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Post by cheeseisgood on Aug 15, 2008 0:11:01 GMT -5
Bandwagon Fans: New Orleans(I know, because I've been a Saints fan since I was a kid) New England San Diego Miami Cincinnati Atlanta San Francisco Dallas somewhat
Teams that have real fans, in no particular order: Buffalo Pittsburgh Cleveland Denver Oakland Kansas City Washington NY Giants Philadelphia Chicago Green Bay Minnesota Seattle
All other teams are just kinda, meh. Fans aren't overly enthusiastic, but they also sell a lot of tickets.
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Post by Blinking Spirit on Aug 15, 2008 2:25:52 GMT -5
I've been a chargers fan for as long as I remember. I remember Junior, Rodney, and Stan the Man Humphries leading us to the superbowl only to get disembowled by Steve Young. I even loved this team during the Ryan Leaf years when we were the absolute worst team in the league for a couple years, when there were more raiders fans here in SD than chargers fans. And now that the team has had some success we all of a sudden have all these "diehard" fans. It makes me sick.
So yes Chargers fans are bandwagon fans for the most part, and they really piss me off.
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Post by Joe Neglia on Aug 15, 2008 3:21:57 GMT -5
I'm not sure I really consider the word "bandwagon."
Yes, there are certain teams (70s-era Steelers, 80s-era Bears, Cowboys from 2 or 3 different time periods) who seem to have a huge jump in fan count at certain points, but that's the nature of anything. It wasn't all about only being fans of when they won, there were a lot of other factors. Let's take the Steelers for instance. During the Bradshaw/Swann years not only was it a winning team, but it's absolute presence as a group of monsters was extremely marketable, lasting well into the '80s. They were badasses and that was something people could attach to. Same goes for the Cowboys. They had two separate runs of having hugely marketable players (the Landry years and later, the Aikman/Irvin/Smith era), and had the luxury of having a patriotic feel to them. As for the bears, what the above didn't accomplish during the McMahon/Fridge/Payton years (again, highly marketed and marketable) the later SNL skits did.
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Post by FrankGotch on Aug 15, 2008 4:57:56 GMT -5
I have the feeling that a lot of people are going to jump on the Browns bandwagon this year. But still, "Browns Backers" is the largest NFL fan club in the world. Yeah me too that is why I always make sure to wear on of my older shirts under my Jim Brown jersey if I go out to a BW3's or something. When you show them that you have been on board since the Oilers were in the AFC central it shuts people accusing you of being a bandwagon fan up pretty quick.
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BRV
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wants him some Taco Flavored Kisses.
Posts: 16,767
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Post by BRV on Aug 15, 2008 15:14:42 GMT -5
I haven't spent an extended amount of time outside of New England in several years. Since 2001, have the Patriots really acquired that many fans outside of the region? Like are people in Iowa, Arkansas, Wyoming, Nevada, Hawaii, etc. claiming to be Patriots fans?
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Aug 15, 2008 15:20:07 GMT -5
Even us, Rams fans have bandwagon fans back in 1999, when we won our Super Bowl. But I always been a fan of them since they moved to St. Louis back in 95. Where I live in Iowa its mostly Vikings, Bears, and Cowboys fans. I'm one of the few Rams fans. It was really the Greatest Show On Turf that had the bandwagon following moreso than the franchise. Once that dissolved and the Patriots took over, it went away, even here in St. Louis a bit (seeing that it's foremost a baseball city).
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Post by Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action on Aug 15, 2008 15:22:25 GMT -5
I don't think any team is a bandwagon team. Every team has it's fair share of real fans, but with winning also comes bandwagoning. It's just the nature of the beast.
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Goldenbane
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Post by Goldenbane on Aug 15, 2008 15:34:19 GMT -5
I've been a Cleveland Browns fan since about 9 or so. During the years when Cleveland left, I sort of started to like the Jacksonville Jaguars. My mom was originally born in Jacksonville, so they became a favorite and were easy to root for. I've liked both teams since, and I'm not a diehard hardcore fan so I don't care if anyone labels me a bandwagon fan or anything. I pretty much hate all the other NFL teams anyway.
