 "On Bandwagon & Fair-Weather Fans
"- by Zooey, MJR, Nittany Ram, and JamesJM(12/29 ) |
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Responding
to mjr007's reflections on fandom (see "What the Board Means to Us--Part 5" in this issue of the Zine) Zooey kicks off a
fascinating reflective thread on the nature of fandom: Although I would prefer that the Rams were still in LA playing on real grass, I have no beef whatsoever with St. Louis or the fans in St. Louis. If anything, I feel sorry for you guys for personally missing out on the experience of being a Rams fan in the 60's, 70's, and 80's (the 90's were nothing to write home about). As someone said below, there are new fans born every day. They are all welcome. Now, here is where I think I may go farther than most, but not all, fans on this board. I just don't understand why people wear their "fandom" as such a badge of honor. And this goes two ways that I can think of 1) the way you mentioned - time-span. "I'm better than you because I've been a fan longer." That's ridiculous. There seems to be general consensus to that below. Here's the other way 2) Depth of Loyalty. I hear this all the time. Fans are constantly complaining about "fair-weather" fans, you know, the guys who will attend the games and wear the t-shirts when the team is winning, but are nowhere to be found in the down years. A lot of fans have disdain for those people. I don't. In fact, I think they are great. Why SHOULD they support a team when it is bad? See, sports is Entertainment, not Religion. A person has so much time and so much money to spend. Why waste it on a lousy experience? Would anyone suggest that I have to go see a very bad movie just because it has So-and-so in it and I'm not a real fan if I don't support the bad pictures as well as the good ones? Would someone suggest I need to continue to support a corporation whose products have become inferior? Well, why is sports different? Why would I deserve scorn if I chose to "take my business elsewhere" if I don't like the product? Now, I am neither a new fan nor a "fair-weather" fan. But I don't look down on people who are. Their point of view makes perfect sense to me. What doesn't make sense to me are fans of a team who make moral distinctions between themselves and the "other, less-deserving" fans. That's nonsense. mjr007 replies Zooey, You make great points. The first being, time-span. The second, depth of loyalty. I agree with you than these are two different ways by which to judge someone's fandom. However, given that the term "fandom" is an intangible quality, I think in an oxymoronic sense they actually become distinct subsets of each other. Since the one aspect of depth of loyalty that can be readily measured is the time for which you've supported the team. That's why so many people hang their hat on it. It is the one measurable attribute and one fan's disdain for another frequently is based upon it. I say, too much is placed on it as several of the posters below have pointed out. I was pleased with all of the responses especially the one that said my nephew's friend was a drunk bastard. Did someone hit the nail on the head? Scott even went so far as to test my knowledge and inherently, in this sense, my depth of loyalty by asking if I knew what happened to Georgia's husband. Needless to say, I knew of Carroll's unfortunate fishing ACCIDENT which quieted him down somewhat. But to test me in this fashion gets back to tenure as a fan. Had it not been for the long-time, hard-core fans on this board, I would have responded "not a clue." I went further to explain how Georgia proceeded to run the franchise into the ground (via John Shaw no doubt) to prompt the move to St. Louis in a sweetheart of a deal. Really, I don't know if my nephew was in awe of my "depth" of knowledge of the Rams or if, most likely, he was in a drunken state as well. But he certainly enjoyed my being able to fire right back at his friend Scott with explicit details. That's when I asked my nephew (he does have a name, Weston) if he remembered at the start of the season (I went back to Kansas for Easter) when I told him that the Rams were going to be good. He said yeah and couldn't believe they would be this good. He literally was in awe of their offensive firepower. It inevitably becomes a pissing contest between drunk fans (pun intended). That Scott was spouting off in the bathroom is as apropos as it comes. I needed no further information from him. It was an enjoyable conversation I had with him in that I felt comfortable discussing the Rams largely due to the enhanced "fandom" I've gained through participating on this board and Postnet before that. My fandom increased dramatically once I got internet capabilities and found these respective boards. While I hold no ill-will toward any fan, I get really miffed when someone thinks they're better than me in this regard. Begrudgingly, I have admitted to the lackadaisical support of St. Louis fans at the Dome because this is my turf (St. Louis). I take this personally because the fans of St. Louis are some of the most loyal fans going. I give you baseball (Cardinals), hockey (Blues) and now football (Rams), and I say there are none better. Rams fans just need some more time to figure out the effect the 12th man can have and then we'll be all over it. Trust me on this one. The Dome will rock come playoff time. I guarantee it. ala Howard Balzer, that is my H-bomb. The Dome will be fuggin' rockin. MJR Nittany Ram replies: >> Would someone suggest I need to continue to support a corporation whose products have become inferior? Well, why is sports different? Why would I deserve scorn if I chose to "take my business elsewhere" if I don't like the product?<< I'm not going to address the issue of what makes a fan a "real" fan. I'm not sure there is such a thing. But what I think you're missing with the above analogy is the emotional ties that fans like myself have with a particular team. These ties transcend winning and losing. If I don't like what Ford is making, I'll by a Chevy...that's easy to do, I don't have any emotional bond with either. Or if Tide won't make my whites whiter, I'll gladly give Cheer a shot. But when the Rams are losing, I just can't stop supporting them...the same way I couldn't stop supporting a family member who has fallen on hard times. If the Rams lose, I'll still "buy the product", because the enjoyment of watching them isn't based on them winning, it's only enhanced by it. JamesJM replies You make some very good points mjr007. First let me make this perfectly clear..(Nixon impersonation)......this has NOTHING to do with St. Louis fans vs. LA fans vs. NJ fans are anywhere else. I agree with you, for the most part. But I would have to say that being a "fair-weather fan" does not qualify you as a good fan. Sorry, that's my opinion. It does NOT, however, mean you are a bad person - which is more like what you are saying. To get down to the very basis.....you can not fully appreciate anything in life unless you have seen both sides of any situation. No one is more appreciative of food than those who went through the great depression....I've been around those people all my life and I assure you this is a fact. And for those people it is very disconcerting to see people wallow in feast without appreciating the hard work and perseverance it took to proved that food they are so ravenously stuffing down their throats. It doesn't matter that they are enjoying the food, but they should be appreciative of how it came to be on the table. Bad analogy, I know...but maybe you can see what I'm getting at. IMO..."time" served isn't really a factor to being a good fan. The St. L people on this board are fantastic...they are fans as good as anyone, including ALL of us who have been around for 20, 30, 40 years. But if the Rams fell to 4-12 next year, and they, or anyone else jumped ship...then that is a fan that I wouldn't care to share my joy of watching the Rams with. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like them, certainly doesn't mean I would hate them, but they no longer would "belong" as far as I'm concerned. That's just me. You may be different, and that's perfectly ok with me. What it comes down to I guess is the "quality" of fans....They are all equal in your eyes, I'm more discerning, and perhaps "old line". That probably makes you a better person than I. <smile> - JamesJM |
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