21 replies to this topic

[pbhockey4]

How can you tell the difference between a real hockey fan vs a fake fan?

[Chadd]

Does it really matter? It's not like someone has to reach stalker levels of interaction with a team to enjoy the game. In any case, people who say "we" when talking about a pro sports team, and don't appear on the roster, deserve a cockpunch.

[Apes44]

Have you ever tried to talk hockey with a fake fan? You may as well talk to a brick wall...there are a ton of bandwagon/fake fans in Pittsburgh. The ones that think Sid is the end all be all of hockey and fluery is the greatest goalie ever! Ask them if hes better than Roy and they say "who". I know every city has these fans but it is really annoying when discussing hockey. Dont get me wrong i am a huge pens fan but also an Ovi fan and respect a lot of other teams and talents.

[doodman]

Whenever I run into a 'fake' fan, esp. bandwagoners I simply ask them to name players from the team BEFORE they were good.

i.e. name players from the Pens before Crosby was drafted. Usually they can only name players on the roster that won.

I see this all the time esp. in football. I teach H.S. in socal and the amount of rabid SC fans when Pete Carroll showed up would blow your mind, but none of them could tell you the coach before Carroll or the QB before Leinart etc. Now that SC is not so dominant anymore all the sweatshirts are back in the closet and no one knows who the coach is.

[Munsons]

If someone enjoys the game who cares if they know the history of it. All 'real' fans have to start somewhere.

[Wallzy41]

Living in an area that contains about 70/30 Pittsburgh/Philadelphia split, the thing that irritates me most is the Pittsburgh bandwagoners. I have 3 friends who I've asked the these questions to and they're all like Who's Roy? Do you think Bylsma's a better coach than Scotty Bowman? Who? Do you think Letang is a better defenseman than Paul Coffey? And again, I get the who? routine. Learn a little history about your classic cup-winning teams, how 'bout it?

[number21]

Whenever I run into a 'fake' fan, esp. bandwagoners I simply ask them to name players from the team BEFORE they were good.

I have gotten grilled by people like this before at bars wearing my Tigers cap when I lived in Chicago. Even accused of not being a real fan. As if I need to qualify my sports allegiance to some random drunk. I am a fan of many sports, but I don't have encyclopedic knowledge of any of the teams I like. Knowing all the names, stats and plays really means very little to me.

Knowing all that seems to come natural to a lot of people interested in sports. Just not with me. But challenging someone who doesn't know as much about sports as you though? Well that's pretty lame. If they're enjoying a sport what difference does it make if they know every stat or player or history? You have a passion for it, good for you. They probably have passions in their life you don't know much about.

[TeamHonda401]

In my area there's a lot of Blackhawks fans that would fall into the fake category, but I'd rather have 100 fake fans than no fans at all. So be it if all they can talk about is the team that won the cup, it's still a hockey conversation that wouldn't have taken place if they didn't decide to jump on board when their local team won.

[sitzlejd]

I'm the same way as Number21. I'm not rabid about any of the teams I like and certainly couldn't tell you as many stats as a lot of people, I'm sure.

Honestly, the adult "super fans" are pretty sad in my opinion. Being that obsessed with a bunch of dudes your own age is a little weird. I'm especially annoyed by the ones who let the outcome of a game dramatically affect their mood. There are times when Ohio State loses and for some of my friends the whole Saturday is ruined! I just can't get that invested in a game I'm not even participating in.

[Zombies #77]

People think it's weird that I play the game, but I don't follow pro hockey. I watch a few games every year, but I would much rather play the game. I consider myself a casual fan of pro hockey and a hardcore fan of playing hockey.

[skeeter14]

*Full Disclosure, I've been a Penguins fans for over 20 years* IMO I don't care about bandwagon fans. They have a passion for the same team that I do, that easily rivals it and maybe in even some rare cases surpasses it. Some of my friends who are hockey fans can discuss history with me for hours, and some are more casual and that's fine too in my book.

We all love the same thing, I don't need to get into a measuring contest with someone to prove something. I choose to have a vast knowledge of hockey and everything with it. But others don't. I like music but because I can't read sheet music to save my life, does that make me a "fake music fan"?

[dsjunior1388]

Whenever I run into a 'fake' fan, esp. bandwagoners I simply ask them to name players from the team BEFORE they were good.

i.e. name players from the Pens before Crosby was drafted. Usually they can only name players on the roster that won.

