This morning has got me thinking, and does anybody find these type of sports fans annoying? The type of person who changes there favourite team and jumps on anothers bandwagon, usually the team that won there league that year. Mind you I'm a die-hard Patriots fan/sports fan (as I look down the hallway, I see my Pats shower curtain hanging up). I was a huge Winnipeg Jets fan (there farm team was here in Moncton for years) so when the team moved to Phoenix, my loyalties stayed with them. Maybe it's just me, I'd like to hear what you folks think.

Sometimes I can see why it happens, for non-selfish reasons. The good teams are likely to have the good players that people are going to be fans of. But that generally applies to teams you kind of enjoy watching, but not your *favorite* team. I sure liked Kurt Warner's 1999 "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams, just as I liked he and Willis Jacox on the 1996 and 1997 Barnstormers, but never above the Packers or Mustangs. People who change their favorite team based on the standings can't consider themselves fans of any team at all.

No team will ever replace the Packers or Brewers on the top of my list (and believe me, I've had plenty of ugly seasons where sometimes I'd have liked to have given up on the Brewers), no matter what the standings are.

However, when a team moves as you say with the Jets, that's a completely different issue to me. I obviously wasn't around when it happened, and there are other factors too, but I absolutely hate the Atlanta Braves, as they deserted Milwaukee. And I can't stand the Tennessee Titans for the way they deserted Houston which as I said in the NFL thread is kind of my second home city for teams I root for. When a team turns its back on its loyal fans in a city, they're no longer deserving of my loyalty.

Team jumpers are OK sometimes, and sometimes they're not. I don't think there's any point in being a lifelong fan of one sports team...it's healthy to mix it up. I mean, what if the "new NHL" had never happened and in 5 years the Senators had a coach who favoured the defensive style of the Devils or the Wild which I always found so, so boring? What if they broke up the team out of frustration and changed their whole game plan? There's no point in just being loyal to the name alone. I wouldn't abandon my team just because they were doing poorly, or just because another was doing better and I was tired of losing. But I'd pick a new team if the Sens no longer got me excited about hockey.

Where I think bandwagon-hoppers are a bad thing is like with last year's BoSox. People from all around the league, isntead of just hoping for them, jumped on board full tilt. It seemed like they had the whole world cheering for them to end the Curse, and people got swept up in that. I see so many people with obviously new Sox hats and jackets walking round.

If it's kept to a minimum, or there are valid reasons for it, I have no problem.

I can't stand the people who consistently cheer for the previous season's winners - any sport.

I'm not a big fan of people who don't claim allegiance when a team is bad, but suddenly becomes their biggest fan upon a 5 game winning streak.

My preferences have changed over time.

I am a Canucks fan... I used to be a Flames fan. I lived in Vancouver 12 years before converting. Not even the great start of the Flames a few years ago or the Stanley Cup run was able to tun me back.

I recently chose the Red Sox over the Blue Jays for baseball. Why? I decided that I don't have to like the Jays because they are from Canada. And I also decided that I hate the Yankees so it's natural to cheer for their arch-rivals.

CFL - I switched from the Stampeders to the Lions. No other reason in that I've pretty much abandoned all allegiance to Calgary.

NFL - I follow the players not the teams... and I don't even follow the NFL all that much at all.

NBA - not much of a fan, but I would prefer to see Steve Nash's team as opposed to the Raptors. And I prefer anyone winning over the Grizzlies (yes, I'm bitter about losing the team - it was such under-handed tactics).

So bandwagon hopping is wrong, but jumping teams (when done infrequently) is acceptable.

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"Even though you tried so hard, you couldn't hide your smile"

