what kind of fan are you?
It’s June 30th and the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place, starting a three game series tonight against the second place Boston Red Sox, after which they could be anywhere from 3 1/2 games up to 2 1/2 games behind.
The biggest milestones in Rays history are March 9th, 1995 (the day the franchise 
was awarded) March 31st, 1998 (the first game) and August 7th, 1999 (the night Wade Boggs homered for his 3000th hit), but depending on the outcome, and what happens the rest of the season, the next three days could be somewhere among those momentous occasions.
With so much at stake, now is as good a time as any to assess what your level of support for the beloved home team is:
1) The Die Hard – Goes to games no matter how well or how poorly the team is doing. Knows the team’s winning percentage and batting orders against righthanders and lefties. Owns several jerseys.
2) The Fan – Goes to games frequently, or watches them on tv. Knows what place the team is in. Can name most of the starting line-up. Owns a cap.
3) The Bandwagon Jumper – Is aware of the team’s general level of performance. Goes to games when the team is doing well. Might buy a t-shirt. Often confused with The Frontrunner (see below) but is generally harmless and should actually be welcomed, as in most cases, there just aren’t enough of #1 and #2 to support any professional sports franchise (with the possible exception of some European soccer teams).
4) The Frontrunner – Roots only for teams that are in first place and switches allegiance frequently and easily. Wears several different teams t-shirts at the same time so they can change as the prevailing winds blow. This is the lowest form of parasite in sports (slightly above agents) and should be shunned and avoided at all costs. Where the Bandwagon Jumper says things like “I haven’t been to a game all year but they’re doing pretty well. I think I’ll get tickets this weekend”, the Frontrunner says things like “I haven’t been to a game all year but I’m blowing off work tomorrow to attend the victory parade”. If this is you, we don’t need you.
(Cross posted at Ridiculously inconsistent trickle of consciousness)
No tag for this post.
Loading ...
June 30th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Well, sadly, I would have to say it’s #3 “The Bandwagon Jumper”
Not because I do not like Tampa bay teams. because I do not really get into baseball at all.
I was never into hockey, either, but during the run for Lord Stanley’s Cup, I jumped aboard the fan wagon.
But I have always been a Bucs fan. Even in the Creamcicle Bucco Bruce Big Sombrero days. Maybe because I love football.
I am keeping in touch with what the Rays are doing. I think it is phenomenal considering how little the management spends on the players’ salary compared to the Yankees or the Red Sox.
Maybe it is time for a little parity in the MLB, hmmmmmm? Salary cap?
Or maybe get the Rays the hell out of the AL East. Move to a division where the competition is not as fierce.
:: shrugs ::
June 30th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Nothing wrong with being a bandwagonner. Like he said, you can’t expect to pack the place without them. Look at the USF v. WVU football game last year. Considering what the crowds were like before that game, there had to be a whole bunch of bandwagon fans there and the atmosphere rocked!!
For further illustration, Diehards own one of every giveaway item the team has ever issued, Fans will proudly display a bobblehead on their desk at work, Bandwagon Jumpers will buy one on eBay and Frontrunners are the ones selling them.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I don’t know where I sit… Maybe I am the rude-know-it-all? I was following the team early on but the team was not being built to compete — it was being “built” to live on teh expansion team aura. Then the 1999-2000 “Hit Show” off season happened and I was telling people it was goign to be a disaster, all while the local beat writers (Hello Gary Shelton!) were saying “If you don’t like these moves, you don’t like baseball.”
And what happened/ i was proven right.
I figured the team would turn around, I didn’t figure it’d be this fast (slowish, actually) under Maddon. I told people that they needed a veteran leader on the roster and who does BJ Upton and others cite as a huge difference maker in the clubhouse? Cliff Floyd — the veteran FA who was signed by the Rays this off season.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
How bout #2.5? Four or five games a year at the Trop. Another 50 or so on TV…