I see this all the time esp. in football. I teach H.S. in socal and the amount of rabid SC fans when Pete Carroll showed up would blow your mind, but none of them could tell you the coach before Carroll or the QB before Leinart etc. Now that SC is not so dominant anymore all the sweatshirts are back in the closet and no one knows who the coach is.

If you know Leinart but not Carson Palmer you should be barred from watching football ever again.

I really don't mind if a person doesn't know Alex Delvecchio (Red Wings) Willie Horton (Tigers) or Bobby Layne (Lions) if they want to show up and have a good time, thats cool. But sometimes you need to get a handle on the customs of the fanbase. Little things, like not mentioning no-hitters and perfect games in progress, not heckling unless you're clever (I once sat through 7 innings of 4 douchebags "heckling" Kevin Millwood by calling him driftwood, plywood, and deadwood) and most importantly, not showing up halfway through the first period/inning/quarter and then leaving early. If you wouldn't be late or leave early to a movie, why should a game be any different?

Edited by dsjunior1388, 06 October 2011 - 10:50 AM.

[Stoop]

Diehard fans or casual fans, either way I think its great. When teams win, they pull in new casual fans, that's how it works, and that's how it should work. And I have no problem with the "we" - the team is the whole community.

The only problem I have is the casual fan who tries to present himself as a long-suffering diehard. Casual is fine; fake can sure be annoying.

[Joshison]

If someone enjoys the game who cares if they know the history of it. All 'real' fans have to start somewhere.

I agree, people should mind their own business and worry about themselves rather than whether someone is 'fake fan' or not. I personally am not going to lose any sleep over the countless band wagoners that Boston has recently adopted.

[chippa13]

Funny, so much hate for "bandwagoners" and yet most of the time those are the folks that have saved franchises for cities. Where would the Pens be today if it wasn't for all the Sidney worship, or the Mario worship way back when? Bandwagoners most likely kept the Pens south of the border.

[Apes44]

Funny, so much hate for "bandwagoners" and yet most of the time those are the folks that have saved franchises for cities. Where would the Pens be today if it wasn't for all the Sidney worship, or the Mario worship way back when? Bandwagoners most likely kept the Pens south of the border.

or from Kansas City...

Its not so much the bandwagoner its the person who will sit there and tell you that the player on their team is the second coming of Gretzky and your team and players al "suck". And if Gretzky ever came back to a team that wasnt theirs, the 4th line wing would be better than him. I hate the Flyers and Wings but Zetterberg sure is a great player.

[chippa13]

As long as their buying the ticket and supporting the game, get over it. There are blind supporters of teams in all sports, at least their supporting their local NHL team.

[RadioGaGa]

What if the so called "fake" fan who doesn't know the team history is just a new fan? 20 years from now...they are asking a kid sittting in front of them to name the guy that roomed with Crosby on 24/7 in 2010....if he doess't remember (or know) that it was Dupuis, is he the "fake"?

[doodman]

OK let me try this again since alot of you disagree with what I said:

A real fan sticks with their team win or lose AND develops a history for that team thru the good seasons and the bad. They don't just like a team because they won the cup last year, or abandon their team after a bad season.

If you're young or new to being a hockey fan that's fine, I don't expect that person to have much historical knowledge.

Bandwagoners are problematic when they act and talk like they've been fans forever, but can't pass the team history test

[SouthpawTRK]

Does it really matter? It's not like someone has to reach stalker levels of interaction with a team to enjoy the game. In any case, people who say "we" when talking about a pro sports team, and don't appear on the roster, deserve a cockpunch.

+1.

[goaliemanshark]

I totally thought the topic said real vs. fake tan. Tan. Not fan.

I was gonna roll in here and be like, really?

But fake fans suck, but they are the backbone of all sports. So I just try to educate.

[Jason Harris]

Who cares??? How does someone real or fake affect your enjoyment of the game for 99% of your viewing? The only thing I could see tiring with a fake fan is if they began ranting about the team, but didn't have enough knowledge: "There's not enough scoring on the team. My buddy says they should trade Carcillo for Crosby, and I agree with him!"

Other than that, when do you interact with fake fans? They fakely sit in the seats at the same game as you, and fakely cheer for any goals at the same time as you.