Biggest bandwagon team in the NFL?

[troyjbath]

Had a discussion with a few family members and friends over Christmas dinner about who's the biggest bandwagon team in the NFL. A friend of mine argued that Denver is on top because of Tebow and Manning. I argued that the Pats are the biggest bandwagon team in the league because of all the non-football fans I see sporting their gear. Most of the Pats fans I know couldn't name more than 2-3 players on the team and admit to not watching much NFL football. What to you think?

[Rabb]

Steelers, and it annoys the **** out of me

[bfoflcommish]

steeler cowboys niners and pats all equal

[bronco militia]

the oakland raiders: the biggest group of fans that don't care who plays for their team

[huh??]

steeler cowboys niners and pats all equal

I'd add the Packers as well. Maybe Raiders.

[troyjbath]

the oakland raiders: the biggest group of fans that don't care who plays for their team

And biggest group of ex-cons. I'd bet that 1/4th of the Raider fan base is sporting the teardrop tattoo.

[ludo21]

cowboyz

[troyjbath]

cowboyz

I grew up next to the Wind River Indian Reservation and a lot of the natives were Dallas fans. I've always thought it was a little ironic.

[RedskinBronco]

Cowboys and it's not even close.

There are of course hardcore cowboys fans, but they have the largest bandwagon fanbase that has no clue about anything.

Perfect example was I saw something on another message board where a guy said "David Carr is my hero!" after Brandon Carr picked off Big Ben and sealed that game basically.

An hour later "David Carr" was trending on twitter. I'm sure the former Houston QB is loving the attention LOL.

They have a lot of fans who do it just for attention, with the most existing in the DC MD VA areas. We call them NBD (Never Been to Dallas) Cowboys fans.

Steelers are probably 2nd, but they also have way more true fans than the Cowboys.

Edit: I do hear quite a bit though that RGIII has a lot of these bandwagon cowboys "fans" in Texas and in DMV area torn and jumping off the bandwagon. Guess it's always about how to best get attention with these types.

[broncocalijohn]

the oakland raiders: the biggest group of fans that don't care who plays for their team

If it is based on the retard mentality, this is the group. The thugs like the team look but have no clue how bad this team has been for 10 years. It is basically stating to everyone, "I have no clue how ****ty this team is but look how cool the colors look on me!" You can basically sell a JaMarcus Russell jersey for way more than anyone else can sell their ****tiest player jersey by far. No Chargers fan would wear a Leaf jersey.

[UberBroncoMan]

Right now it's the Seahawks. Outside of them it's the Pats and Steelers, as has been for the last decade. Not seen a ton of Cowboy ones, but given the $ that team rakes in, it has to be true.

[bronco militia]

If it is based on the retard mentality, this is the group. The thugs like the team look but have no clue how bad this team has been for 10 years. It is basically stating to everyone, "I have no clue how ****ty this team is but look how cool the colors look on me!" You can basically sell a JaMarcus Russell jersey for way more than anyone else can sell their ****tiest player jersey by far. No Chargers fan would wear a Leaf jersey.

yep....and 1a is cowboy fan.

Somewhere bewteen West Texas and and SoCal there is a fan factory for both franchises.

[baja]

Gotta be "America's Team".

[Bacchus]

Bandwagon fans usually go to cities that only support their teams when they are good.

Pats, Cowboys, Packers, Steelers ALWAYS have fans, they are opposite of bandwagon.

The most bandwagon fans I think of it Atlanta. That goes for the Falcons, Braves and Hawks. They only support their teams when they are winning.

[Kaylore]

Cowboys and Steelers.

I will agree that Raider fans are the most clueless. Every preseason they are *sure* they are going to win the SB.

[baja]

Bandwagon fans usually go to cities that only support their teams when they are good.

Pats, Cowboys, Packers, Steelers ALWAYS have fans, they are opposite of bandwagon.

The most bandwagon fans I think of it Atlanta. That goes for the Falcons, Braves and Hawks. They only support their teams when they are winning.

In that case I nominate the Chargers fans.

