With the Pittsburgh Pirates in legitimate pennant contention for the first time in decades, there’s a sudden influx of “bandwagon fans.” For the most part, the fanbase is excited to be infused new blood. “A new Pirates generation,” as the PNC Park victory song pronounces. But then you have the select few who will lament the presence of these so-called bandwagon fans, grumbling to anyone within ear shot how they’ve been a loyal fan through the drought and well before, how they’re among the few “real fans.” To those people I have one thing to say… Shut up.
Sports fans love to flaunt their loyalty like a badge of honor. As though having stuck around through disappointment after disappointment makes your $22.50 admission ticket more valuable than the one belonging to someone whose interest has been renewed, or perhaps newly ignited by a team playing competitive baseball for the first time in their lifetime. I hate to break it to these folks, but no one cares how long you have been a fan but you. As I’ve written before, in most aspects of life, sticking around through heart break after heart break doesn’t earn you accolades, but rather makes people question your sanity.
There’s an argument that these bandwagon fans actually bring more value to the team. It’s a hell of a lot more fun to watch a baseball team with 32,000 excitable, enthusiastic revelers than with 12,000 fans who can’t quit grumbling about the good ol’ days. Whether the “die-hards” like it or not, the Pirates need the bandwagon fans. That’s how a fanbase builds (or in the case of the Pirates, rebuilds). How do you think teams like the Yankees have built such a large following over the years? Through success. From a casual fan being lured into the euphoria of winning.
So please, stop showing the newly anointed fans your battle scars of the last 20 years in hopes of scaring them away. Stop acting as though just because they haven’t endured the pain and disappointment you have that they’re not entitled to enjoy the current success this team is having. Instead, welcome them aboard. Tell them to buckle up end enjoy ride. The way this team is Bucn’, it’s sure to be a wild one.
