Your Response to Bandwagon Fans

[camakazee]

Yeah there's this guy I know from Youngstown who roots for the Steelers, Lakers and Indians

Why even bother with the Indians, then? Yankees/Red Sox sound like the teams for him. :chuckles:

As far as the bandwagon fans go, I really don't care. I think it's a sign that your team has "made it." I remember being at game 3 of the 2006 ECSF versus the Pistons and at least one fifth/one fourth of the fans there were Detroit fans. That's back when the "Pistons nation" stretched far beyond the borders of Detroit and most of their fans even made the trip down to Cleveland for that series. Flash forward to this season and we packed their shitty stadium with tons of our fans, rivaling their trespassing in 2006. Ultimately, I think the "Cavaliers nation" of traveling fans works to attract a lot of these bandwagoners and it's hard to fight.

As far as the Pittsburgh Cavs fans go, I agree wholeheartedly. However, it's not a phenomenon I've really witnessed. I go to school in Pittsburgh and have the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing hundreds of fans in black and gold everytime I step outside. However, having friends that are Steelers fans, most of them just aren't into basketball. They are true to the core fans, so they understand the Cleveland/Pittsburgh dichotomy doesn't allow you to mix and match sports teams from those cities. And as far as rooting for the '6ers, I know Pittsburghers than hate the city of Philadelphia far more than Cleveland, so that doesn't happen either.

My only problem with the bandwagoners is them acting like this championship will mean something to them, which it clearly won't unless you've suffered with the Cavs your entire life (or Cleveland for that matter). As long as it's casual rooting instead of posing as diehard fans, I'm fine with it (for example, that thread on the Spurs site).

 

[cschneider27]

Winning team in Cleveland = Bandwagon fans.

When was the last time we have seen a Cleveland team THIS good? Indians in the 90s? Browns in the 80s? That might be a question for another thread eh?

 

[Chardon]

They are fans only when its convenient.

 

[Kypus]

This championship belongs to the city of Cleveland, not to those of you who were Jordan fans in the 90s too.

Oh !@^% that was awesomely SCATHING! :chuckles:

I llike the idea Cavalier Nation, in fact I love it- love seeing the world get excited about our local guy...just kindly take a seat at the back of the wagon so us old farts can brag how legit and long-suffering we are

 

[Chris]

I welcome them with open arms. It feels good.

It's ironic. I hate bandwagon fans of teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Patriots, etc...it was so cheap. But now that one of my teams is finally good enough to warrant bandwagon fans, I welcome them.

Weird.

 

[-Akronite-]

If you think that's bad, what about a kid who grew up within spitting distance of Cleveland yet roots for the Cowboys, Yankees, and Bulls?

Turns out they're from the same town... small world. :chuckles:

 

[The Common Man]

[deleted]

 

[acesclone]

I didn't read this whole thread so sorry if I repeat others thoughts.

When your basketball team was as crappy as the CAVS all these years and one of the worst teams in the NBA it gets to a point that even hardcores start to drop off.

Now we have the BEST player in the NBA, the best record in the NBA and probably will win the title for a City that hasn't seen one since MOSES was leading the Israelites out of EGYPT....

That's a HUGE bandwagon that can carry ANYBODY who wants a seat.

 

[Mindphaser]

The worst kind of Clevelander (and there are a TON of them) are people that root for the Steelers, Indians and Cavs. They make up some bullshit about how their family is from PA or some other lame crap. If you root for the Steelers you have to root for the Pirates, it's simple. You can't pick and choose the best of our city and the best of another city.

What about those of us in the Cincy area? I root for the Bengals, Cavaliers, Jackets and Reds. That's just how it goes. We have our baseball and football team and then we support the other professional teams in the state (Jackets, Cavs).

 

[Trill Cosby]

<---- wretched bandwagon fan since 2003 and even worse a self important schmuck of a New Yorker



So I'd say welcome aboard but first? They have to pass a Cleveland Cavaliers history test...150 questions, multiple choice and a 500 word essay. Of course I didn't take this exam myself....



Because I'm the trillest of the trill and it gets no triller killer.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

As long as you aren't a Steelers, Celtics, Lakers, Yankees, Red Sox, or all that anti-Ohio bullshit fan you are welcome.

Didja hear that, Pip! GTFO! :chuckles:

 

[Soda]

I chose the 'Anyone who loves Cleveland' option because if you believe in the betterment of the city, you are supporting situations good and bad. So when we're up those people deserve to be up as well.

 

[LeBeastJames]

I jumped on the bandwagon like 5 years ago. I never really followed basketball, but I'd watch it sometimes on TV. I liked watching LeBron a lot. He was sick nasty. But if I had have picked a team to like it would have been Toronto, just because I'm from Canada. Then, in the last game of the year(LeBron's 2nd season), it was Raps vs. Cavs, basically to make the playoffs, Cavs needed to win and have the Nets lose. LeBron came out with a trip dub, I believe it was of the ridiculous variety, 35/14/14. Then I was a "LeBron fan." But after a couple of more years, I began to warm up to the team as a whole. I became a Cavs fan more than a LeBron fan. And this year especially, I don't want to even say LeBron is my favourite Cavalier just because of how much I love Mo and Delonte. Really I love this whole team. Just watching the way they have fun out there, but still play the game the right way, dominating while they do it. If the unthinkable happens and LeBron bolts in 2010(I totally stand by the unlikelihood of that event), he'd definitely fall several notches in my book. Whereas 5 years ago I probably wouldn't have cared much.

 

[NarlCavs]

I think the Cavaliers draw more local bandwagon fans than the Browns or Indians. The Cavs have always been the #3 team in NE Ohio although that might change with a younger generation growing up with great Cavs teams. Historically when the Cavs become good you do see more people suddenly become big Cavs fans.

I don't have a huge problem with bandwagon fans. Local ones bother me more than out of town ones. People can follow and root for any team they want but a real fan should stick with their team through all the ups and downs. I've always been a die hard Cavs fan and have suffered through more downs than ups over the years. When times like this current one come up it makes it that much sweeter though.

 

[burt07]

I pretty much accept the bandwagon fans, with a twinge of not wanting to. The thing is, if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to celebrate wins or championships with anyone. I can still remember being at my friend's house on numerous occasions having to sneak off to watch meaningless John Lucas-led games on some small kitchen TV because everyone else was watching some movie. Part of me still misses the uniqueness of being a Cavs fan back then but you want your team to be relevant, therefore you have to accept the bandwagon. Take the Red Sox for example, probably the biggest influx of bandwagon fans in the history of sports. Would the diehard Red Sox fans give up the two titles they won so they wouldn't have the bandwagon fans they have now? I'm going to go ahead and highly doubt it.