are falling in sales this year…but those are the people that like you said, jumped on the bandwagon but now are jumping off.
I was raised a Broncos fan, will always be a Broncos fan regardless of the worst start for a Super Bowl winner in the following season.
Elway was one kick-ass quarterback and it’s no wonder they retired his number so soon after his retirement.
Meredith, I just lost all respect for you.
All hail Dusty!!!
JMcC, San Francisco
http://members.tripod.com/~weirdstuff/index.html
“Hear the voices in my head, I swear to God it sounds like they’re snoring”
Alright… Where are those bandwagoneering COWBOY fans now!!
HOW 'BOUT THEM GIANTS!!! WOOOOOO!
Interesting observation from a few years ago:
Kentucky basketball tickets are hard to come by, and never as much so as during the 1995-96 season (when we won the NCAA) and 1996-97.
(I should get this out of the way–GO BIG BLUE!! YEAH!! KICK ASS CATS!! OK, so now that that’s done. . .)
I noticed that in 1997-98 (the first post-Pitino year), it was much easier to get tickets. A patient individual could stand outside Rupp and come by a lower arena ticket for $5 for a big weeknight game. I asked several people why that was, and most of them said, “Well, they’re not the national champions this year.”
Well, no–but they were the runners-up!
This was also the year when Tim Couch started making his collegiate mark, and I heard several people say that Kentucky’s emphasis might shift to football. (Never in a million years.)
Of course, that basketball team went on to win the NCAA tournament, and the bandwagoners came jumping back.
Don’t get me wrong–I’d say that 80% of Kentucky basketball fans are in for the long haul (and proved it back in the Eddie Sutton days). But we’re not immune to the bandwagon effect.
Another important thing to remember here is that the definition of success is different for different teams. A small school may erupt if they make it to the dance at all. If UK’s football team makes it to a shitty bowl, we go nuts. But if the basketball team only makes it to the final 8, we start talking about firing coaches.
Sorry for the long, rambling post–it’s late. Please note that I will soon be starting up what I hope to be a season-long thread over in MPSIMS for discussion, analysis, side betting, good-natured trash talk, and all other things College Basketball related.
Dr. J
PS: You know why Kentucky doesn’t fall into Tennessee? Because Indiana sucks. 
That said (and my insomnia not relenting), I’d like to offer another view of this argument.
Eastern KY (where I grew up) is probably as far as one can get from a pro sports team. As such, other than the religion of UK basketball, I have no lifelong loyalty to any teams.
I am only recently getting into baseball. I don’t “have a team”, as they say. However, the classmate most responsible for getting me into baseball this year is a lifelong and decidedly non-bandwagon Yankees fan, so I have been pulling for them.
I do not and will not wear Yankees merchandise, nor would I disparage the good name of Satan and his ilk by calling myself a “Yankees fan”. I do not claim to have always loved the Yankees, nor am I following them because I think they’re going to win. (They are, but that’s not the reason.)
My question, then, is this–what is the offensive act? Is it following the winning team, or claiming to have been a hard-core fan all along? In short, does my attitude offend the true Yankee faithful?
Dr. J
PS: Situation reversed–it wouldn’t make me mad for a casual and non-affiliated basketball fan to jump on UK’s bandwagon when they’re winning. If he claims to have been around since Joe B. Hall was a boy, then switches over to Louisville’s side when they start winning (snicker), that pisses me off.
Once again, I don’t mean to ramble–damn insomnia.
DoctorJ:
There’s nothing wrong with your team winning. But if the Yankees start to suck and you suddenly find yourself not a fan anymore, or even worse, rooting for someone else, then you are on the bandwagon…