What are the requirements of true fandom?

Sports fans are very passionate, and many times criticize other “fans” who are not as passionate as themselves. For example, “bandwagon” fans (fans that root only for teams that are good at the time, jumping onto a “bandwagon” as they hop from team to team) are becoming more and more noticeable in sports, especially the NBA and NFL. Sportswriter Bill Simmons wrote an article on 20 requirements that a person has to follow in order to be a true fan. Bill Simmons is a very credible source who writes for ESPN.com and is the editor in chief of his own successful subwebsite off ESPN.com called Grantland. He is also a television show host and documentary director. There are many grey areas in being a sports fan, so the bottom line should just to sit back, relax, and enjoy the game.

ESPN.com

Simmons, an avid Boston sports fan, also has the same amount of displeasure towards bandwagoners as myself and the rest of America, writing: “you can't start rooting for a team, back off when they're in a down cycle, then renew the relationship once the team starts winning again...you know who you are. You shouldn’t even be allowed in public. There is nothing worse than a bandwagon jumper.” Since Simmons is a huge Boston guy, he has dealt with his fair share of bandwagoners, as Boston is one of the greatest sports cities in the U.S., and I can share from my experience that it is extremely annoying to have someone who starts randomly rooting for your team when they get good.


In addition, Bill touches on fantasy sports. Fantasy sports and real life is a very fine line as to who you should root for, your favorite team or a player you need to do well in order to win a game in your fantasy league. Bill believes that you can root for your player unless your team is fighting for a playoff spot, or its a very close game. In my opinion, you should have a undivided loyalty towards your team, but if your team is totally out of the playoff race you can root for your fantasy player, especially if there are high stakes involved.