Gettin' Back to that Bandwagon Post

I'm finally getting back to the bandwagon fans post I wrote a couple weeks back. My first reaction after writing it was that I hope I didn't piss anyone off. I didn't get any angry responses other than from my girlfriend whom I made read the post. But I'll get to her reply in a bit. My intent in writing the post was to get some feedback on this blog and write something controversial. And I say controversial in the sense that it probably challenged some people's perspectives in being a fan of a sport and having a favorite team in that sport. I didn't intend to put any fan down, but wanted to note there's a difference between what I called a "true" fan and a bandwagon fan.

Before getting to the responses, I wanted to clarify some things I did not say in the post and this is mainly in reaction to my girlfriend who thought my post belittling and that I expected readers to know everything about baseball. Well, let me clarify a few things:

1) I never said bandwagon fans were bad for baseball, the Rivalry, or any sport or team.

2) I never put down bandwagon fans because they didn't know everything. My fuss is that they don't know the basic stuff like how the game is played or who's on the team.

3) I never said not to purchase a teams paraphrinalia in whatever color you like--the links are on the post to buy stuff.

4) I never said a bandwagon fan has no feelings of love for the team they "root" for. I only question that love.

5) I never said all New Yorkers are liable to push you on the subway tracks.

Now that the air is cleaner, let's get to the responses--thanks to everyone to replied. The first one is from PJB (a close friend of Doug and I):

One thing to point out is that however annoying they may be, bandwagon fans are usually very good for the teams they happen to be supporting. There's been some research published at Baseball Prospectus on the chasm in revenue between playoff/non-playoff teams. That huge gulf can be explained partly by TV revenue and playoff ticket sales, but also because of the surge in local attention and popularity that can persist for years after a flag raises. That money of course ends up going towards keeping the team competitive (big market teams) or prompting a move or sale (nationals).

Have faith Teddy, and remember that no bandwagon fan feels the elation of winning after suffering through years of failure. Or in the Yankees case, a single down year like this one.

Yes, very good to point out BP's research and connect it with the post. Certainly bandwagon fans are a good source of revenue for the game--not only do they buy gear, they will go to games as long as their team is good. I think PJB is correct to say that baseball needs bandwagon fans for the good of the business of baseball. Afterall, how would us fans pay for part of those salaries?

And I do remember my elation in 1996--I was at a Halloween party and went running around the place cheering my head off. Probably one of the best moments of my senior year in high school aside from graduating and getting into college.

Another comment comes from Captain Caveman who has a pretty good story:

I have a related story. Back in 1999 I had the opportunity to attend the All-Star game here in Boston. My friend and I had a terrific day as we were able to play catch in the infield at Fenway Park. (He used to work behind the scenes for the Celtics, and is now the head trainer for the Pacers...so he has connections) Anyway, we were offered 2 tickets at $150 each for standing room only. We scraped together the funds and gladly bought them.So here we are at an All-Star game. We are both big fans of baseball and feel somehow honored to be at an All-Star game in our hometown. After a few innings, we became fairly angry. The whole crowd seemed interested in everything BUT the game. They all talked on their cell phones to their friends...'yeah, I'm at the ball game and your not...I don't know who started...I'm not sure who's on the mound right now but he got some people out...' We looked at each other, Thats Pedro fucking Martinez on the mound. How do these people get tickets to this and not even know whats going on? Meanwhile, honest fans who follow the sport daily (people who not only know who Pedro is, but that he is starting) are left to watch from home. Granted, I was able to get tickets, but we paid face value for them and waited for several hours to know if they were even available.We still enjoyed the game, it's just shocking to witness the stupidity. Why spend the money to go to the game when you have no idea what's going on??


Nice story--I hope the fans knew who Ted Williams was when he came out onto the field during that All-Star game. I won't go on record to say that bandwagon fans have priced true fans out of ballparks (Caveman's example is the All-Star game which costs more) or that bandwagon fans are rolling in money, but I can share in his annoyance. Afterall this was the All-Star game in Boston where in 1999 Pedro was the best pitcher in the AL. But in answer to his question at the end of the comment my reply is--I don't know--just to say you were there maybe?

Finally, from Jim:

Hey – great post on the bandwagon fans. Another thing you can’t appreciate as a bandwagon fan is the love/hate relationship Yankees fans have with their own team – the NY Post front page had this teaser for the sports section: “Yankees win one in a row.”

Quite true. Also the love/hate relationship with certain players is quite true.

I'll end it here with some final thoughts. I don't hate bandwagon fans. They may be annoying, but there is some good they bring to the game. And while I may have sounded a bit arrogant and bitchy in my post, I personally want to transform bandwagon fans into true fans of the game of baseball (and to the Yankees of course. Though my posts may create some Red Sox fans). I understand not all fans follow every little detail or watch every single game--even I don't know everything. So I hope this blog can shed some light on how to have a lifelong relationship with the game of baseball and a team, and appreciate all of it for what it is.