Every die-hard sports fan loves to hate those who pretend to be huge fans of their team, but only when said team is doing well. These fans are known as bandwagon fans. No matter how great a sports city you think you live in, bandwagon fans are inevitable. However some cities have more than others (looking at you, Miami). Personally, I don't mind bandwagon fans, but only if they follow these few guidelines.

1. Don't pretend like you've always been there.

I'm going to go with an easy example here and use the Blackhawks. It's no secret that 10 years ago, very few people in Chicago cared about hockey. Now, everyone and their mothers call themselves Hawks fans. Nothing pisses true Hawks fans off more than people who pretend like they're lifelong fans, but can't name a single player from pre-2009. In Hawks fans' defense, there are legitimate reasons why no one cared about hockey, but I'm starting to stray off topic. There's nothing wrong with flat out saying that you only started paying attention recently. If you're at least up front about it, I'm sure most true fans will respect that.

2. Only hop on for a team in your area.

If you must become a fair weather fan, at least be one for a team in your region. I always hate it when people in the Midwest all of a sudden hop on the bandwagon for a team on the West Coast or some other random area. These tend to be the people who will call themselves die-hard Warriors fans one year, then the next claim to have been a Heat fan ever since they "drafted Chris Bosh." I get that some people root for teams because of family connections, or a particular current or former player, which is fine. Most people who are like this however are true fans of that team, and watch them through thick and thin. If you're from, say, Indiana, it's always strange when you start calling yourself a Seahawks fan, even though you have no connection to Seattle whatsoever.

3. Don't criticize team decisions.

This is mostly for the bandwagon fans that recently became fans of an entirely new sport because a certain team has started doing well. The Blackhawks are another great example, given that hockey is a lesser known sport (especially behind the scenes, during the offseason). There's nothing worse than some know-it-all, self-proclaimed "die-hard fan" who gets angry when their team doesn't re-sign this player or that player, despite the fact that they don't know how things like salary caps work. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but there's a reason why the front office makes the decisions and not the fans.

4. Don't trash talk fans of other teams.

This is probably what pisses me off the most. About five years ago, the University of Texas played the University of Alabama for the college football national championship. I was a Texas fan because I have a lot of family that went there, but the Bama bandwagon was strong that year. Bama ended up winning the game, so many "fans" who had never set foot in the state of Alabama came up to me yelling "Roll Damn Tide!" Unless you have followed the same team for years, you have no right to trash talk those who have.