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True fan hood vs Bandwagon

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BeerPoisoning

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Feb 17, 2019
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I’ll spare the details of how I became a Duke fan and simply state I became a fan when I was 6 years old. Which is about the earliest possible (in terms of truly understanding what’s going on) - I’ve been thoroughly obsessed with Duke basketball since. Overall I’m a huge sports fan, hoops receiving the highest nod both college and NBA. That being said, in all sports I only have 1 team that I’m a fan of: Duke

I’ve never thought that I needed to have a favorite or tried to force any fan-hood upon myself. I’ve just appreciated watching great teams and players. Since Giannis’ 2nd year with the Bucks, I started taking notice of him and watching televised Milwaukee games to see him play. Last year in the playoffs I found myself just naturally pulling for the Bucks as a whole. I was a little pissy when Boston ended that game 7. At the start of this season, I bought NBA league pass. Specifically to get all of Milwaukee’s games. I’ve went from just liking Giannis to appreciating the whole organization, including what a great coach I think Budenholzer is. I was amped tonight seeing them end the Celtics to advance. Not comparable to my passion for Duke, of course, but still pretty excited about it.

Here’s my problem / need for advice —
I’m 27 years old. I feel like at this stage of my life (or anyone’s) fan-hood should be established. I’ve went from a neutral NBA fan my whole life to strictly caring about the Bucks’ success the past 2 years. My problem is that my biggest pet peeve is bandwagoners. I know that being a fan of a team is a “personal” (for lack of a better word) thing with yourself and outside opinion shouldn’t matter. I’m not looking to officially declare myself a Bucks fan, nor am I concerned about what people might think, but.....

Since I’ve never went through a process of becoming a fan, other than being a nearly clueless 6 year old — In y’alls honest opinion, would you say that I’m hopping on the bandwagon due to success or naturally developing a “true fan” liking for the Bucks?
 
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SwatX1

Heisman
Jan 4, 2011
8,336
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I don’t think it matters who you like or why. I am a Duke basketball fan and Clemson football fan. Some people might think I like Clemson because of their recent success, but the fact is I am from there and was a Clemson football fan before I was a Duke fan. Duke started for me in 1989, Clemson was more around 1978. When it comes to Pro Sports, I am Atlanta in everything. Point is, it’s a free country and we all have the right to pull for whoever we want. If the Pelicans end up with Zion, Jah, Cook and Justise, then I am going to always pull for them, and I don’t care what anyone thinks!! You do you.
 
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BeerPoisoning

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DukefanKY said:
I don’t think it matters who you like or why. I am a Duke basketball fan and Clemson football fan. Some people might think I like Clemson because of their recent success, but the fact is I am from there and was a Clemson football fan before I was a Duke fan. Duke started for me in 1989, Clemson was more around 1978. When it comes to Pro Sports, I am Atlanta in everything. Point is, it’s a free country and we all have the right to pull for whoever we want. If the Pelicans end up with Zion, Jah, Cook and Justise, then I am going to always pull for them, and I don’t care what anyone thinks!! You do you.
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I ended up at a Duke NCAA tournament game in ‘98 with family (not rooting for Duke) when I was only 6 years old. I never even heard of them. My grandpa had a dog named Duke, that dog my best friend haha... My little innocent brain thought they were named after the dog and I fell in love with Duke basketball. I learned eventually the school was around way before the dog, but the passion had done set in.

So as far as picking a favorite team that’s the only experience I’ve ever had. Like you, I’ve had some favorite players for whatever team. I love watching Steph Curry play but I never had an “emotional attachment” to the Warriors winning / losing. I guess I’ve just never been in a situation (besides that kindergarten age) that provoked me to become a fan or whatever. I’ve just kind of always sat back and appreciated everyone’s greatness and success neutrally outside of college basketball as a general sports fan.

I get what you’re saying about not owing anyone an explanation... It’s a free country, I can root for and like whoever I like. You’re 110% right, man. I guess it’s just weird to me that I’m 27 and developing a liking for a team when it’s never came about in the past 21 years and all of the countless hours I’ve spent watching all sports.
 
