Fair Weather Fans

What can be said about sports fans? They are a very dedicated group, which suffer highs and lows with the teams they love to follow faithfully. Spending billions each year on sports related entertainment, fans feel they are part of the team and demand a lot from their investment. From merchandise to concessions fans pour out money to over-priced pieces of their team.

Fan loyalty is so important to the sports industry that some teams go as far to employ "Customer Relationship Management" techniques to collect information about their fans. They gather information on demographics and psychographics of fans which some have started using devices like loyalty cards, that are swiped through card readers at kiosks around arenas and stadiums. This way, the organization gathers much needed data on their fans while the fans collect reward points, which are redeemable against tickets, merchandise, and concessions. What a great marketing strategy.

I've been a Chicago Cubs fan and a Carolina Panthers fan all my life. Neither has produced a championship for me but that’s OK, I still enjoy watching them and will never turn on either team. One thing I cannot stomach is a fan that turns on their beloved team when times are hard. These fans are known as "fair weather fans" or "band wagoning". These fans only show support when their team is doing well. Even during hard times they skip to other teams that are doing well. These fans have no real loyalty to their "supposed" team. They vanish off the radar when their team struggles at the first sign of trouble. These troubled fans only watch games that peak their interest or when it's championship time like The Super Bowl, The World Series, or Playoffs in general.

Earlier this year after the New England Patriots QB, Tom Brady, went down with a season ending injury fans started stirring in their seats getting ready to jump. They knew they wouldn't have the same level of success with a quarterback who hasn't started a football game since high school, Matt Cassel. While the Patriots were struggling these fans got up and walked out in the third quarter. I’m not a Patriots fan by any means but that disgusts me.

I've even seen fan loyalty dwindle right here in Bishop country. The football crowds were bigger last year when they were setting records and crushing the USA South conference. I look around now and see parents still cheering on their offspring but the handful of students who come are sitting there talking, giggling, and carrying on with no regard for the game. This is ridiculous and absurd. Show up because you want to show support for "your" team and don't flip flop when times are bad, this isn’t politics.

True fan loyalty should continue even when your team that you support performs poorly year after year. Let's take the Chicago Cubs for example, which has tremendous fan loyalty. These fans spend their hard earned dollar to support their team even though they haven't won a World Series in 100 years. This was "their" team and they deserved the best.

This loyalty was tested at the end of their playoff run this season. It seems 100 years may be too much for fans to stomach and some swear to never follow the Cubbies again. One fan even went as far to sell his "loyalty" on eBay (Item number: 140273969564). The seller, jerryb6hmm goes, as far to say, “I can’t watch the bleeding anymore, I’m a 30 year season ticket holder and after this year I sold them!! You are bidding for my loyalty to the team of your choosing." Sounds like a great deal right? The winning bidder will actually receive an official signed document from the seller swearing off his Cubs loyalty and stating that he will be a fan of whatever team you choose. Oh wait there's more! He'll even throw in an autographed picture with the seller wearing the hat of your selected team with a "huge" smile on his face if you bid more than $30. Well now, what do you say to that?

I say it's repulsive! Just like I mentioned before, either be a fan or don't. Why waste your time to invest your heart and soul, part time. Being a fan should be a full time commitment. You shouldn’t loose sleep if things are going wrong either; it’s just a game for some but an occupation for others. These athletes use our excitement to fuel their performance. It pains them when they look up and notice empty seats when games are going bad. As fans we owe it to our teams to support them no matter what.