What is necessary to claim to be a fan of a particular program?

[nddulac]

From another thread:

I'm just making fun of you for thinking going to a game somehow justifies you being a fan.

Okay. I'm not trying to point fingers at anyone. Just trying to get a sense of the Hoop, if you will. Also, it should be noted that I fully recognize the economic reality that NO FBS program could survive without the economic contributions (through attending games, buying shirts and caps, direct donations, etc.) offered by people who are not alumni.

So - what is the bare minimum threshold one needs in order to fairly clam fanship of a team?

 

[4down20]

Do you want to be a fan of the team is all that's needed.

Worrying about how or why someone else is a fan is one of the dumbest things someone can do and is a sure sign that someone is pretty mad.

I'll be damned if I ever ask anyone for permission to be a fan of anything.

Anyone who has a problem with it can:

 

[4down20]

But hey, according to some people...

I can't be a Cubs fan because I've never been to one of their games. I've been a fan of theirs my entire life, but I can't be a fan.

I can however be a fan of the Giants, A's, Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and other teams I can't recall because I have been to their games many times. I guess that I've never been a fan of them doesn't matter, because going to a game is the most important thing ever.

I can't be a Bears fan because I've never been to one of their games. But I can be a 49'rs, Raiders fan and all the teams I've seen them play apparently, even though I've been a Bears fan for more than 30 years doesn't compare to going to a game.

I can't be a Bulls fan because I've never been to a Bulls game. But I can be a Golden State Warrior fan since I've been to one of their games(I don't even remember who they played because I don't care for NBA and haven't watched since Jordan).

Luckily I can be a San Jose Sharks fan because I've been to many of their games. So I got that going for me. Although to be honest, I'm one of those people who enjoy Hockey live more than on TV, so I really don't watch them much now that I don't live in the Bay area anymore.

And of course, the one that has these people so upset - I can't be an Alabama fan because I've never been to a game. Nevermind that I grew up on Alabama football and some of my earliest memories in life are based on Alabama football. That in my family, Saturdays and events are planned as to not interfere with games and so forth, that I have family that go there, etc.

It's just a bunch of upset people who look for anything they can find to express their anger without admitting it.

On the flip side, if the fans of said team would like to disown someone and not be included with them as a fan, that's understandable. People are fans of teams, not fans of other fans.

 

[Boise4Life]

People can choose to be fans of whoever they want but to me there's only two criteria with the first being much more important than the second. I was born and raised there or at least I've lived there a long time. Secondly, I attended school there. Anything outside of that doesn't make any sense whatsoever to me at all but to each their own.

 

[Innermind]

For me, I think there needs to be some type of real association/affiliation/tie with the school and/or the town in which it's located in order to be considered a 'real' fan with a true emotional and tangible investment/connection.

Examples: You don't need to have personally attended the school or worked at/or near the school... but... one should at least have a family member or very close friend who happens to have attended the school or worked there (even as a janitor or dishwasher or pizza deliverer near campus).
Or.... you happen to live near to the campus in the very same town, or a nearby town/suburb.
So...... essentially.... you have some type of tangible tie/connection to the school and/or its town.


But.... if you happen to live a few hours (or more) away from campus, and neither you nor family member nor close friends have absolutely no ties/affiliations/associations with the school or its campus area, then at that point you are just a band-wagon fan/wannabee fan..... you have no real/tangible connections with the school other than buying tickets & t-shirts & stuff..... you can 'declare' yourself a fan..... but you will never truly be a real part of the school.... you are an outsider trying to be an insider.
Here in the state of Michigan, specifically regarding many Michigan Wolverines fans, we refer to such folks without any real/tangible connections to the school or the Ann Arbor area as 'Walmart Wolverines' or 'Walverines'. They tend to be very arrogant and condescending to other teams fans, despite the fact that they have no connections to the school. Their only connection to the school is by going to Walmart and purchasing Wolverines gear and perhaps going to some games.


Before any of you blow-up..... remember this is just one man's silly opinion. Don't take it personal, sweethearts. And this opinion applies to schools only.... not professional sports/teams.

 

[broncosmitty]

The WalMart Wolverine thing is maybe the gayest term ever. Especially since it's typicly morons that couldn't get into Community College who say it.