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Friction.

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Jan 23, 2008
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Good question - I’d say at the end of the day - a fan’s a fan. I never cared to break down a fan into sub-categories: true fan, bandwagon, social fans, fan b/c you went to school there, etc. To me, you’re just a fan of the Bucks.

I realize some ppl aren’t like that - but those same people who would call you a bandwagon Bucks fan are the same ones who would complain you’re only a Duke fan b/c it was the only team you knew at six years old. You’re more of a true fan than most and someone will still try to break it down. At the end of the day in the sports world, if people want to complain, they’ll find a way.

My bro is a fan of the dolphins because he liked dolphins when he was like six years old and is still a fan today. Granted - we joke him every time we can because you know...the dolphins.
 
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pisgah101

pisgah101

Heisman
Dec 26, 2005
15,261
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Ehh be a fan if you want. A “bandwagon” fan to me is someone who every year or couple of years jumps on the hottest team but never sticks with them. You like Giannis so pull for his team.
FWIW I feel like developing a fandom of a pro team can be for different reasons and a certain player is a reason. I don’t watch the NBA but I’ll be a fan of wherever Zion goes. But at the same time In the NFL I’m a panthers fan but that’s my “home team”

Also I have a buddy that’s a patriots fan but he said it’s mainly because of Brady. When we were 12 the panthers and pats played in the super bowl and everyone was for the panthers but he said he decided he was for the pats and liked Brady. He also said when Brady retires he’ll probably choose a different team. So I think fan hood develops in different ways.
 
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BeerPoisoning

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@Friction.
Fair enough answer and you’re right. To be clear - It’s not so much that I care about who people choose to root for, but rather the euphoria, thrill and bragging rights that bandwagoners immediately feel entitled to. It’s unfair to skip the lows and enjoy the highs. Like someone previously mentioned, it’s a free country... But man that bugs me. I guess in a sense I feel like a hypocrite rooting for Milwaukee because I didn’t give 2 dumps about them before Antetokounmpo. (For the record, I live in Hoosier land - that was pushed on me before I discovered Duke. Thankfully I dodged it.)

@pisgah101 Patriots “fans” might be the worst hahah, most of them have no idea who Bledsoe is. I somewhat get your friend’s side of it though, relating through a favorite player. The home team reason you mentioned is the biggest factor for most people, understandable too. I did always enjoy watching Peyton when he played for the home team Colts, but I hate Irsay (owner) so I never could bring myself to care outside of just wanting Peyton to win / play well.
 
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christophero

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May 2, 2017
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People give me grief for being a Duke, Yankee, and Notre Dame football fan. But I've been a Duke fan since Amaker, a Yankee fan since the late 70's (pre 2 World Series and I'm from NY) and a ND fan since the late 80's. A bandwagon fan would be someone who cheers for the Red Sox starting a few years ago. But it doesn't really matter to me unless someone is obnoxious.
 
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QC Dukie

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DukefanKY said:
Now if you want to talk straight up bandwagon, my good friend @QC Dukie HAS ZERO affiliation with Clemson football, but there are rumors that he has been seen in some convienient stores late at night sporting a big orange Trevor Lawrence jersey
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Nah I just make my wife put it on when it’s time to........
 
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QC Dukie

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christophero said:
People give me grief for being a Duke, Yankee, and Notre Dame football fan. But I've been a Duke fan since Amaker, a Yankee fan since the late 70's (pre 2 World Series and I'm from NY) and a ND fan since the late 80's. A bandwagon fan would be someone who cheers for the Red Sox starting a few years ago. But it doesn't really matter to me unless someone is obnoxious.
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You wanna talk grief, try being a cowboy, Duke and Reds fan. I did however pick my teams as a kid in the early 70’s and have never changed.
 
