Fandom: die hard vs. fair weather

[paulboeck]

Which side do you come down on?

I expect I'm in the minority, but personally I'm a fair weather fan, especially since having kids. IMHO sports is for entertainment, and if the team I'm rooting for is constantly losing, I am NOT entertained. I don't know how Cubs fans do it :wink2:. Since having kids, I'm really picky about how I spend what little free time I have and I don't have the stomach for constant disappointment. Case in point: I've pretty much stopped watching the Packers already this season.

May your team be victorious more often than not.

[chainfire]

I'm a fan of a good contest...don't really care about any one team - as long as there's a good even fight, it's all good to me. :smile:

[andrewckellogg]

I like going to games, that means local. Since I live in Northern Virginia, its hard to call me fair weather between the Nats and Skins

[WhosYerBob]

I like going to games, that means local. Since I live in Northern Virginia, its hard to call me fair weather between the Nats and Skins
Tough being a fan here in the DC region. The Skins haven't done well since Snyder bought the team and I just can't root for a bunch of millionaires that lose all the time.

[RBE17]

I love college football. I'm a Penn State grad and I love Penn State football. I was allowing myself to get very wrapped up in it emotionally. I am not fun to watch a game with because I pace, yell, shout, scream and sometimes throw things. After watching the second quarter of this year's Iowa game I realized Penn State was going to lose and I decided right there I was letting myself get too emotionally involved. I still want them to win and succeed, but I've backed off on my emotional committment.

[richmondesi]

I respect myself too much to sell out and be a diehard fan of anything sports related. I have the teams that I want to win, but if they are sucking, I deal with it (and I've had to do that a lot lately). I'm not fair weather though because I'm not all excited and obnoxious acting when my teams are good either... I guess I'm too boring for all this fandom stuff:biggrin:

[Dennis]

Note the avatar.

[paulboeck]

I'm a fan of a good contest...don't really care about any one team - as long as there's a good even fight, it's all good to me. :smile:

Agreed. Lately I get a lot more satisfaction from watching college football when I have no interest in who wins the game. Then I can appreciate good plays on both sides of the ball without being emotional about the outcome.

[Trendkill]

Green Bay Packers fan here. 'Nuff said.

[paulboeck]

Note the avatar.

:biggrin::biggrin:

I almost used the Lions in my original post instead of the Cubs.

[richmondesi]

Green Bay Packers fan here. 'Nuff said.

Sorry for your week :lol:

[Trendkill]

Sorry for your week :lol:

It's okay. It's just one game and The Vikings are a better team. When you put it in perspective it's not as hard to deal with. It's just sad that Favre gets most of the credit for how good the Vikings are.

[Rockytop]

It was tough last year, and sometimes this year, on Rockytop. Our team is really turning the corner, however, IMO. But I'm a homer thru and thru. Season ticket holder for 25 years. I bleed BIG ORANGE.

I'd rather lose as a Vol than win as a: swamp lizard, red elephant, dawg, or wildcat !!!!!!!!!!

[Randy Watson]

You have to be a die hard fan to enjoy University of Kentucky football, the basketball program has tons of fair weather fans (and will gain a lot more this season). But I'm dealing with the conflict now of having a niece who is a cheerleader for the UT Vols, I support her-but I still can't stand that orange. It's like Hank Hill said, "Why don't you just go down to hell and root for the Devil?"

[paulboeck]

You have to be a die hard fan to enjoy University of Kentucky football, the basketball program has tons of fair weather fans (and will gain a lot more this season). But I'm dealing with the conflict now of having a niece who is a cheerleader for the UT Vols, I support her-but I still can't stand that orange. It's like Hank Hill said, "Why don't you just go down to hell and root for the Devil?"

You had better say clear of Rockytop when he's shaving then :biggrin:.

[Argonaut]

I'm a Yankees, Oklahoma Sooner, and a Jets fan. The Yankees have taught me to expect great things, The Sooners have taught me to deal with high expectations being crushed, and the Jets, well, the Jets just keep me humble.

