What exactly is a "bandwagon fan" and am I one?

[Trackball]

I started watching the Rockets at the start of the 1993-94 season.

Now, those of you old enough to watch '90s ball might remember that the Rockets went 55-27 in the previous year, a franchise record at the time, and also won their division.

But that had nothing to do with why I started watching.

You see, before then, I had almost no interest in basketball, NBA or otherwise. My mom says I saw Phi Slama Jama lose to NC State on that buzzer-beating dunk when I was less than a year old, but obviously I don't remember that.

No, I started watching because my grandmother, on a whim, had gotten me one of those small fold-out schedules of Rockets games somewhere. I then proceeded to watch every game I could, listening to the untelevised games on the radio.

Yeah, even up to then, not every game was televised. I remember our radio announcers (the great Gene Petersen and Jim Foley, both now retired) saying that one game against the Miami Heat was only shown on TV in Miami, and one game against the Bucks wasn't televised in EITHER market.

Which is unfortunate, as...that Heat game? It had a marvelous finish to regulation, as Rockets shooting guard Vernon Maxwell launched a wild 3-pointer from the corner as time expired, that somehow went in, to force overtime. The Miami commentators said it was "An impossible, implausible, incredible three-point play by Vernon Maxwell!"

But that's beside the point. The point is that I started watching once we'd become a 50-win team...and not only did we go 58-24 that year (still the franchise record), we won our first NBA championship.

We also had great ads for the team, like this one. This ad could NEVER air nowadays.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NQmQH_nU6Sc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Of course, had this set of TV-viewing circumstances happened to me, say, 10 years later, in the age of the Internet, I'd be denounced as a bandwagoner for coming on when the team got good, only to abandon them when they start losing...even though I've been following them for 20 years now.

So I ask you, a neutral ground, instead of ClutchFans (a popular Rockets fansite). Am I a bandwagoner?

Spoiler

And before any of you bring up "BUT JORDAN WAS RETIRED/NOT HIMSELF!"...Jordan's Bulls have a losing record against Olajuwon's Rockets. Plus Jordan averaged better stats in the 1995 playoffs than he did during the second three-peat. I'm sorry, I'm just SICK of people delegitimizing my team's hard-earned titles with that excuse.

[Crystar500]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

I remember when the Rockets faced my hometown team(whom I was rooting for) in the 1994 Finals. The Knicks, unfortunately, lost in Game 7. At least we won an NHL title that year. (Btw, I consider the Nets my hometown team now.)

Anyway, to answer your question, No. Not even close. You found a team you liked and stuck with it. You didn't jump onto any team that was winning in the era, (aka: Bulls/Lakers/Heat) and you're still a fan today. I didnt become a Nets fan because they moved to where I live, either. I was enjoying the days where the Nets were in New Jersey with Jason Kidd. Those were fun times. I've been a Knicks and Nets fan for a long time now. I also was a SuperSonics fan, now Thunder fan.

[BallIsLife2]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

A bandwagon fan is a term used to describe a person who claims to be a fan of a team even though they had no prior support for the team until they started winning.

And no, you are not a bandwagon fan. You support the Rockets because that is the team that helped further your love of basketball. You chose a team and stuck with them.

[EASTS2k]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

A bandwagon fan is a term used to describe a person who claims to be a fan of a team even though they had no prior support for the team until they started winning.

And no, you are not a bandwagon fan. You support the Rockets because that is the team that helped further your love of basketball. You chose a team and stuck with them.

just like me n my heats, i still remember da day we drafted labron/

[ojandpizza]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

just like me n my heats, i still remember da day we drafted labron/

What...???

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

just like me n my heats, i still remember da day we drafted labron/

[Vni]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

He's kidding.

[WinWithSim]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

just like me n my heats, i still remember da day we drafted labron/

He's kidding.

Lol, I hope that is the case.

[Majingir]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

Best example of bandwagon fans are the Miami Heat fans who only became Miami Heat fans the second Lebron joined them. Sucks for the Heat fans who were fans for many years before that, because they might be partially grouped in with all those bandwagon fans too just cause of many peoples thoughts on Heat/Their fans(especially after the walkout)

For other sports, I wouldn't call someone a bandwagon fan if they give up on a team during the season cause they team is playing bad(only if that team has been bad previously for many seasons). Like what happens to many Jays fans in Toronto in 2013. Sure, there were MANY bandwagon fans all of a sudden in the 2013 offseason, but many of the people who were real excited(and are now currently madder than ever), are the real fans.The ones who have been waiting almost 20 years to see this team make playoffs again.

I wouldn't be surprised if teams like Lakers and Yankees are just filled with majority of bandwagon fans. But we'll never know if they are or not,cause seems like those teams will be good all the time. There might be 1-2 seasons here and there that they miss playoffs, but they'll always have hype. Fanbases where fans don't know how it feels to miss the playoffs for 3+ years. Or to not have a championship every decade or two.

[BringTheHeat]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

So do you guys consider "LeBron fans" who now cheer for the Heat bandwagon fans? Same with Carmelo fans that cheer for NY. I ask because I know people who fit both of these.

I also ask because I wasn't really that into NBA basketball until Wade got drafted, because I loved him in college.