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Dr. T is an alien
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Post by Dr. T is an alien on Aug 15, 2008 15:40:04 GMT -5
I'm a Colt fan, and I don't mind them being called a bandwagon team (because they are) but what annoys me is people who called me a bandwagon jumper after the won the Super Bowl. No I'm not, I was a fan of the Colts since I started watching football again (2000) and have stayed loyal to them the whole time you pricks!! I've been watching them since the move from Baltimore. There were a lot of crappy seasons that I sat through. I would not call them a bandwagon team, though I admit that the league is hardcore into making Manning = NFL.
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Post by teamjd on Aug 15, 2008 15:56:16 GMT -5
just for the record, my fav team is the Dolphins so remember that when we win it all this year!!
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Post by King Fox -1017 Bricksquad on Aug 15, 2008 18:02:03 GMT -5
Hey, I sat through Jim Harbaugh era. I deserve to call myself a Colts fan.
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Post by Mr. Backlund on Aug 15, 2008 18:05:31 GMT -5
Let's just cut the BS.....
If a team is currently a "winner" or has had recent success in years, there will be a bandwagon associated with it. I used to go to Jets game and Pats games at will, day of the event for years when they were bad because no one was going, the tickets were cheap and the Giants have a 40 year waiting list (seriously, I'm #298743 I think). Now that the Pats have a dynasty going and the Jets have Favre, I'm not going to be heading to either of the stadiums any time soon without tickets far in advance.
However, the Steelers and Cowboys were the teams that were winning when the NFL and TV distribution were in their infancy, so there's a odd following of them in other cities outside of their home turf. I think Jerry Jones has stoked the coals with this quite well with his approach to football (the squeeze as much money out of everyon as possible model) and has raised a generation of bandwagon fans in the current setup, but their overall popularity is a product of people being forced to watch them on television in those decades and either following an actual game (and thus cheer for either the Boys/Steelers or a new team playing them every week) or keeping up consistently with another team via the newspaper the following day.
In the end, fanbases are typically a product of their history (how long they've been around), their tradition (how much they've won historically) and their current status (how much they're winning now). Some teams have all three parts and have big followings, regardless while other teams don't and raise excitement when they suddenly win and move jerseys they wouldn't have otherwise. There's true fans and then there are those that just suddenly show up wearing new shirts and hats and ruin it for the rest of the fans. My friend (Red Sox fan) can speak to this, as the "Pink Hats" are the scourge of his existance.
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Post by acressl on Aug 15, 2008 18:22:00 GMT -5
Agree with Backlund. The bandwagon effect is inevitable for any team who has a recent stream of success or some other reason it would be deemed cool to like them. Personally, I'm not all that concerned with these types, as a brief conversation on the matter with them will reveal their true nature. You're just sort of into it? That's cool. I'm like that with Buckeye games. The larger part of me just doesn't care yet certain situations will force the scarlet and grey out of me. I don't go painting my face up, putting on my jersey and talking BCS rankings with people though. I just want, with no lack of bloodlust, for them to beat the tar out of teams I don't like. Maybe you're just looking to get into it. Maybe you move or something. Maybe the need of a new team is somehow necessary to you. I've no problem with that so long as you do it right and learn about your product. The only real offenders are the jerkoffs that needlessly claim to have been there from day one who can only recite things they heard on Sportscenter the previous morning. Own yourself and your fandom or lack thereof.
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stealthamo
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Post by stealthamo on Aug 15, 2008 20:04:33 GMT -5
To be honest, pro football is the only sport that I don't have a favorite team. I am not a Lions fan (haven't been since Barry retired), but that's it. I'll root for any team, as long as they don't get shoved down my throats. If it's a good game, I'm going to watch it, no matter the two teams playing.
