This season was one of the best seasons for the Atlanta Falcons in quite a while. And with the Falcons performing at such a high level, many fans came out as well. While few are actually fans, I respect those who have stuck with the team throughout the hard years, but it upsets me when I see the bandwagon fans. Let's take a look at why it’s wrong for fans to jump on a team’s fanbase when they start to win.

Fans are truly respectable when they can stick through the rough times with a team, without losing their fandom. Recently in Atlanta, Falcons fans have shown their undying support. I respect the few Falcons fans who have stuck by a team in the past, such as one of my closest friends, but the ones who became fans this year are upsetting. Bandwagon fans think that wearing a jersey and pretending to know the team’s players and history make them a fan. But that doesn’t define a fan. A fan is someone who sticks with a team through thick and thin, the hard times and the good, but that is not what many Falcons fans are right now. It becomes annoying and upsetting because those fans try to talk about how good the team is, and how they have been loyal followers for many years.

But more than just being an annoyance, there’s a more important reason that it is so wrong to pretend to be a fan of the team. It’s morally wrong to pretend to support an organization which you do not. Would you support the Democratic candidate as an Independent supporter? No, you wouldn’t. So why would you support a team that you have never supported before? And this statement doesn’t affect just Falcons fans. Two years ago when the Seahawks were the best team in the league, there were many fans who didn’t know who the quarterback was the year before. And when the Panthers were the best team in the league last year, many “Seahawks fans” migrated to the Panthers fanbase. So, now when the Falcons are shaping up to be one of the best teams in the league, the fans are finding a niche in the Falcons fanbase.

It takes respect and honor to be a fan of a team, but by becoming a bandwagon fan, many Falcons fans have made football a mockery. While many believe that the issue lies in Antonio Brown’s cleats or in late hits, the real issue lies in bandwagon fandom.