The Sparkster's Myspace Music Page

Blind loyalty to a team is a bit silly (childish) when you think about it, but having said that I am pretty die-hard when it comes to my teams - Bosox, Bills, Celtics and Sabres. It seems like a healthy thing to switch teams as Howlin suggested when the style of play or ideology suddenly rubs you the wrong way. Another very good reason to bail on a team is when they bail on your city or area (examples - Stars, Braves, Dodgers, Titans, Lakers, Ravens). IMOHO if your team moves feel free to dump them like a hot potato!
I once transformed from being a Cowboy fan to being a Bills fan. As a kid growing up in western NY the Cowboys were on TV more than the Bills because they were often "blacked-out" because of lagging attendance which was because of the losing ways of the teams they had in the 70's. So to continue, when Jerry Jones became the Cowboys owner and fired Tom Landry over the radio I decided I could not root for a team with such a heartless owner - a decision I stand by today. Well the Bills were local and they started to win, I was old enough to buy my own tickets and tranportation to games. It was a natural fit and I have been loyal (but not blindly) ever since. I remember it being quite ackward to watch Cowboy games for quite a while after I dumped them, but today one of my greatest sports thrills is watching anyone beat up on the Cowboys! So go ahead and dump your team if you must, but it is not easy for true fans.
As for the bandwagon fans of the Red Sox. I hope they all sprain their ankles jumping off so I can get past them and get myself some tickets!! It's been a bitch getting Sox tickets the past couple years.

My Red Sox allegiance is a little more enduring than the majority of the bandwagoners.

I'd say it started in either 2002 or 2003 after complete indifference to the Jays. I just knew that I hated the Yankees so much. And I still rooted for the Red Sox this year, even after they beat the curse. And I will continue to root for them this coming year.

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"Even though you tried so hard, you couldn't hide your smile"

The Sparkster's Myspace Music Page

Actually, I had ran into a situation like that last year where some friends of mine - die hard Blow Jays (errr, Blue Jays! ) fans who would almost constantly be putting down the Argonauts - but of course, by the time the Argos went on their Grey Cup run, who do you think they were cheering for? Of course, they cheered for the team but if asked, I know for a fact they wouldn't be able to name more than 10 Argonauts (and no, Pinball doesn't count! )

As for me, I'm a huge Argonauts and Leafs fan. I once was a Jays fan but I've long since jumped off that wagon and I have no plans to jump back on it anytime soon - football and hockey are my two favorite sports now.

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~ ...and all the demons are saints, and the saints I'll never trust...~ Blue Rodeo - "Graveyard"

~...Had a dream where everybody looked like someone else, and the farthest I could get from was the closest to myself...~ Men Without Hats - "Sideways"

I wonder if there's more people who hate the Yankees than actual Yankee fans! Hahaha, there such a easy team to dislike.

I knew many an Edmonton fan who jumped on the Calgary bandwagon during their Stanley Cup run, these were people who booed Calgary every chance they got prior to then. I found it quite hypocritical, to be honest. I can't say I'm a 'die-hard' Edmonton fan, but when push comes to shove, that's the way my loyalties will fall.

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Yesterday is yesterday. (This Town)

It's only heaven descending. (Black Ribbon)

Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.

I can kind of see that though, mthead.

I'll root for Eau Claire all year long, and against the conference rivals like Stevens Point and Platteville. But when Platteville and UWSP had national championship runs recently, after UWEC was out of the way I was supporting them like no other, because they were Wisconsin teams from Eau Claire's conference. Likewise when you have a provincial or national thing like that (how often have Canadian teams been playing for the Cup recently?), I can see why Edmonton fans would support Calgary.

I think Sports Illustrated has to be the ultimate in Calgary bandwagon-jumping, Marnie!! They put the Flames on a recent cover and predicted them to win the Cup this year. That sounds like the kind of thing a "blind faith" fan would say, not a team of sports journalists who really looked into the matter. Calgary may not even make the playoffs, let alone win the Cup. It's very very difficult to imagine them going deep this year, they just don't have the co-ordination. The Senators, Flyers and Wings are the most likely to win it in my opinion (even though the Flyers haven't been explosive so far), and if Carolina's streak turns into sustained success, they might be the surprise addition to that list...but last year seeemd pretty fluky for the Flames, even if they did knock off 3 division champs. Not so long ago Carolina was that fairytale team, and we all know what happened for the couple of years that followed.

It depends on the reason for jumping.  It kinda sucks that some people simply jump on a winning teams bandwagon.  I can be called a Team jumper, but I move mainly because of a favourite player or group of players.  When I was a kid I liked Detroit Red Wings because of Marcel Dionne, Gary Bergman, Mickey Redman, when they were all gone I moved to the Islanders because of Trottier, Bossy, Potvin, Gillies, Once they were gone it was Philadelphia because of Tocchett, Zezel, Propp, Poulin.  Now its Vancouver, not due to any particular player, more of a protest against the Americanization of the game as well as rebelling against the force feeding of Leaf games.