The fan-hood of a team is a consecrated concept that can play a vital role in a person’s life. Some people don’t understand the loyalty a fan will have to their team, but what they need to realize is that when you represenIt’s the heart of spring, which means flowers are blooming, school is hitting its grind and somewhere Dario G is composing a lovely instrumental ballad that ultimately no one outside his inner-circle will hear.

It also means that it’s the vertex of the professional sports calendar. Baseball is getting underway and basketball and hockey hitting their respective post seasons. As the athletic season climaxes so does the presence of bandwagon fans all across America.

A bandwagon fan is someone who doesn’t necessarily follow a team, doesn’t check any stats, watch any games or know any players. Yet, they become the most die-hard, trash-talking fans in the crowd come an improbable championship run. These fans can be easy to spot. They usually will throw out generic fanatic antics, or “fantics” as I like to call them, that have no substance behind them, like “GO TEAM!! WE RUUULE!!!” Or, “WE’RE GOIN’ ALL THE WAY!!!” They can also often be seen geared up in the latest fad that is sweeping supermarkets and sporting good stores everywhere. The Los Angeles Lakers mini-flag craze that took place in 2001 during the Lakers’ three-peat run is a great example. Laker flags could be found sticking out side windows of Suburbans and mini-vans all throughout the busy highways of Southern California. This craze transferred to Angel flags in the summer during the Anaheim Angel championship run, and eventually American flags during the very patriotic era of post-9/11.

However, just as quickly as the bandwagon fans rally to support the team, they will jump off the second the run is ended as though the wagon is engulfed in flames. Like a one-night stand in the Red Light District, there is no regret in departure. The bandwagon fan usually hops off in brutally honest fashion, admitting their sub-allegiance to the team from the get-go to avoid the pain and embarrassment of defeat. “Whatever, I didn’t even really care anyway, I was just cheering for them because everyone else was … let’s go burn things.” That last part is subjective, depending on if the said bandwagon fan was also a pyromaniac, but I digress.

What makes a fan true? Do you need to know intriguing tidbits about each and every player? Such as what their favorite mid-day snack was in second grade, or the name of their pet mongoose? Not necessarily, although if you can cite that kind of information, you would surely have unquestioned respect from all fellow team-supporters. What it really takes is to have true passion for a team, passion that makes tears well up in your eyes in proud victory as well as bitter defeat. Watch your team, get to know them like family, a family member you want to see thrive. Any true fan knows what I mean. It’s like being in a relationship. It can be very painful when it destructs, yet establish blissful emotion when it succeeds.

The fan-hood of a team is a consecrated concept that can play a vital role in a person’s life. Some people don’t understand the loyalty a fan will have to their team, but what they need to realize is that when you represent a team, you bleed their colors. It’s invested interest that can take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, but is all worth the loyalty once a championship is eminent. It is because of this that the bandwagon fan is such an insult to the true die-hard fans. It’s like a mountain climber scaling Everest being joined by some helicopter-escorted dude just 100 yards short of the peak, then celebrating as though he had just scaled the epic mountain along with the burly mountaineer. You weren’t there for the scale, so don’t exclaim victory at the summit.

I do feel that being a fan needs to start somewhere, and if you don’t have a team, I recommend getting one because it can be an amazing thing. If you don’t know who to follow, just get into the home team – your residence in the region grants you permission to be a fan.

So don’t be afraid to cheer on a team if it feels right, but understand and respect the passion that a true fan feels towards your team. There’s nothing wrong with being a fan, but someone needs to call out the bandwagoners, and I accept the call of duty.