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hart2chesson

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Oct 13, 2012
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skysdad said:
I jumped on Duke's bandwagon during the 1961 season when I was around 9 years old. Been a bandwagon fan ever since then. OFC
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Sky and I cut from virtually same cloth!!!! Been w/the boys win or lose (BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL since '65!) Proud of it too, can gladly say in this sea of tarholes in this state have NEVER pulled for UNC! OFC
 
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lyonhawk

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In pro sports (especially the NBA), I think it's okay to be a fan of a player moreso than their team. I've been that way with pro sports all my life. I played second base as a kid and realized when he got traded, that I liked Roberto Alomar a lot more than I did the Blue Jays. I'm also a Notre Dame football fan and Duke basketball fan because those are the teams I was able to watch the most as a kid in the late 80s/early 90s.

I will also say that the bandwagon fans don't experience the same level of euphoria as "true" fans when their team does well. Cubs fans who only came around during their World Series run didn't get anywhere near the same experience that lifelong fans got when they finally won that World Series.
 
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dukiejay

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Mar 2, 2005
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lyonhawk said:
I'm also a Notre Dame football fan....
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My cousin was actually engaged to Chris Zorich in the late 80s. She played volleyball for Notre Dame. Needless to say, most of our family was pretty big Irish football fans back in the day. He was crazy on the football field, but a gentle giant off. Their relationship didn't work out (he was running around) and luckily they never married. Another cousin (the other's younger sister) attended Duke and graduated from there in 1992.
 
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Alaskan_Assassin_21

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Jan 19, 2014
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It is the Milwaukee Bucks. They will eventually return to the gutter. This isn't the Lakers/Celtics where great players progress into the franchises coach and eventually front office.

Just stick around when they decline and revist this topic in 15 years.
 
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VaBlueDevil33

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lyonhawk said:
In pro sports (especially the NBA), I think it's okay to be a fan of a player moreso than their team. I've been that way with pro sports all my life. I played second base as a kid and realized when he got traded, that I liked Roberto Alomar a lot more than I did the Blue Jays. I'm also a Notre Dame football fan and Duke basketball fan because those are the teams I was able to watch the most as a kid in the late 80s/early 90s.

I will also say that the bandwagon fans don't experience the same level of euphoria as "true" fans when their team does well. Cubs fans who only came around during their World Series run didn't get anywhere near the same experience that lifelong fans got when they finally won that World Series.
Click to expand...

That's the way I am with the NBA...I am more of a fan of certain player more than I am a team
 
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nets on nets on nets

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In the modern era, I think it's perfectly acceptable in pro sports to follow an athlete. Heck, in the last 15 years I've been a Cavs, Heat, and Lakers fan. I enjoy rooting for the athletes I like, not the franchise that the billionaire owner runs.

In college sports though, to me you gotta ride and die with 1 team/school. I live in an area where it's very common to be a UK basketball fan, and an Ohio State football fan. Those are the worst.
 
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sheyduke

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I’ve been a duke fan for 26 years now. First game I watched was when Duke lost to UNLV ( father and step mom are both UNLV alumn). Loved Hurley’s grit haven’t stopped watching them since. Actually got sent back to my moms for cussing when we beat UNLV the following year.

Don’t watch much NBA but I am a hornets fan ever since the Mugsy and Johnson days and a course my NFL team is the panthers.
 
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Duke937

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I’m 28 and from Ohio. Been a fan since probably ‘99. That team I remember so well. My uncle, a Carolina fan, and my cousins, Kentucky fans, hated them. Me being a smart *** 8 year old, fell in love with them. Now there is nothing better to me than Duke Basketball. I’m the obnoxious Duke fan everybody hates.

But I love my Buckeye football, dogs name is Urban. Got him in 2015 when Ohio State won the National championship. People asked me why I went with Ohio State for the name of the dog. I said because Krzyzewski was too much. Love my Braves baseball. That’s all I watched on TBS in the 90s. But nothing is bigger than Duke Basketball. Went to the championship game in 2015. The past 2 years I’ve felt like I’ve lost a family member when they’ve lost in the elite 8. Just care probably a little too much lol
 
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Dattier

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If you declare yourself a fan later in life, you have to weather a hazing period of 3 years or 2 seasons worse than the season you became a fan, whichever is less. This can be reduced in quarterly increments if (a) you've just moved to the area of that team, or (b) the team just moved to your city.
 