NFL my team is the Chiefs, mainly because of Tony Gonzalez and Priest Holmes.

I think a lot of people choose to like a team based on the players on that team

[Majingir]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

So do you guys consider "LeBron fans" who now cheer for the Heat bandwagon fans? Same with Carmelo fans that cheer for NY. I ask because I know people who fit both of these.

I also ask because I wasn't really that into NBA basketball until Wade got drafted, because I loved him in college.

NFL my team is the Chiefs, mainly because of Tony Gonzalez and Priest Holmes.

I think a lot of people choose to like a team based on the players on that team

I wouldn't consider people who are fans of a team cause of 1-2 players,a fan of that team(or even a bandwagon fan) they're just a fan of a player and has to watch a specific teams game to see that player.

Rockets for example,I liked Harden in OKC and Howard in Orlando, and now both on Rockets team makes me want to check them out alot. Regardless if Rockets end up being good or not, if I can find Rockets game on TV this season(and it doesn't start at like 10pmEST) then I'll watch.

[BJNT]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

I started watching the Rockets at the start of the 1993-94 season.

Now, those of you old enough to watch '90s ball might remember that the Rockets went 55-27 in the previous year, a franchise record at the time, and also won their division.

But that had nothing to do with why I started watching.

You see, before then, I had almost no interest in basketball, NBA or otherwise. My mom says I saw Phi Slama Jama lose to NC State on that buzzer-beating dunk when I was less than a year old, but obviously I don't remember that.

No, I started watching because my grandmother, on a whim, had gotten me one of those small fold-out schedules of Rockets games somewhere. I then proceeded to watch every game I could, listening to the untelevised games on the radio.

Yeah, even up to then, not every game was televised. I remember our radio announcers (the great Gene Petersen and Jim Foley, both now retired) saying that one game against the Miami Heat was only shown on TV in Miami, and one game against the Bucks wasn't televised in EITHER market.

Which is unfortunate, as...that Heat game? It had a marvelous finish to regulation, as Rockets shooting guard Vernon Maxwell launched a wild 3-pointer from the corner as time expired, that somehow went in, to force overtime. The Miami commentators said it was "An impossible, implausible, incredible three-point play by Vernon Maxwell!"

But that's beside the point. The point is that I started watching once we'd become a 50-win team...and not only did we go 58-24 that year (still the franchise record), we won our first NBA championship.

We also had great ads for the team, like this one. This ad could NEVER air nowadays.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NQmQH_nU6Sc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Of course, had this set of TV-viewing circumstances happened to me, say, 10 years later, in the age of the Internet, I'd be denounced as a bandwagoner for coming on when the team got good, only to abandon them when they start losing...even though I've been following them for 20 years now.

So I ask you, a neutral ground, instead of ClutchFans (a popular Rockets fansite). Am I a bandwagoner?

Spoiler

And before any of you bring up "BUT JORDAN WAS RETIRED/NOT HIMSELF!"...Jordan's Bulls have a losing record against Olajuwon's Rockets. Plus Jordan averaged better stats in the 1995 playoffs than he did during the second three-peat. I'm sorry, I'm just SICK of people delegitimizing my team's hard-earned titles with that excuse.

My storyline is similar. I really didnt get deep into any sport until my pre-teen and teenage years. Which is around the time the Rockets won those titles and I've been a fan ever since. I've stuck with them through the championship years, when they made the Barkley trade(To this day still cant watch that John Stockton shot),the Stevie Franchise era, the Yao and T-Mac era, and now into the Harden and Howard era. I'm a native Houston, I love my city and it's sports teams. But I'm a hoops fan first(sounds strange comin from someone born and raised in Texas i know) and the Rockets championship teams had a lot to do with that. So take heart my brother, you aint no bandwagoner. By the way, even if Jordan hadn't retired I too believe they still would have won both titles. The only team that would have beaten the Rockets during those years was the Seattle SuperSonics. Any Rockets fan will tell you that.

[yankeesgiants]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

I personally think the whole idea of a "bandwagon fan" is ridiculous. Why not just let folks cheer on teams they want to follow? I mean it is how these teams generate revenue... But that's a whole different topic.

I think one would call a person who hops on the "bandwagon" by them being a fan even though they have no clue about any of the players on that team. They're just cheering them on for the sake of cheering them on. I'd also say they're probably just looking for a good time.

What you are discribing are pink hats. That is a different strain of bandwagon fan but equally worthless. Case in point. 98% of Heat and Patriot fans over the age of 30 are complete frauds.

[Marino]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

I've been watching Charlotte basketball since I was born. I did not watch NBA when Charlotte was not around. I went to 9 games one year when the Bobcats had the worse record in NBA history. Am I a bandwagon fan?

[yankeesgiants]

Re: What exactly is a &quot;bandwagon fan&quot; and am I one?

I've been watching Charlotte basketball since I was born. I did not watch NBA when Charlotte was not around. I went to 9 games one year when the Bobcats had the worse record in NBA history. Am I a bandwagon fan?

That is the key phrase. That makes you a fan of charlotte basketball. If my team left town and was replaced by a new team, I would be a fan of the new team.