I know we have some of them in here, but that's not a bad thing. In the late 90s they had Red Wing jerseys on. Two years ago they were wearing Ben Wallace jerseys. Now all of the sudden they've picked up Tigers jerseys. The bandwagoners are who fills the stadium during the important games. There wouldn't be enough true Tigers fans to fill the seats. However, there are the bandwagoners that can get extremely annoying and claim they have been fans forever.

My questions is to the Tigers fans who have watched them since it was Trammell/Fielder/Tettleton in the heart of the lineup:

Do these bandwagoners piss you off? Do you even care about them? Are you mad they're stealing your tickets? Or are you just happy to see the city act like this?

it's funny because bandwagoners seems to be the topic of discussion on sports radio and even between a friend and myself.

i admitted early on that i wasn't a baseball fan before this season. this was back during the regular season. updating WTFD.com with baseball scores, schedules, and posting up the articles written by Vinny....it was the most i've ever gotten into baseball. i made it a point before the season started that i was going to learn more about the sport.....i even posted a newbie baseball questions thread (http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5391&highlight=noob). i guess i've been lucky that this happened this season.

while i don't like the implications that only those who have been with the team during the dark days are allowed to enjoy this moment, i also dislike those who pretend to have been loyal throughout. that goes for any sports. during the Piston's championship run and last season, there were definitely bandwagon fans as well.

my thoughts are live and let live. world series tickets are going to be uber expensive in any town.....i even heard somewhere that the going rates are a tad less expensive than in previous world series history. i don't have anything to back those claims up, so who knows. maybe we're spoiled because we've got so many successful sports operations around town. it's easy for casual fans to gravitate towards the winners and enjoy the euphoria that comes along.

I agree with that statement wholeheartedly. I think that bandwagoners are fine. It's good to see a town that is gravitating towards one team. I think lifelong fans will have it better though - the most joy will come to those who have struggled throughout. The guys that are just jumping on board won't really care as much if they win as the guys who have been there through the 2003 season.

My biggest problem is the girls that are bandwagoners. Those girls that scream and yell during basketball and baseball games even though they have no idea what's going on, but they claim to be HUGE fans of their respective teams.

Live and let live.


Editor's note: I don't think World Series tickets should be awarded to anyone who has ever worn a NY hat, whether it was the actual colors or not. People were wearing those as a statement in the late 90s, early 2000s because of P. Diddy and Fred Durst. A true Tigers fan would never have put that filth on, even if it was a fashion statement.

My biggest problem is the girls that are bandwagoners. Those girls that scream and yell during basketball and baseball games even though they have no idea what's going on, but they claim to be HUGE fans of their respective teams.

Live and let live.

Those girls are usually easy. I have no problem with the hot ones among them.

Ah, memories of the Red Wings "Puck Bunnies".

fool wins the thread. band wagon sluts are a gift, cherish them. Most have low self-esteem and are looking to attach themselves to a winner. Be a winner.

fool wins the thread.

Maybe we can arrange to get Fool one day with the Land Grant Trophy?

Kind of like the way they let the hockey players have the cup for one day.

Those girls are usually easy. I have no problem with the hot ones among them.
exactamundo!!

There are those of us who have been in MLB forums for quite some time. We know who we are. The rest of you are whores. Which, if you're hot and female, that's cool.

the tigers havent been worth following for a long time.

i've gone to plenty of games, and followed them more than most prior to this year, but i wouldnt hold it against anyone who didnt. detroit supported the tigers whenever there was even a glimpse of hope. however, thats been pretty rare for a looooooooooooooooong time.

I would say the difference in my book is that some were following them gently, interested in their improvement, disucssing their roster no matter how bad it was, weighing in on all of it. Now we're truly enjoying it.
The others completely dismissed them and paid no attention until this year. Many of them didn't even jump on board until someone told them about the team. While others of us have been on the team since the first games against KC and Texas, you remember, back when Chris Shelton was league MVP?

So, Jethro, you're saying that everyone here is a bandwagoner unless they were a consistant contributer to the MLB forum?

I consider myself a bandwagon fan. I'm a Detroit sports fan so I'll pay attention to any half-decent Detroit team (to some extent) but baseball is still one of my least favorite sport.