I'm a Bronco fan cuz I like the colors btw. Has nothing to do with them having the best record ever in Bowls played outside of the United States. (Tied)

 

[outofyourmind]

Get @Used 2 B Hu in here and he'll give you the definition.

 

[obxyankeefan]

For me, I think there needs to be some type of real association/affiliation/tie with the school and/or the town in which it's located in order to be considered a 'real' fan with a true emotional and tangible investment/connection.

Examples: You don't need to have personally attended the school or worked at/or near the school... but... one should at least have a family member or very close friend who happens to have attended the school or worked there (even as a janitor or dishwasher or pizza deliverer near campus).
Or.... you happen to live near to the campus in the very same town, or a nearby town/suburb.
So...... essentially.... you have some type of tangible tie/connection to the school and/or its town.


But.... if you happen to live a few hours (or more) away from campus, and neither you nor family member nor close friends have absolutely no ties/affiliations/associations with the school or its campus area, then at that point you are just a band-wagon fan/wannabee fan..... you have no real/tangible connections with the school other than buying tickets & t-shirts & stuff..... you can 'declare' yourself a fan..... but you will never truly be a real part of the school.... you are an outsider trying to be an insider.
Here in the state of Michigan, specifically regarding many Michigan Wolverines fans, we refer to such folks without any real/tangible connections to the school or the Ann Arbor area as 'Walmart Wolverines' or 'Walverines'. They tend to be very arrogant and condescending to other teams fans, despite the fact that they have no connections to the school. Their only connection to the school is by going to Walmart and purchasing Wolverines gear and perhaps going to some games.


Before any of you blow-up..... remember this is just one man's silly opinion. Don't take it personal, sweethearts. And this opinion applies to schools only.... not professional sports/teams.

Oh the irony

 

[obxyankeefan]

To me the only real thing you have to have to be a fan of a team is to continue to root for that team, even when they are losing.


The two rules that @Boise4Life and @Innermind use of either having someone go to the school or live in the area are just reasons to make yourself feel better then other fans of the same team. If these rules were actually applied to the country, then people outside of the 128 cities that have a D1 school would not be allowed to root for College Football. So lets take the biggest city in America and tell 7+ millions people there that they are no longer allowed to watch or root for College Football. Lets take the state of Montana and it's population and tell them that they are no longer allowed to root for College Football along with all the other states that do not have a D1 school within their bounderies.


In my case I root for UVA and have rooted for them since I saw them playing basketball on TV with a Freshman named Ralph Sampson. But nobody in my family attended the school. My father went to ODU who did not have a football team at any level until about 10 years ago. My sister went to a small school in the central part of Virginia that I do not think has a foot team at any level. I got a factory job right before getting out of HS and took a couple of courses at a Community College. The closest D1 school to Virginia Beach when I was growing up was ECU which was a two hour drive and out of state. My parents started going to Va Tech games after I had left the house and about 15 years after I had started rooting for UVA. I was not going to change my rooting interest just because my parents started attending games at a different school. Yes UVA was a 2 1/2 hour drive to attend a game, but it was in state and a school that I have rooted for since I was 8 years old. So if you want to call me a bandwagon fan to make yourself feel better, go ahead.


I will admit and call myself a bandwagon fan on Ohio State. I root for them when they are not playing UVA, only because the kid up the street's parents met while attending Ohio State and his father would watch the games on Saturday or have a tape in of an old game whenever they were not on live.

 

[Goldbug]

The deciding factor for me is if someone does or doesn't really hate losing to their "favorite" team's biggest rival. My favorite team is Oklahoma and it's for sure I can check off that box when it comes to Texas. But I also really like Alabama and Nebraska and pull for them but I don't actually hate their rivals. So, there are degrees of a team being your "favorite".

 

[B_dub]

I grew up in Oklahoma and in a OU family. It was either your a OU fan, or you got tossed in the Red River by age 5.














..........kinda..........

 

[nddulac]

I'm a Bronco fan cuz I like the colors btw.

That should have been one of the choices. I failed.

 

[broncosmitty]

That should have been one of the choices. I failed.

We can have another poll:

Why did you chose to go to a certain school?

 

[socaljim242]

But hey, according to some people...

I can't be a Cubs fan because I've never been to one of their games. I've been a fan of theirs my entire life, but I can't be a fan.

