Fans Who Follow the Winners
A bandwagon fan is someone who becomes a huge supporter of a certain team when that team is having a great year. Usually, bandwagon fans don't become aware of a team until it has started to dominate its league. There are bandwagon fans for every type of college and professional sport. These fans are usually despised by the fans who have followed a certain team through the hard times and the good times. Being a bandwagon fan can be remarkably fun, though, regardless of the attitude of a few loyal team supporters.
Why Bandwagon Fans Annoy Long Time Fans
These annoying bandwagon fans tend "jump on board" if you will once a team has won multiple championship trophies. Be it hockey trophies like the Stanley Cup, or basketball trophies like the Larry O'Brien Trophy, these fans chase winning records instead of feeling a connection to the team or city. Long time fans of any team feel that they have the right to bask in the glory of a good year because they suffered through the pain of the bad years. Most long time fans really dislike the bandwagon fans who show up near the end of a good season when it is obvious that the team has a chance to win it all. Bandwagon fans have a tendency to rush out and purchase team gear and look like they have been fans of the team all along, when they really just started following the games recently, which irks the people who have watched the team for decades.
Loving the Game Instead of the Team
One thing that can be said in the defense of the bandwagon sports fan is that he or she enjoys watching the sport itself rather than rooting for one particular team. Bandwagon fans like to watch good players executing great plays, which means that they gravitate toward the teams that are performing the best in any given year. The uniform is not as important as the skill of the players and the fun of watching an excellent team play the game.
Being a Knowledgeable Fan
When you are a bandwagon fan, you get to learn all about the history and players of different teams every year. You don't have to read historical non-fiction from Orlando Figes as your knowledge of the game increases each year that you follow a different team. With all of the trading that happens in professional sports these days, it can be more fun as a fan to know as many players as possible, regardless of the team they play for. Bandwagon fans get to watch several different teams over the years, which gives them a much wider knowledge of the game than a traditional one-team fan would get through watching their single team play every year.
No Need to Suffer
The most fun thing about being a bandwagon fan is that you don't feel the need to suffer when your team has a poor year. Every team goes through good times and bad times. Fans who watch one specific team every year will have to watch the terrible players as well as the talented players. A bandwagon fan gets to be caught up in the excitement of a great year for the team that has the most talent instead of sulking over the lost games with a team that is having an off year.
