Detroit sports' resurgence brings bandwagon fans with it
Update January 10, 2011 in OPINION, SPORTS Tagged National Sports, Opinion Stories, Sports Spories - 2 Minutes
By Logan Holman
Detroit sports have been in a bit of a slump in past years. Besides the Red Wings, the last Detroit playoff team was the 2008-09 Pistons, who actually got into the playoffs with a losing record. Since then, Detroit sports fans have had it really rough. The Pistons haven't been back to the playoffs. The Lions lost 16 games in a season. The Tigers repeatedly missed the playoffs.
Even as late as 2009, if somebody walked through the halls of DHS and asked a student about the Lions, Tigers, or Pistons they would say something around the lines of "they suck." But lately, the Detroit teams have all had a simultaneous turn around, with the only exception being the Pistons. The Tigers advanced to the American League Championship Series, the Lions are 5-1 and the steady Red Wings appear to have a solid team once again.
If that same person walked through the hallways today, they would get a much different response than they did two years ago. While it is good that people suddenly care about Detroit sports, it is irritating at the same time.
It is really annoying how everybody is jumping on the bandwagons of the aforementioned Detroit sports teams now. Where was the support when the Motor City needed it? Nobody should be able to call themself a Lions fan unless they cheered during the winless drought of 2008, or a Tigers fan unless they supported them in the historically horrendous 2003 season. Bandwagon fans are the worst thing that has happened to sports. A real fan stands with a team through both wins and losses.
Although bandwagon fans are more common in professional sports, they even exist at the high school level. This is completely unacceptable because high school players are not going to all be superstars, and the support of a cheering crowd will often help them perform better and feel valued. DHS students should support all of their teams regardless of their record. They consist of classmates and serve as a representation of the school. High school sports are not necessarily all about winning, and all DHS students should recognize this before electing to not go to a school football game or other sport event due to a record.
Bandwagon fans at both the professional and high school level need to decide whether or not they are a fan or not, without paying attention to a team's record. If they are a fan, they need to watch or attend the majority of the games. If not, they should just stop paying attention to a team at all.
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