[Ookla The Mok]

Being a transplanted Lions fan in Packer country certainly leads to my Lions flag getting taken by my neighbors a lot....

[gollum83]

Note the avatar.

I share your pain Dennis. :sad:


Being a transplanted Lions fan in Packer country certainly leads to my Lions flag getting taken by my neighbors a lot....

That's just sad. You think just being a Lions fan would be insult enough, but this? :frown2:

[Obsessed]

personally I'm a fair weather fan, especially since having kids. IMHO sports is for entertainment, and if the team I'm rooting for is constantly losing, I am NOT entertained. . . Since having kids, I'm really picky about how I spend what little free time I have and I don't have the stomach for constant disappointment.

Bingo! I could have written that myself.

[shm]

Motor: Ferrari (fan since as long as I can remember back)
Football: Liverpool F.C. (fan since early 70's)
NFL: Indianapolis Colts (fan since around the millenium)

If you are a fan you stay put no matter what, otherwise you are just a supporter :001_smile

[chris456]

I'd say I fall somewhere in between the two. I have some priorities that always take precedence over sports. That being said, in Boston if sports are not the number one priority, all the time, your fanhood gets questioned :laugh:

[Mr_Amazing]

First of all, you have to enjoy the sport in order to be a fan. Fair weather fans might like the sport, but don't have any allegiances to a particular team. In that sense, though, I think you lose a major part of the entertainment value in sports. If you have no vested interest in a particular team, you don't get to ride the wave of emotion and that is entertaining. Movies might not be the best analogy because they always end in a good way, but they are intended to draw emotion out of the viewer, much like sports.

I consider myself a diehard. I follow my teams closely. I'll yell, but that's the extent of my emotional attachment. Afterall, it is just a game. At the same time, I think there are different types of diehard fans. I don't like the guy who thinks every call against his team is bs or the guy who thinks a clearly visible cheap hit by his favorite team isn't supposed to get penalized. Turning the blind eye in support of your favorite team is just as bad as not caring who wins or loses.

What makes sports fun, I have found is gambling. I know it can lead to major problems, but it definitely makes games a lot more interesting when you don't like either team playing. For instance, I put some money down (ten cents) on the Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies the other day. Both teams are horrible, but because I had bet on the game, I followed it and had a good time.

[synapticmisfires]

I am absolutely a Bears, Cubs, and Bulls fan (Edit: In that order, when I do cut myself shaving, I bleed blue and orange). Absolutely die-hard in the sense that I will never pick a team to replace these and I always want them to do well and do what's in the best interest of the team.

Aside from that though, I have other lesser allegiances some of which could be called fairweather fandom. I like the White Sox to do well when they're not playing the Cubs. I don't follow hockey much, but when I happen upon it, I like the Blackhawks. I like the A's to do well because Billy Beane is the best GM in baseball. I like the Rays and Jays to do well because I resent the high payroll of the Yanks and Red Sox. There's others too, but that's the general idea.

[my19]

I was a pitiful baseball player growing up, but I love the sport, and I've followed the local teams where ever I've lived. So for the past 13 years, that's been the Texas Rangers. Yeah, the team that has never even won a playoff series -- but as the rebadged Washington Senators, I guess we have modest expectations.

I try to catch every game on TV, and get to the ballpark a half dozen times a season. Our daughter loves baseball, too, so it's a great outing.

Since I grew up semi-near Philadelphia, I cheered for the Phillies in the series. Yeah, my allegiance was no help at all ...

[bigred90gt]

There are only 2 sports that I watch consistently, and they are golf and MMA. I havent watched a football game since the super bowl, and most likely wont watch another one until the next one. I havent watched a baseball or basketball game in probably 15 years, and I'm only 29. If it is nice outside, I would MUCH rather spend my time outside, specifically playing golf, than couped up in the house in front of the TV. The ONLY times I will pass up an opportunity to go and play golf, or really do ANYTHING outside, and actually sit in front of the tv is 3 days out of the year. That is the final round of the Masters, final round of the British open, and final round of the US open.

Since most MMA events are televised at night, it does not really interfere with my doing stuff outside.