The "Bandwagon Fan" Thread

[Patrick425]

I think this is what brewjihad was getting at, but I'm thinking that maybe the original point of jaybirds post was that new fans are fine, but new fans who are unwilling to admit that they are new and act like they have been fans for their entire life is another.

I do understand jaybird's frustration. When the Packers were having their great years in the mid 90s and the Brewers were, well, "not doing so good" (not to mention the labor disputes and cancelled WS in MLB), I continued to follow them closely, had my 15 game pack at County stadium, wore Brewers clothing to work, etc. Everyone I worked with knew I was a big baseball fan and Brewer fan. Some of them pretty much mocked me and questioned how I could possibly like baseball or follow such a horrible team. So now, I see some of these same people who questioned my Brewer fandom back in the 90's wearing Brewer's gear, telling me about all the Brewer games they are going too, about how much they love the Brewers.

I understand these new Brewer fans bring the team revenue which is helpful if we have hopes for the Brewers to continue their success going forward. I just hope that these new fans remain fans when the Brewers fortunes turn down the road..and they will, maybe in a couple of years, maybe in 5 years?, 10 years?, but they will. Maybe referring to these new fans as "idiots" is a bit harsh, but I understand the frustration.

[DuWayne Steurer]

It's pretty awesome going to work or whatever and having a lot more baseball talk than I can ever remember. I don't give a rip that these newcomer "casual" fans don't know what FIP or OPS+ or pythatorean W/L means. I don't, and frankly, to hold most to that standard is extraordinarily elitist at best. I don't care that someone who doesn't know who the hell Marc Newfield or Bryce Florie are wears a Sabathia jersey. And to top it all off, I don't care if a guy in a Sabathia jersey who doesn't know who Marc Newfield is or know what OPS+ is stands and talks baseball by the water cooler sounding like a know it all. I'm pretty darn sure at some point in everybodie's lives, they spouted off about something they knew nothing or little about, just to sound like they could carry their own in a conversational topic.

 

We all whined and pissed and moaned about the 12,000 attendance nights at 3rd World Country Stadium, we complained and railed about the national media picking on the team for 15 years (as if they didn't somehow deserve it?) and now that we have record ticket sales, sellout after sellout, and an owner who's putting money into the team to be competitive, instead of glorying in a playoff race, we complain about the people who are by and large, making it possible with their financial contributions. Makes sense.

[berniebrewer4life]

You have to remeber that it is those same "bandwagon" fans that are making this consecutive game sellout streak happen. If the stands were filled with nothing but die-hard fans, there would be about 15,000 at each game.

Yea, we all remember the days of 2002-2004. I personally don't mind the bandwagon fans. If it helps keep us competitive, come on in!

[logan82]

I will admit that there are a lot of things I find annoying about casual fans. However I think that baseball and the media do a poor job of helping casual fans become more knowledgeable.

 

The Brewers have made a huge effort drawing more fans, but little effort helping those fans learn ballpark etiquette. I know some disagree that the Brewers should make that effort, but we will just have to disagree about that.

 

The media constantly uses the Triple Crown stats. Most people are going to use what they are constantly spoon fed. I don't think switching to the slash stats would be that big of a change(BA/OBP/SLG) or at the very least including OBP and SLG(sorry to repeat brewjihad here). Then you have one of the biggest awards in baseball(Cy Young) that is given away largely based on a stat(wins) that is mostly out of control of the pitcher. I just feel that baseball is doing a poor job trying to help fans become more knowledgeable.

[jhart05]

However if they come out the yard and start booing for no real reason then I have a problem. But we have all been over that in other threads.

 

 

I'd have to agree with that.

 

My only other minor problem with them are the ones who are just there to get drunk.

 

Oh yeah, and those that start the wave and get on you because you're not doing it.

 

Ummm, buddy, I'm trying to watch the game. I know when to stand and cheer my head off for my team. I don't need 5 beers and the wave to keep me interested.

[ChgoBrewFan]

I don't really care one way or another. I only care about the Crew winning.

[holybannana]

Sports are designed around the premise of the bandwagon. "...take me out to the crowd..."

[jhart05]

I should say, that I don't mind them coming out to the park either.

 

Just don't get in my face if I'm not cheering and booing like a dunken idiot.

 

You cheer in your own way, and let me appreciate the Crew in my own manner.