I can however be a fan of the Giants, A's, Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and other teams I can't recall because I have been to their games many times. I guess that I've never been a fan of them doesn't matter, because going to a game is the most important thing ever.

I can't be a Bears fan because I've never been to one of their games. But I can be a 49'rs, Raiders fan and all the teams I've seen them play apparently, even though I've been a Bears fan for more than 30 years doesn't compare to going to a game.

I can't be a Bulls fan because I've never been to a Bulls game. But I can be a Golden State Warrior fan since I've been to one of their games(I don't even remember who they played because I don't care for NBA and haven't watched since Jordan).

Luckily I can be a San Jose Sharks fan because I've been to many of their games. So I got that going for me. Although to be honest, I'm one of those people who enjoy Hockey live more than on TV, so I really don't watch them much now that I don't live in the Bay area anymore.

And of course, the one that has these people so upset - I can't be an Alabama fan because I've never been to a game. Nevermind that I grew up on Alabama football and some of my earliest memories in life are based on Alabama football. That in my family, Saturdays and events are planned as to not interfere with games and so forth, that I have family that go there, etc.

It's just a bunch of upset people who look for anything they can find to express their anger without admitting it.

On the flip side, if the fans of said team would like to disown someone and not be included with them as a fan, that's understandable. People are fans of teams, not fans of other fans.

You seriously need to learn the difference between being a fan of a Pro Team and a college with a football team.

 

[socaljim242]

Can find the school on a map . That should eliminate some here

 

[bamabear82]

I grew up in Oklahoma and in a OU family. It was either your a OU fan, or you got tossed in the Red River by age 5.














..........kinda..........

Similar to me. I've had several family members that went to UA but it was pretty much the way we were raised. Hell, my cousin went to awwbun because he wanted to get into wireless engineering but is as big/knowledgeable of a Bama fan as you'll ever meet. Somehow my older brother ended up a barner tho, pretty sure it stems from some sort of latent homosexuality or something. I do, however, have a picture of him when he was a kid in a Bama shirt that he absolutely loves lol.

I've never been one to worry about why someone is a fan of a particular team. You don't have to have a particular affiliation to be passionate and knowledgeable about said team. It tells me way more about the person trying tell someone else why the can or can't be fan of a team than it does the person being questioned about said fandom. Those are the types of people who's opinion is way more important to themselves than anybody else and aren't really even worth entertaining in any sort of serious manner.

 

[H2S]

do so appreciate any poll offering potato salad, DEPT...

I wholesaled hunnerts o tousants of little plastic FAN FLAGS for fitty cent each to folks what went on and sold em to FANS for a dollar...
my unabashedly capitalistic slogan went: ANYBODY CAN BE A FAN FOR A BUCK

 

[nddulac]

We can have another poll: Why did you chose to go to a certain school?

Depending on how you define "go", I might need about 18 entries.

 

[socaljim242]

Similar to me. I've had several family members that went to UA but it was pretty much the way we were raised. Hell, my cousin went to awwbun because he wanted to get into wireless engineering but is as big/knowledgeable of a Bama fan as you'll ever meet. Somehow my older brother ended up a barner tho, pretty sure it stems from some sort of latent homosexuality or something. I do, however, have a picture of him when he was a kid in a Bama shirt that he absolutely loves lol.

I've never been one to worry about why someone is a fan of a particular team. You don't have to have a particular affiliation to be passionate and knowledgeable about said team. It tells me way more about the person trying tell someone else why the can or can't be fan of a team than it does the person being questioned about said fandom. Those are the types of people who's opinion is way more important to themselves than anybody else and aren't really even worth entertaining in any sort of serious manner.

No one has said (that I know of) that a person can't be a fan. It's the lack of understanding from some that you're claiming to be a fan of a team of a college. Not giving a shit what is done by the student athlete or the coaches as long as they win is what some or most have an issue with. The fact that you have no connection to the school is a reason they probably don't give a shit. If you , your dad or your kid has a degree from there you actually care what peoples perception of the school is. I also have a connection to the Marine Corps. When i hear a story of a Marine doing some stupid shit , it upsets me. Get that?

 

[obxyankeefan]

I just liked a post from an Alabama fan