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Mr.K-itty
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Post by Mr.K-itty on Aug 15, 2008 20:47:20 GMT -5
i say im a dallas fan.... but im truly just a T.O die-hard
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The Heff
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Post by The Heff on Aug 15, 2008 21:01:58 GMT -5
In Ireland, you have a hell of a lot of Pats fans. NFL has really taken off here and in the UK in the past 2 years or so. You see mostly Pats fans, but I've seen Dolphins, Saints, Steelers, Eagles, Colts, Rams fans. I'm a Ravens fan by the way, and have been since I was 13 when I visited Baltimore. The Superbowl after I came back, the Ravens won their one and only Superbowl, which I was recording until my father came back from the pub and switched off the VCR. So all I got was a bit of the build-up.
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Post by Jedi-El of Tomorrow on Aug 15, 2008 21:09:01 GMT -5
The Saints are a bandwagon team now. Everyone jumped on after they had one good season. Even to the point that the critics keep on picking them for everything. And I see way to many people with Bush or Brees jerseys around here. I gladly admit I jumped on the Saints bandwagon. That's because Drew Brees is one of my favorite players, I've been a fan of Brees since Purdue.
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Post by Ishmeal Loves Kaseyhausen on Aug 15, 2008 22:22:01 GMT -5
I wouldn't call the Cowboys' or Steelers' fans bandwagoners at all, anymore than I would call Yankees fans outside of New York bandwagoners. When television became popular, and baseball was the national sport, who was the best team in baseball? The Yankees. And when there were only three channels to choose from, a good portion of TV's were on baseball, and you want to show the best, and that was the Yankees. Same can be said during the NFL's booming rise in the 70's. Steelers win 4 Super Bowl's and the Cowboys make 5 and win 3. Again, when there was only 3 channels. Just saying.
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HoagieWithPastrami
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Post by HoagieWithPastrami on Aug 16, 2008 0:47:00 GMT -5
GB Packers are NOT a bandwagon team. People fully support them no matter what. actually they fall under the category of commercial schilling by the NFL and the constant focus on the NFL Network and ESPN all through the years so yes that makes them a Bandwagon team That's what I like about the Steelers. We don't get nearly the NFL shilling that the Cowboys or Packers do and we still have a ton of fans. If TO breaks wind at Cowboys camp or Aaron Rogers takes a pee break up in Green Bay, it's all over Sportcenter. But I haven't seen any highlights of our preseason game from Thursday night yet. The only time we got hyped was AFTER we beat the Colts in the 05/06 playoffs. It was kind of a big upset, and I guess the NFL figured that since they couldn't hype the crap out of their golden boy Manning anymore, that they'd hitch their promotional wagon to Jerome Bettis. Other than that, I get confused because we have all of the fans and success that the Pack and 'boys do (and in our case, without any of the flashy antics Dallas loves to pull), but the media still treats us like we're the Arizona Cardinals or something. I'm not really complaining though, it's better to fly under the radar. And I think that because of what I just explained, there are more diehard Steeler fans than people that are just fans because we're the "cool team".
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HoagieWithPastrami
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Post by HoagieWithPastrami on Aug 16, 2008 0:48:27 GMT -5
Even us, Rams fans have bandwagon fans back in 1999, when we won our Super Bowl. But I always been a fan of them since they moved to St. Louis back in 95. Where I live in Iowa its mostly Vikings, Bears, and Cowboys fans. I'm one of the few Rams fans. It was really the Greatest Show On Turf that had the bandwagon following moreso than the franchise. Once that dissolved and the Patriots took over, it went away, even here in St. Louis a bit (seeing that it's foremost a baseball city). I remember thinking that Rams team was in line to be the next Cowboys/9ers/Steelers in the NFL back in the day. I still can't believe they only won 1 Super Bowl with those teams they had. And it all seemed to go south very quickly after the loss in the Super Bowl to New England.
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