[FVBrewerFan]

I don't think "bandwagon" is the proper term. That implies fans who never liked or followed the Brewers, and now suddenly are jumping on board. That's not what's happening. Casual fans is probably a better description. People who have been Brewer fans, but don't want to shell out money for games when they are poor or mediocre. And I really can't blame people for that. Many of you are younger, and the prices aren't a big deal. But we are the proverbial family of four, and it IS a lot more expensive to go to games these days- especially if you want a decent seat.

 

I will say this. I rather be around casual Brewer fans than "know-it-all PAcker fans.) Every drunk in the stands knows everything about football and the Packers. Now THAT is hard to take. Let's be honest, a ton of Brewer fans are women that know very little about stats, game strategy, etc. They want to go to Miller Park, have fun, and oggle JJ Hardy. That's not ALL women, but if we're honest we know this to be true.

 

Bottom line, the Brewer fans are no different than 90% of pro teams. You win, the fans wil come in droves.

[jhart05]

I rather be around casual Brewer fans than "know-it-all" Packer fans.

 

 

That's a good point. At least with a casual Brewer fan they will accept it if you correct/help them with their Brewer baseball or just general baseball knowledge.

 

Try telling a "Packers-first fan" or worse yet, a "Favre-first fan", that it just might not have been all Ted Thompson's fault Brett is no longer up there. Oh boy...

[FVBrewerFan]

Yes, or perhaps the head coach of a professional football team just MAY know more about play calling than you do. I know, I know...you played high school football. That settles it.

[jhart05]

I know, I know...you played high school football.

 

 

Or......"Oh I forgot, you are the King of Madden Football, right?"

[wisconsinfan47]

Miller Park is fun, and I'm glad people are having fun at the games. Who cares if many fans don't remember Chris Magruder?

 

I've lived with Wisconsin sports fans ever since going to college, and it's rare when a Brewer game isn't on in our house. We have people over quite often, so naturally, our guests get a fair share of Brewers (and Packers, Badgers, Bucks...). It takes more than one hand to count how many of our non-sports fan friends have gone from not caring to buying jerseys and going to games with us. That's not because we make people or are convincing, it's because the Brewers are exciting and baseball is exciting. This "bandwagon" has plenty of room and all are welcome.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

I just try to agree with the casual fan when we talk baseball even if I disagree inside. It saves a lot of trouble. Let people think what they want and just realize that it is good to have interest in our home team instead of the opposite.

[monty57]

I live in Illinois and work amongst a lot of Cubs fans. I'm just happy when anyone else in the room is a Brewers fan, so I say the more the merrier.

 

I do get upset about the standing up in the middle of at-bats, though.

[dayzedcrewfan]

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but as a bar manager who deals with these so called "idiot" fans, I love the fact that more and more people are becoming interested in the Brewers. Three years ago I would have the game on nightly at the bar and hardly anyone was watching or even cared except for me and a few other people. But with the team playing well last year and the success this year, more and more people are following the team, whether it's through the Journal-Sentinel, local news, or (God forbid) BBTN. But no matter how they follow the team, I have heard more and more people discussing the team than ever before. And to have these conversations on a nightly basis I gotta say "man I hate these bandwagon fans forcing me to talk about Brewer baseball".

[FVBrewerFan]

I just try to agree with the casual fan when we talk baseball even if I disagree inside. It saves a lot of trouble. Let people think what they want and just realize that it is good to have interest in our home team instead of the opposite.

I agree, I let just about anything slide because it's not worth it. About the only time I can't help myslef is when someone says Prince Fielder is having a bad season. We all have our breaking point... But some of the gems I let slide this year...

 

"Yost isn't a goood manager, but he made some good trades for Braun, Fielder, Hart, and Hardy, etc."

"Kendall should lead-off" (To be fair, that was in May at least)

"They should just start Sheets, Sabathia, and Parra every game"

 

And my favorite, regardless of the game situation, EVERY single time the SP is pinch hit for I'll hear:

 

"Why is he taking (insert starting pitcher's name) out!?!?!?"

[drezdn]

The only person that really got on my nerves was the dude that went off on me for not doing the wave (including trying to get some little kids to join in the jeering). Lame.

[TooLiveBrew]

A bit off-topic, but I just saw this in the Cubs-Phillies game at Wrigley:

 

 

Derrek Lee hook-rips an inside pitch foul, into the first rows just past 3B

 

Everyone around the area at first looks concerned

 

The woman the ball 'hit' is fine, but the cell phone she was talking on is in pieces

 

In any other stadium, I might find it odd that someone in prime seats would be talking on their phone in the bottom of the 8th with your team trailing by two, runners at the corners, and your best hitter at the plate.

