Last week, Superbowl 50 was right around the corner and everyone who can say the word "football" was picking a side. I'm serious, I remember being in the second grade, betting $50 against a friend that a team I had never seen play would win just because I liked their mascot. Now, with the Superbowl still fresh on everyone's mind, I thought it appropriate to address an issue that has been in the conversation for generations: bandwagon fans.
I think it's important, in discussing this, to first identify what exactly a bandwagon fan is. I have to infer that to be a bandwaggoner means to act like you've been a fan of one team for a long time, but only when they start doing well.
Bandwaggoning has become such a big deal that it seems like you can't even be a real fan unless you accuse someone of being a bandwaggoner. I was once accused of being a bandwagon Ole Miss fan for taking a picture with a Rebels hat and tank top, just because I never talked about sports, when in reality my grandmother lived in Oxford for my entire life, she, my mom and my aunt had all gone to school there, and I had been there more times than I could count. We never know the whole story, y'all.
But regardless of what parts of the story we do and don't know, in situations like the Superbowl, EVERYBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO PICK A SIDE. It's the greatest sports event on American television every single year, and it would be stupid of us to say that the majority of Americans whose teams did NOT make the Superbowl, can't cheer for one of the teams that did.
I can understand having an intense sense of pride for your team, but I think it's okay to let people cheer for your team, too. More fans cheering, right? I think there are more important things we can worry about regarding sports. So everybody relax and enjoy your leftover Superbowl snacks.