A bandwagon in sports is one of the most annoying things a fan can be. It shows that people don’t actually sit and watch the games, but rather just look at the win-loss column. Growing up around Nebraska and Iowa, Nebraska, Iowa and Iowa State were the teams represented for the most part with a slew of pro teams thrown in. Nowadays, I can’t go anywhere without seeing a plethora of different teams being represented. It makes me wonder why this is happening.

I understand that someone isn’t limited to just the local teams in their surrounding area, but they would have to be able to give people general information of who you root for. The biggest problem I have is when people can’t name three players on their team or who the coach is. Those are basic things everybody should know about their favorite team. Videos made by the sports publication, Total Pro Sports, shows them conducting interviews on unsuspecting fans wearing team gear and asking them pretty general questions. Some of the questions they asked were fairly difficult for someone who doesn’t religiously follow the team, but when they asked the interviewees to name 10 players on the team they claim to be fans of, only about one or two of them can actually do it. This shows that some people don’t pay attention at all. 

Another problem with people bandwagoning teams is that they don’t admit it and typically get defensive when you call them out on it. I’m personally a sports fanatic and like to think that I know more about some facts  than the average sports fan. I think everybody should know their limits when talking about sports or anything for that matter. If someone is going to talk about something they should at least have a basic understanding of what they are trying to say. This is a huge problem with these fans, they sometimes continuously try to make wild statements and fall flat on their face in the process. 

The most infuriating thing about bandwagoning is that it hurts the people that are actually true fans of a team. For example, when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, that erased a 108 year drought. I’ve been a Cubs fan since before I could remember and after the World Series was over I was beyond happy to finally be able to see my team hoist the title. I could not believe how many times I was called a bandwagon or other names. This made me very angry as I have watched this team through years of heartbreak but I remained fan through it all, I would still get constant questioning of my fandom, which I never had a problem with, but it was an awful feeling nevertheless. 

Now, I don’t believe that you can label everyone a bandwagon just by looking at them but I can’t deny the fact that it happens and that there has been a spike in fans for certain teams and schools as well. Every person has the right to cheer on any team they want, but I feel that a person must know something about their team and be able to stick with them for life. I feel that teaching kids at a young age to pick a team and stick with it shows loyalty, which is a major life skill to have. Bandwagoning will continue to happen and there will be nothing to stop it, but it is one of the biggest problems that sports fans face today.