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Scotty00

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Mar 11, 2008
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I’ve been a Kentucky fan as long as I can remember. I’m 41 now and I can remember watching some of the mid 80’s UK games and cheering for those guys back then. I would say I became a huge fan around 88 when Rex Chapman played at UK and then into the Pitino years my fandom grew. I think what really done it besides the fact that I loved basketball was the fact that I was at my grandparents house to watch every game and they was/are huge UK fans. Pretty special times that go by way to fast. I’m lucky enough to still have my grand dad though. He’s 92 and still going strong! One thing that kills me is when people say “well you didn’t go to such and such school so you’re not a real fan”. I can’t do anything but laugh at those people!
 
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SwatX1

Heisman
Jan 4, 2011
8,336
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Scotty00 said:
I’ve been a Kentucky fan as long as I can remember. I’m 41 now and I can remember watching some of the mid 80’s UK games and cheering for those guys back then. I would say I became a huge fan around 88 when Rex Chapman played at UK and then into the Pitino years my fandom grew. I think what really done it besides the fact that I loved basketball was the fact that I was at my grandparents house to watch every game and they was/are huge UK fans. Pretty special times that go by way to fast. I’m lucky enough to still have my grand dad though. He’s 92 and still going strong! One thing that kills me is when people say “well you didn’t go to such and such school so you’re not a real fan”. I can’t do anything but laugh at those people!
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Yeah, that’s idiotic to say you are a bandwagon fan if you didn’t go to the school.
Pretty cool that you still have your grandfather and going strong at 92! Grandparents and grandkids are special people
 
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skysdad

Heisman
Mar 3, 2006
42,753
22,653
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My understanding of a bandwagon fan is one who moves from team to team because of success . I know a few people like that. One guy I know was a NCSU fan back in the mid 70's then started pulling for the cheaters in the 80's and 90's. I saw him a while back after not seeing him for a while and he is now a Dukie. I ask him why and he just said he became a believer. I guess the the next time I see him he will be yelling Wahoo Wa, wahoo wa. OFC
 
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hart2chesson

Heisman
Oct 13, 2012
14,303
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skysdad said:
My understanding of a bandwagon fan is one who moves from team to team because of success . I know a few people like that. One guy I know was a NCSU fan back in the mid 70's then started pulling for the cheaters in the 80's and 90's. I saw him a while back after not seeing him for a while and he is now a Dukie. I ask him why and he just said he became a believer. I guess the the next time I see him he will be yelling Wahoo Wa, wahoo wa. OFC
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Thats definitely a "bandwagon" fan Sky. I simply CHOSE TO Ride this DUKE TRAIN 54 YEARS AGO, because I went to the basketball school, met Coach Bubas and some of the players and everything else to me was just 2nd rate!

Sure there've been lean times in hoops and on the gridiron, but never could I be "fair weather" and/or get behind another school instead.Now I do get mad at em sometimes, and/or question things because I do love 'em so DANG much. I guess thats why some folks like to point out "fan is just short for fanatic." Guilty as charged then, I am a Duke fanatic-wear it on my sleeve! #Duke4Life

OFC
 
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christophero

Heisman
May 2, 2017
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I am a Bengals fan as well. So unless there's a bandwagon of first round playoff loses and heart wrenching last minute Super Bowl losses then no.
 
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BlackKnightNut

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May 13, 2007
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Born in 89, been a Duke fan for as long as I can remember; I was indoctrinated by my big brother despite my Dad being a NCSU grad... I pull for Duke in everything and am also a Nebraska football fan since the Tom Osborne days. Hopefully they're back on the upswing now...
 
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