Without Bandwagon Fans, What Would We Have?

Bandwagon Fans Aren't Bad for a Fanbase

With the Pirates recent success, they have finally joined the other 2 Pittsburgh sports teams as front runners with people who are ready and eager to "jump on the bandwagon".  You can guarantee that I get frustrated as anyone when fans who never followed a team before all of a sudden become the "biggest fan" in the world.  Its annoying, but I will say this...without these fans, what would we have as a fan base? 

When the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Sidney Crosby, don't you think there were fans that lived in Canada (or in the United States) and followed Sid's career that said, "I am now a Pittsburgh Penguins fan."  Some would be frustrated that the team would gain followers after signing Sid or Evgeni Malkin, but in my opinion...come on and jump on the wagon...there is plenty of room.  Should I be upset as a Pens fan that enjoyed the pleasure of the early 90s, but had to suffer through the late 90's and early 2000s?  I have no right to say that just because I've lived longer and followed a team longer that a newcomer can't join the army and become a fan.

Even as many "bandwagon" fans have joined the Penguins fan base, there may be no other team in all of sports that has garnered more "bandwagon fans" than the Pittsburgh Steelers.  It all started in the '70s when the Steelers won 4 Super Bowl titles in a 10 year period.  From there, the "SteelerNation" grew and grew and spawned children under the black and gold.  Those children moved around spreading their roots across the nation and now overseas and across boarders.  A new generation of "bandwagon" Steeler fans came out of the woodwork when the team won 2 Super Bowl titles in 4 years and became the most successful team in NFL history with 6 Super Bowl rings. 

The Steelers are a perfect example as to why "bandwagon" fans aren't necessarily a bad thing.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  A lot of people reading this article are like me...the black and gold was a part of their DNA from the moment they wore born.  They were put in Steeler jerseys (or cheerleading uniforms) as toddlers, they dressed up as their favorite Pittsburgh superstar for Halloween, and when they grow and have their own children...the cycle continues.  However, not all fans were born with the black and gold running through their veins.  There are plenty of fans that will tell you that they didn't start liking the Steelers, Penguins, or Pirates until a particular moment in history.  I've heard "My Dad started liking the Steelers in the 70s when they won all those Super Bowls and from there...we were all hooked."  I've heard "Mario Lemieux was the main reason why I started liking the Penguins." I've heard "Roberto Clemente...when he began to really play well was when I started becoming a big Pirate fan."  All of those people that started liking a Pittsburgh sports team (or any team for that matter) after a certain amount of success would have been considered "bandwagon jumpers" back in their day.

Here is my point.  In my opinion, if success breeds people to instantly want to follow that particular team...I have NO PROBLEM with that.  However, I do have a certain criteria I wish all fans would follow before claiming they are part of that fan base.

Follow these steps and you are on your way:
#1 - Become Educated - Don't be that person who only knows who Sidney Crosby, Ben Roethlisberger, and Andrew McCutchen are...KNOW YOUR TEAM
#2 - Follow your team - Not just during the season BUT in the offseason too
#3 - Look the Part - Some people go overboard with this, but be sure to show up to PNC Park, Consol Energy Center, or Heinz Field with the gear that's appropriate for the club you are there to cheer for.
...and the most important rule of all:
#4 - STICK WITH YOUR TEAM THROUGH THICK AND THIN - You may have jumped aboard later than others, but be loyal.  If you started liking the Steelers after their Super Bowl 43 victory, you can't abandon them when they lost Super Bowl 45, and when they finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs last year.  No, fans stick with their teams no matter what...the good and the bad (just ask a true Pirates fan...they will tell you what that's like).

So, as a loyal die hard fan, before you get angered and frustrated with new fans that you might deem as "jumping on the bandwagon"...take a deep breath and realize that one way or another we all probably started as one of those fans.  It might have been our parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, or friends, but a lot of us were in that situation at some point in our fanhood history.  Accept the new fans, but only if they are FANS, and not just there for a quick ride.