Bandwagoning Redux

I came across a brilliant piece of sports writing on bandwagoning written by Bill Simmons. For those of you who do not follow ESPN, Bill Simmons is a Boston native who writes a column for ESPN magazine and has authored several books. He wrote this gem about bandwogoning in sports:

"There's nothing worse than a bandwagon jumper. If sports were a giant prison and fans were the convicts, bandwagoners would be like child molesters-the lowlifes who crossed the line and deserved to be ridiculed/tortured/humiliated/defiled by everyone else."

He goes on to say that all "real fans" abide by the following rules.

Rule #1
You select ONE team in each sport. You cannot root for two teams in the same sport.

Rule # 2
If your city has a professional team during your formative years, you support that team. Local teams are like family-you have to stick with them through thick and thin.

Rule # 3 (I think this is the best one, pay attention Dennis and Jeff)
You CAN'T root for a team, back off during a down cycle, then renew the relationship once the team starts winning again.

Rule # 4 (Also a good one that applies to recent SC fans)
Be honest! If you do pick a team, or a sport, that you were NEVER a fan of before they were good, be honest about it. Don't make stuff up. You like them because they are winning and you wanted to feel good about yourself. Just admit it.

Rule # 5
Never switch allegiances. Once you have a team, you are stuck with that them for the rest of your life.


I think all of these are very simple rules to follow.

P.S. Go Raiders!