Bandwagon Fans

[theneguy95]

I'm a true Nebraska Cornhusker fan; I bleed red and I've sure done a lot of that bleeding or the past four seasons. It's been very difficult to stay true for some, but a "true fan" never quits on his team. Like many other Husker fans I live my life talking about, thinking about, and dreaming about the Huskers. There are, however, some things I've come to realize in these tough times. Nebraska fans have always been regarded as the most knowledgeable, respectful, and loyal fans, but you find out who the true fans really are during the hard times. I went to a few games in 2007 where I heard booing from the fans. I couldn't believe my ears. The greatest fans in the country suddenly were no different than any other fans. The crowd seemed split between what I now consider "true fans" and what I consider "bandwagon fans." As soon as the road got a little bumpy half the crowd was jumping off the wagon. At work, I hear jokes about the Huskers daily and these jokes are coming from the same people that claimed to be Husker fans. These things all bother me tremendously, but the worst thing I've seen is the "Husker fans" who are putting on Trojan, Longhorn, or Tiger hats. I believe these are known as "fair weather fans" and it makes me sick. These are the people that, when Nebraska is winning regularly again, will go grab the Husker hats, t-shirts, and sweatshirts again claiming to have stuck with them in thick and thin. I have no problem with fans who are Trojan, Longhorn, Tiger fans, or any other team, but I have a problem with claiming to be something you're not ONLY because the team you've supported for half a century is struggling.

Furthermore, I believe you can learn everything about a man who claims to be a fan, but only runs with the teams that are winning. In my opinion, the people I have described are not trustworthy, are disloyal, and worst of all are superficial. They are a poor choice for employees, which there work ethic proves, a poor choice for friends, which they're disloyalty and dishonesty proves, they are a poor choice for leaders, and I could on and on. I will not associate with these people. If you're reading this, take a week and listen to one of these "bandwagon fans" then watch because I guarantee this point will be proven a fact. I really hope that the country may see the true Husker fans though. The ones who are knowledgeable, loyal, and true because there are so many of us out there. I hope a few "bandwagon fans" don't decide everyone's opinion of all Husker fans because they aren't "true fans" of the Huskers anyway.

I will continue to support my team in the good and bad times. I will not boo or have disrespect for the Huskers or any of their opponents. I will continue to cheer my team, as well as the other team, off the field at the end of each game...Win or lose! Being a fan is not a spectator sport! Go Big Red!

By the way, take it easy on me guys; it's only my 2nd post. The offseason has gotten to me like everyone else it seems. The season can't start soon enough!

Haha and no I'm not opinionated! Why would you say that? <_<

 

[Touchdown Tommie]

Great post....nothing gets to me more than a person who goes out and buys a hat or t-shirt for the team that just won a championship, when the week before they were claiming to be a fan of a different team.

Interesting thought process on how bandwagon fans follow the same thought process in real life.

 

[huskerguy]

I wouldn't consider season ticket holders for years booing at a terrible team jumping off the bandwagon

 

[bethelbacker]

I too hate people that abandon their team or jump to a new one whenever it wins a championship, but at the same time, when a team with great expectations turns into a whipping boy (like last year), there's nothing wrong with making light of the situation.

I'm as hard-core as they come with the Huskers, I'd never "jump off the bandwagon." But at the same time, I was joking about them last year, mainly because when your defense is getting their a$$ handed to them that bad, you can either get pissed and b!^@h and moan, or just deal with it. Initially I was irate, but as it turned into a weekly occurrence, the only way for me to keep my sanity with everyone making fun of me was to laugh it off and make jokes about it. Hell, I even did it AT the A&M game when we were getting our a$$ handed to us in the 4th quarter. Seems like everyone within six rows laughed with me because it was the only thing we could do to keep from binge drinking to drown our sorrows. Sometimes, laughing it off is the way to go. It doesn't mean I'm any less of a fan. I love NU, I love the teams that play for them, and I'll support them till my heart stops. Actually, if God is down with it, hopefully he'll let me come down to Memorial on Saturdays just to check in.

 

[o-line54]

I wouldn't consider season ticket holders for years booing at a terrible team jumping off the bandwagon

I agree with you. I never have liked booing the other team or being disrespectful to players. But, as bad as it got this year, I can understand booing at the pitiful coaching job that was on display. There are plenty of people who are still supporting their Huskers, but are just voicing their opinions about the coaching staff. I love the Huskers good and bad and just can't wait until next year!!!!!!!!