I don't know how to classify my fandom.

I love the team/franchise, but hate the owner.

Sadly, it's keeping me from enjoying this as much as I wish I could.

I'm still enjoying it immensely, but the thought of anyone thinking/saying that "Illitch built this team the right way" makes me fume.

Dombrowski bailed his ass out.

I guess I have to wear the bandwagon tag too. Several years of complete garbage on the field was enough to instill apathy in me but going to the world series is like make up sex, I can't even remember what I was mad about any more.

I guess I have to wear the bandwagon tag too. Several years of complete garbage on the field was enough to instill apathy in me but going to the world series is like make up sex, I can't even remember what I was mad about any more.

[smilie=totlach.gif]

MoTown, to answer your question: sort of. If you participated from time to time in threads about the Tigers and gave some constructive comments to how they had improved or could improve, rather than just writing them off and saying they suck, then you aren't a bandwagoner. But if you otherwise didn't care about them, then you are.

Let me clarify that a bit more. You don't ever see me in the Pistons forum. Should they win the Championship again this year, you still probably won't see me over there. Why? Because that forum is too big for me. I get lost in it and can't take the time to read all the new threads and keep up with the conversation. But, my posting amount won't change based on their success or lack thereof.

You also don't see me quite as much in the NFL thread. It's not that the NFL thread is too big, but more because I'm starting to give up - after all these years I'm starting to devote football exclusively to University of Michigan. If the Lions actually turn themselves into a playoff team in the new few years, I probably WILL be a bandwagoner by then, because by the end of this season it's most likely that I'll be pretty much done with them. But success (in the form of a new GM for starters) will bring me back. Had they been successful last season, I don't think I would have been a bandwagon fan because I hadn't given up yet.

I started watching the Tigers in 2003

Anyone that calls me a bandwagon fan can suck my hemroids.

MoTown, to answer your question: sort of. If you participated from time to time in threads about the Tigers and gave some constructive comments to how they had improved or could improve, rather than just writing them off and saying they suck, then you aren't a bandwagoner. But if you otherwise didn't care about them, then you are.

Let me clarify that a bit more. You don't ever see me in the Pistons forum. Should they win the Championship again this year, you still probably won't see me over there. Why? Because that forum is too big for me. I get lost in it and can't take the time to read all the new threads and keep up with the conversation. But, my posting amount won't change based on their success or lack thereof.

You also don't see me quite as much in the NFL thread. It's not that the NFL thread is too big, but more because I'm starting to give up - after all these years I'm starting to devote football exclusively to University of Michigan. If the Lions actually turn themselves into a playoff team in the new few years, I probably WILL be a bandwagoner by then, because by the end of this season it's most likely that I'll be pretty much done with them. But success (in the form of a new GM for starters) will bring me back. Had they been successful last season, I don't think I would have been a bandwagon fan because I hadn't given up yet.


Fair enough. I can see your point.

I would post in the MLB forum, but not very much. However, I would consider myself a true Tigers fan if nothing more than that's what I was raised on. As a tot, when I would get grounded from TV, the Tigers were the only TV that I could watch. I've been there through the Doug Brocails, the Deivi Cruz's, the Bob "The Hammer" Hamelens, Chris Trubys, Justin Thompson, etc... and that's what makes this so sweet.

Was I in the stands with season tickets? No.
Did I know their record during every season? Yes.

I didn't know a whole lot about the farm system year in and year out except for the fact it was loaded in the 90s, we pissed it away by the turn of the century, and now we've got some nice prospects in there like Sanchez and Maybin.

Does that make me a bandwagoner? I don't really think so, but I could be if you consider it "bandwagoning" to be more excited now about the Tigers that I was in the 90s.

Does that make me a bandwagoner? I don't really think so, but I could be if you consider it "bandwagoning" to be more excited now about the Tigers that I was in the 90s.

I think that's called being human.

yea, when your team is 40-80 in july, it is not fun to keep up with them. VERY few people will follow them game in and game out at that point. those are the baseball junkies. at that point, i can go watch a game, or even watch one on tv, but i cant follow every game. thats the limits of my fandom.