Being a fan of the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, I have seen a lot of people claim to be Eagles "fans." Of course, all of these people decided to jump on the Eagles bandwagon once they won the Super Bowl because when the Eagles weren't Super Bowl Champs and had an ongoing losing record, those "fans" surely were not in the stands cheering on the birds. So, as the best time of the year, football season, is upon us, prepare yourselves for the worst kind of people… the bandwagoners.
When I use the term "bandwagoners," I'm talking about the people who not only join the fanbase of a specific team, but I'm also talking about the people who pretend to know football just because it's football season and football is popular. If you don't know the game, who cares? No one said you had to. But shut up and watch the game… or not. There's nothing worse than watching a game with people who think they understand football and who become "fans" of a team in a matter of minutes. The funny part is, these people usually switch up who their team is based on who is winning in a particular moment of a game.
How do you know you're dealing with a bandwagoner? Well, for starters, the bandwagoners are usually the ones who ask "Wait, so who's the quarterback?" even though they claim to be a "fan" of that team. Or there are the bandwagoners who have to ask "So the quarterback is the one who throws the ball, right?" Yes, those people exist and to be fair, if you have to ask who the quarterback of your team is, then they probably aren't your team and you're probably not a fan. Not to mention, if you have to ask what the quarterback does, then you probably don't understand or enjoy the game of football.
It's no secret that people take football very seriously, sometimes even TOO seriously. Football is easily one of America's favorite sports, so to hop on a team's wave just because that team may be on a winning streak, is almost insulting to the life-long fans of that team and football. Now, this is not to say people can't switch up who their favorite team is. People do it all the time, even within music. If a performer or a singer doesn't perform well anymore, you usually find someone else who makes music you like too and that's acceptable. The same acceptance goes for football, however, there is a difference between currently liking a team you may not have liked before and liking a different team based off of who is doing well during a given season. THOSE people are the worst kinds of people... the bandwagoners.
While it takes true fans and bandwagoners to make up the entire football fan base, it's really the true fans that are important when it comes to supporting a team. Being a football fan is what brings a lot of people together and watching football develops relationships, friendly rivalries, and traditions. The bandwagoners… they intrude on this. So, to all the Eagles "fans" out there that didn't claim the Eagles as their team until this year, just know that you're a bandwagoner. Other Eagles fans did the time, they supported the team even when they were losing. The Eagles' Super Bowl win means more to the fans that have been there since day one, so if you bought an Eagles shirt right after the big win, don't jump on the bandwagon now, you're a little too late.