 

[Aim9]

On the issue of fan loyalty, I have no problem with Husker fans riffing on the Huskers. I mean, if I couldn't laugh a little at KU hanging 70+ points on our defense I think would explode. Some of that is cathartic. To watch some of the games I watched last year and come away with no sarcastic remarks is almost impossible.

I do have a problem with people who wear USC or Texas gear when they are the flavor of the week because of recent success, but then when the Huskers do well they instantly shed their former shells and act like they've been with NU all along. That kind of bugs me, but even then it's not a HUGE deal.

I can understand the booing last year, but I never took part. I stayed all 4 quarters and cheered- even in the Oklahoma St. game. I guess everyone has their own conception of what fan loyalty is.

That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing some bandwagon fans next year after we win the national championship. That means that Bo has been doing his job. :koolaid2:

 

[Igetbored216]

Just wanted to say a few things about what I have read.

Yes, NU fans seemed discontent this past season and showed their disapproval by booing, walking out of the game, and of course all over discussion boards. However, this doesn't mean they aren't good fans or that they are "bandwagon" fans.

5-7 for any Nebraska team is inexcusable. Two losing seasons in 4 years when a losing season hadn't hardly been experienced for 35 years is inexcusable. Players getting essentially paid to play (i.e., full ride scholarships) and not putting 100% effort into every game and practice is inexcusable. Not getting rid of a defensive coordinator when it's obvious that his defense is horrible is inexcusable.

Should Nebraska fans just ignore all those issues and go about their merry way like everything is okay? Should we just keep all these problems to ourselves and hope that things turn out okay? No…why should we?

I guess I don't understand where alot of people are coming from on this issue. Their basic argument is that because we criticized the team, then that makes us "bad" fans or "bandwagon" fans.

Hmmm...I would have to strongly disagree. The real world isn't all nice and perfect. Not everything is bubble gum, sunshine, and puppy dogs. NU fans had two options: 1) we could just keep quiet, support the team, not criticize anything that was going on, and hope that the team would change for the better or 2) we could be proactive and voice our opinion, “Hey, the team is really struggling. Players don't seem to be motivated, the game plans don't seem to be put together well, the defense looks lost, the coaches don't have any answers to our questions, the players aren't being utilized correctly, and we feel something has to change so the team can get better."

So we did let the NU program know we weren't happy with its progress by booing them and/or criticizing them on discussion boards. However - in my opinion - of the options above, the first option is worse than the second option. Since when does criticizing something because you don’t agree with it make you a bad person or fan? That’s like saying if you don’t agree with the President, then you aren’t American.

In my opinion, biting your tongue and not saying anything when it’s obvious there are things wrong seem to imply that you don’t care what happens. How does ignoring problems and not caring about your team make you a good fan? On the other side, how does criticizing a team make you a bad/bandwagon fan?

Please explain...

 

[bethelbacker]

Just wanted to say a few things about what I have read.

Yes, NU fans seemed discontent this past season and showed their disapproval by booing, walking out of the game, and of course all over discussion boards. However, this doesn't mean they aren't good fans or that they are "bandwagon" fans.

5-7 for any Nebraska team is inexcusable. Two losing seasons in 4 years when a losing season hadn't hardly been experienced for 35 years is inexcusable. Players getting essentially paid to play (i.e., full ride scholarships) and not putting 100% effort into every game and practice is inexcusable. Not getting rid of a defensive coordinator when it's obvious that his defense is horrible is inexcusable.

Should Nebraska fans just ignore all those issues and go about their merry way like everything is okay? Should we just keep all these problems to ourselves and hope that things turn out okay? No…why should we?

I guess I don't understand where alot of people are coming from on this issue. Their basic argument is that because we criticized the team, then that makes us "bad" fans or "bandwagon" fans.

Hmmm...I would have to strongly disagree. The real world isn't all nice and perfect. Not everything is bubble gum, sunshine, and puppy dogs. NU fans had two options: 1) we could just keep quiet, support the team, not criticize anything that was going on, and hope that the team would change for the better or 2) we could be proactive and voice our opinion, “Hey, the team is really struggling. Players don't seem to be motivated, the game plans don't seem to be put together well, the defense looks lost, the coaches don't have any answers to our questions, the players aren't being utilized correctly, and we feel something has to change so the team can get better."

So we did let the NU program know we weren't happy with its progress by booing them and/or criticizing them on discussion boards. However - in my opinion - of the options above, the first option is worse than the second option. Since when does criticizing something because you don’t agree with it make you a bad person or fan? That’s like saying if you don’t agree with the President, then you aren’t American.