[Kaylore]

In that case I nominate the Chargers fans.

Chargers fans aren't there when they're good either.

[Drunken.Broncoholic]

Steeler fans disappear when they suck. And I agree about patriots fans.

[maher_tyler]

Cowboys for sure

[Tombstone RJ]

Cowboys, steelers, niners, packers all come to mind for bandwagon fans.

[Swedish Extrovert]

We're talking about bandwagoning fans. To me, that means fans that are nowhere to be found when the team sucks. The Pats and 9ers come to mind.

I'd say the Jags, too, but they've never had fans, even when they were good.

[Swedish Extrovert]

I think the Pack and the Steelers have a pretty solid base even when their team sucks.

[Broncojef]

A lot of Bronco fans springing up these days. I'm vacationing in Kauai
And seeing Broncos gear everywhere. Had 4 Broncos fans in an obscure
Mexican restaurant this morning. The bandwagon grows as the team succeeds
I guess.

[NASurfer]

I know in the 90's and back when the Pats had a minuteman in a 3 point stance as a logo, nobody was a Pats fan back then.

There's good Seattle fans, but the dumbass ones sound just like Charger fans.

[R8R H8R]

Bandwagon fans usually go to cities that only support their teams when they are good.

Pats, Cowboys, Packers, Steelers ALWAYS have fans, they are opposite of bandwagon.

The most bandwagon fans I think of it Atlanta. That goes for the Falcons, Braves and Hawks. They only support their teams when they are winning.

While I agree with your premise, I never saw so many Packers fans until after Favre and Reggie White joined the team and made them into winners.

[Bronco X]

How exactly is a bandwagon fan defined? Is there a difference between a bandwagon fan and a fair weather fan? I always regarded a "bandwagon" fan as a fan who would jump onto a hot team's bandwagon and act like they've always been a fan of that team. So maybe two years ago they were a Jets fan but now they've decided to root for the 49ers, something like that. Where as a fair weather fan will root for one team, but their interest rises and falls based on the success of the team.

While I do find bandwagon fans by this definition pretty lame, I don't really care. They probably define their music tastes based on what Simon Cowell thinks, but hey, to each their own. I find nothing at all wrong with fair weather fans. I mean it's about entertainment, and watching a bad team really isn't entertaining. I just can't get behind the notion that many sports fans seem to have that sticking with a team through bad times is some kind of virtue. I mean good for them for being passionate, but do we really have a more important reason to be following sports other than entertainment?

[maher_tyler]

A lot of Bronco fans springing up these days. I'm vacationing in Kauai
And seeing Broncos gear everywhere. Had 4 Broncos fans in an obscure
Mexican restaurant this morning. The bandwagon grows as the team succeeds
I guess.

I have always seen a lot of Broncos fans. Same with Cowboys, Steelers, Packers and 9ers. No way of knowing if they're actual fans or not. I live down here in Tucson and see as many Broncos fans if not more than the others.

[broncocalijohn]

While I agree with your premise, I never saw so many Packers fans until Favre and Reggie White joined the team and made them into winners.

YOu can say the same about us with Elway. Do the fans stick with the team even when Elway retires or we suck? I say we don't fall in the bandwagon fan claim. Sure we pick up more fans but that happens with every team.
THere are tons of Cowboys, Packers and Steelers fans out there and they have a hard core home base like Denver. When you see the team in a down year is when you can judge. Chargers' fans are one of the worst I have seen. If people say Seahawks, is that because the city and area is getting overly excited based on this year's team? Then if that does make a team a Bandwagon, what do you call Denver in 1977 when people were painting their homes orange?

[jerseyboiler120]

Broncos always had a solid fan base even before the Elway era. Current bandwagon now has to be seattle. After the media was forced to take the lombardi trophy away from jimmy baby-screamer harbaugh for the 4th time this season, they've all jumped to the seattle trojans (or is it the usc seahawks?).

