Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Closet `Fans’ Emerge When Times Are Good

WITH BASEBALL’S LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES underway, it seems like a good time to bring up the issue of “closet playoffs/rivalry games-only fans.”

I’m not talking about frontrunners. Some people might take exception to the method they use to pledge allegiance to a certain team, but frontrunners actually have the potential to grow into fans with more than a “SportsCenter” understanding of their team. They might jump on the bandwagon at the right time, but the important thing is they might still stay on when the ride gets bumpy.

There are two main categories of frontrunners. One deserts a team and begins following another that just won a championship or is perennially successful. The other category doesn’t have a particular team – rather, this group starts rooting for somebody only when it becomes convenient and enjoyable. A Bulls, Cowboys and Yankees fan, kid of the ’90s, LeBron James is a perfect example. When it comes to my favorite NFL team, I fall into the second category, too – when I was 11, my hometown team all of a sudden got good, and although my parents had been lifelong fans, I only began following the team about midway through the run to its first Super Bowl in 10 years. Do the math and you’ll figure out who my team is.

No, the group I’m talking about comes out of the woodwork only when their team is on the national stage. Like frontrunners, there are different categories of “closet playoffs/rivalry games-only fans” (CP/RG fans). Unlike frontrunners, these fans have always been the way they are and will continue to be the way they are.

Let’s call the first category the Outspoken Ignoramuses. They are apt to be obnoxiously vocal on message boards, in the comments section under online articles and via their Facebook statuses. While they think they are making themselves stand out as loyal, credible fans during times when a lot of people are conscious of what’s going on with their team, they actually accomplish the opposite. In fact, they have no idea what they’re talking about. A negative side effect of a championship for any fan base is hearing the annoying din of these people grow louder and louder. If any or all of this describes you, I do not apologize.

Take for example what yankeefan126 said in response to a discussion going on in the comments section of a recent ESPN.com article about the Red Sox ownership’s purchase of Liverpool. To paraphrase the comment, yankeefan126 said that the Red Sox are a historically unsuccessful franchise that unfairly purchased their two recent world titles and benefited from their key players taking steroids.

This from YANKEEfan126. He or she probably also won’t settle for anything less than the World Series every year and owns one of those T-shirts with the Yankees’ 27 World Series rings matched up against the Red Sox seven. No wonder we hear about how much everyone hates Yankees fans.

Here’s another reason – an actual exchange found on Facebook. Person A: “So when can we sign Cliff Lee??” Person B: “after we win the WS again he will come to a team that can win big.” A: “When we sign him its a wrap for every world series until like 2017.. ” B: “idk, jeter mo and posada, and even arod are getting old.” A: “Yea.. I know.. I give jeter another 5yrs.. and posada 2..mo 2.. petite 1.. and arod 7.. just because lol..”

Others who fit this category will readily get into shouting matches about their team with little factual information to back up what they’re saying, incessantly use the first person plural in reference to their team, generally follow a team from the major media markets (New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, et cetera.), and/or provide in-game reaction on social media sites via their BlackBerry, like “Who’s feeling a rally???” or “WTF refs????”

The second category can be termed the Silent Fanjority. They aren’t nearly as aggressive as the Outspoken Ignoramuses or as convinced that everything they say is accurate. They don’t pretend to be experts and don’t usually bother anyone either.

Yet when push comes to shove, there they are standing in the winner’s circle if, for instance, their team wins a postseason game, series or championship. The rise in sightings of team apparel immediately before, during and after a championship series or game – especially on a college campus like Georgetown’s – can be attributed to the Silent Fanjority. A general reaction to people in this category might be, “Oh, I didn’t know you were a _______ fan!”

(Or people just won’t say anything. Either way.)

Finally, the third category is Most Women. From my experience, many females are more casual sports fans than their male counterparts. Of course, if their favorite team or their significant other’s favorite team is winning or is playing for a title, women will get more into it than if their team was the Pittsburgh Pirates of recent memory. Like clockwork, come playoff time, the proverbial pink jerseys and hats come out.

What all CP/RG fans have in common is this: When the going gets tough, they find other stuff to do. That’s partly why shows like “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant” and “Hoarders” exist. (That, and it’s also phenomenal television.) Savoring the good without tasting the bad seems like an unfulfilling fan experience to me.

Then again, maybe I’m just a member of another group of fans: the “judge-y, I got here before you” fans. But hey, at least I’m not an Outspoken Ignoramus.

Dave Finn is a senior in the College. COUCH TALK appears every third issue of HOYA SPORTS.

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