In my opinion, biting your tongue and not saying anything when it’s obvious there are things wrong seem to imply that you don’t care what happens. How does ignoring problems and not caring about your team make you a good fan? On the other side, how does criticizing a team make you a bad/bandwagon fan?

Please explain...

:yeah

great post!

 

[Hingle McCringleberry]

:WTH

I love it... We are only 2 months in 08 and we already have our first "True Fan" post. It dosent matter what people do, they are a "bandwagon" fan.... I think we all were at some point, any new fan would be jumping on the band wagon, any person that moves here, or anyone that likes what they see on TV and becomes a fan..... Yup they are on the band wagon also..... I get your point with changing from Texas, to USC, to who ever, but guess what that happens everywhere!! People like that are not less honorable, they probably aren't huge football fans to begin with...... The best part is I now get to do this for the the first time this year, in fact I don't think anyone has done this yet

dedhoarse dedhoarse dedhoarse dedhoarse dedhoarse dedhoarse dedhoarse dedhoarse dedhoarse

 

[Axl_sued_me]

This is a good topic and I would also like to throw out there, the "bandwagoners" that will say that they are a fan during football and then turn around and say they are a Creighton fan durning basketball. This makes me sick. Huskers are Huskers. And if you bleed Red, you support the Huskers.

 

[papersun87]

I'm a bandwagon fan.

I didn't start supporting the Big Red until after they won the national championship in '94 when I was seven.

 

[REDSTEEL]

What is funny is someone posting on here about banwagon fans. Well a bandwagon fan would not be posting on this or any board whose team just went 5-7. What wonderful bandwagon are they jumping on? <_<

 

[Cy the Cyclone]

I'm a big fan of my job...but if I stopped getting my paycheck you can be damn sure I'm going to start booing the CEO before too long.

Now, if the reason I didn't get paid was something beyond the control of management...a fire, a tornado (or, in the case of the Huskers...injuries or something similar)...I could live with that without much of a problem as long as I saw that management was doing something about it but when I don't get what I worked for because of mismanagment, bungling or downright incompetence and don't see any evidence that management is doing anything about the problem, I damn well do have the right to grouse about it. Doesn't mean I don't like my paycheck any less...just that I expect to get it as promised...

ISU fans are much more forgiving that NU fans...Husker fans are used to million dollar paychecks with stock options...ISU fans are used to minimum wage with an occassional tip.

But...as I have said before, I follow ISU for entertainment. I follow NU for Football!

 

[Axl_sued_me]

I'm a big fan of my job...but if I stopped getting my paycheck you can be damn sure I'm going to start booing the CEO before too long.

Now, if the reason I didn't get paid was something beyond the control of management...a fire, a tornado (or, in the case of the Huskers...injuries or something similar)...I could live with that without much of a problem as long as I saw that management was doing something about it but when I don't get what I worked for because of mismanagment, bungling or downright incompetence and don't see any evidence that management is doing anything about the problem, I damn well do have the right to grouse about it. Doesn't mean I don't like my paycheck any less...just that I expect to get it as promised...

ISU fans are much more forgiving that NU fans...Husker fans are used to million dollar paychecks with stock options...ISU fans are used to minimum wage with an occassional tip.

But...as I have said before, I follow ISU for entertainment. I follow NU for Football!

What does ISU have that's entertaining?? Other than that one strip club downtown Ames that I went to when my job sent me to Ames for a few days. I gotta tell you. That strip club was......let's just say......quite the experience :thumbs .

 

[Cy the Cyclone]

I'm a big fan of my job...but if I stopped getting my paycheck you can be damn sure I'm going to start booing the CEO before too long.

Now, if the reason I didn't get paid was something beyond the control of management...a fire, a tornado (or, in the case of the Huskers...injuries or something similar)...I could live with that without much of a problem as long as I saw that management was doing something about it but when I don't get what I worked for because of mismanagment, bungling or downright incompetence and don't see any evidence that management is doing anything about the problem, I damn well do have the right to grouse about it. Doesn't mean I don't like my paycheck any less...just that I expect to get it as promised...

ISU fans are much more forgiving that NU fans...Husker fans are used to million dollar paychecks with stock options...ISU fans are used to minimum wage with an occassional tip.

But...as I have said before, I follow ISU for entertainment. I follow NU for Football!

What does ISU have that's entertaining?? Other than that one strip club downtown Ames that I went to when my job sent me to Ames for a few days. I gotta tell you. That strip club was......let's just say......quite the experience :thumbs .

We have drunken riots Mr. Wise Guy....