[SoCalBrewfan]

What might get lost in this is that a team like this one, a season like this one, particularly if they make the playoffs and do well, can and will excite new fans, youngsters and less young, who will turn into the hardcore fans of tomorrow.

 

How many current Brewers fans got hooked in the early 80s by seeing that team in the postseason? (Raises hand.)

 

I saw the same thing when I was living in Seattle. When the Ms had an epic pennant race with the Angels and won the division in 1995, the town turned almost overnight into a baseball town...add to that a postseason victory over the Yankees, some exciting marquee players, and you've got some lifelong Ms fans. But there were growing pains...the local papers ran stories with questions like, "Why is there an extra guy in addition to the first baseman, second baseman, and third baseman? He doesn't have a base?" I personally answered some questions that might have seemed silly. But that good feeling led to a new stadium, several years of near-3-million attendance, and birthed some brand new hardcore fans. Now of course it seems that Bavasi has done his level best to drive them away...but that's concern for another day.

 

I sincerely hope there are ignorant kids in Wisconsin getting hooked on the Brewers, and casual fans that are just learning about baseball...that's the fan base of the future.

[And That]

I was pushing my baby daughter in her stroller around residential St. Paul earlier this evening, and she was covered with her Brewers blanket. We went past a couple soccer mom looking people chatting on the side walk, they smiled at her, but as soon as they saw the Brewers blanker, one of them exclaimed "Yah! Go Brewers! I went to a game last weekend! It was so awesome!"

 

I responded by saying, "Yah, they played the Pirates pretty well!" to which she replied back "Was it the Pirates? I don't care! They're awesome!"

 

Brewer fever has spread to suburban Minnesota, and I'm totally fine with the bandwagoneering.

[hawing]

How many current Brewers fans got hooked in the early 80s by seeing that team in the postseason? (Raises hand.)

 

Me too (though if the notes I made in my 1982 diary are any indication, I followed the Brewers that whole season, not just at the end).

 

I acknowledge having started off as more or less a bandwagon fan. I certainly wasn't paying attention to stats and stuff then (not that I wasn't capable - I was 16 - but I really think I was just looking for something different from the football that everyone else in my life was following), but I kept paying attention even after the dreadful 1984 campaign. That's when I figured I was a long-term fan of the Brewers.

 

I've gleaned my share of stathead information from this site, but I'll always post more about "fan issues" and game experiences than numbers; yet I don't think many posters here would consider me less of a fan as a result. Every hardcore fan has to start somewhere, and while many of us wish it weren't, say, by doing the wave at MP during a nailbiter game, better to have casual interest than none at all.

[bucks2281]

I've been a fan since I can remember. I love this team and I've never given up on them -- although there have been times where I've felt apathetic and/or disgusted. I get irritated when relative newcomers and/or casual fans inquire about my playoff tickets. The answer is NO. I feel like I deserve to go because I've persevered through everything -- I view it as a reward for my suffering.

[crewcrazy]

I just try to agree with the casual fan when we talk baseball even if I disagree inside. It saves a lot of trouble. Let people think what they want and just realize that it is good to have interest in our home team instead of the opposite.

I agree, I let just about anything slide because it's not worth it. About the only time I can't help myslef is when someone says Prince Fielder is having a bad season. We all have our breaking point.

I'll third this. For me, the breaking point is when the casual fan says that Tony Gwynn Jr. should be playing every day and the Brewers should flat-out release Mike Cameron because he strikes out so much. The best one I've heard so far is the idea that Yost should start Braun, Gwynn, and Kapler in the outfield every day.

 

I don't usually mind casual fans, though...for a lot of people, it's impossible to watch an entire baseball game, so if they even have a passing interest, it's a start. Hopefully they'll grow to take a much more involved interest in the team, but I totally understand that not everyone has the time to do so. I can handle the harmless questions and suggestions to an extent, but I can't stand pointless booing. My biggest fear about this season is that once Sheets and Sabathia leave via free agency, they'll get booed out of Miller Park the first time they come back with their new teams just because most people will perceive them as being greedy. For as many good memories these guys are providing us, I would hope that they're treated well in Milwaukee long after they leave.

[jhart05]

For me, the breaking point is when the casual fan says that Tony Gwynn Jr. should be playing every day

 

 

I love that one. My friend continues to tell me that. Then I ask him if he watched the game recently. His answer is usually "no".

 

He's probably watched a total of 10 games all year, if that. He must think just because his name is Gwynn, he'll be like his Dad.

 

Frustrating.