As for fair weather, I've lived in a lot of places and I have to say its the giants. Non-giants fans here in Jersey have a saying: you won't find a giants fan anywhere when they're losing. Its almost uncanny; they seem to have a 6th sense before the game even begins and they are nowhere to be found on the days the giants play bad. On days the giants come from behind and win, their fans are in hiding until that magic moment when eli hits cruz for a score. Then all of a sudden there are about 35 of them screaming and yelling.

[jerseyboiler120]

Long term bandwagon fans are of course cowboys, steeluhs, packers. This in large part is a self-fulfilling prophecy by the tv programming. Who is always on tv??? Cowboys, steeluhs, and packers.

[R8R H8R]

YOu can say the same about us with Elway. Do the fans stick with the team even when Elway retires or we suck? I say we don't fall in the bandwagon fan claim. Sure we pick up more fans but that happens with every team.
THere are tons of Cowboys, Packers and Steelers fans out there and they have a hard core home base like Denver. When you see the team in a down year is when you can judge. Chargers' fans are one of the worst I have seen. If people say Seahawks, is that because the city and area is getting overly excited based on this year's team? Then if that does make a team a Bandwagon, what do you call Denver in 1977 when people were painting their homes orange?

I lived in Denver between 1970 & 1974, a period that the Broncos had still not had a winning season in its history. Yet, the Broncos were the talk of the town and they were filling the stadium every Home game even though they sucked. This was the time that I became a fan, and remained one when we moved back to So Cal. Did Elway bring more fans to the team? Sure he did, just like Manning is now.

My point with the Packers is that they had bad teams after Lombardi, and before Favre, yet I just don't remember the loyalty of their fans during that period. Maybe I am wrong, but I just think many Packer fans jumped on the wagon after Favre made them relevant again.

[extralife]

it's always the cowboys

[crush17]

Steelers. /end thread

[troyjbath]

I remember going to the bar to watch games in the 90's and seeing a few 49ers and Cowboys fans mixed among the army of Broncos fans we have up here in WY. Now there are tables full of Pats fans....mostly wearing #12 jerseys. I always question a mans sexuality if I see them wearing a damn Brady jersey. They don't like it one bit.

[tesnyde]

How exactly is a bandwagon fan defined? Is there a difference between a bandwagon fan and a fair weather fan? I always regarded a "bandwagon" fan as a fan who would jump onto a hot team's bandwagon and act like they've always been a fan of that team. So maybe two years ago they were a Jets fan but now they've decided to root for the 49ers, something like that. Where as a fair weather fan will root for one team, but their interest rises and falls based on the success of the team.

While I do find bandwagon fans by this definition pretty lame, I don't really care. They probably define their music tastes based on what Simon Cowell thinks, but hey, to each their own. I find nothing at all wrong with fair weather fans. I mean it's about entertainment, and watching a bad team really isn't entertaining. I just can't get behind the notion that many sports fans seem to have that sticking with a team through bad times is some kind of virtue. I mean good for them for being passionate, but do we really have a more important reason to be following sports other than entertainment?

Nice post. I agree with the fair weather and bandwagon fan definitions. San Diego has biggest fair weather fans. The biggest band wagons fans seem to be the Packers and Pats. I did not think they had any fans until the late nineties. On the other hand, maybe where we think many of these guys are bandwagon, they really aren't, it's just there are a lot of crap places to be from. Pittsburg until recently, Green Bay, Dallas, pretty much all of the east coast, rust belt, etc....

[Rock Chalk]

Bandwagon fans usually go to cities that only support their teams when they are good.

Pats, Cowboys, Packers, Steelers ALWAYS have fans, they are opposite of bandwagon.

The most bandwagon fans I think of it Atlanta. That goes for the Falcons, Braves and Hawks. They only support their teams when they are winning.

One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.

Pats fans pre Belichick were the biggest ****ing bandwagon fans on the planet. Boston is a ****ing Red Sox and Celtics town, the Pats are something to pass the time and the moment they suck again (post Brady) their fans will disappear.

Cowboys, Packers, Steelers I agree, they will always have fans regardless of how good the team is. Most of Texas (25 million people) are Cowboys fans except maybe 60% of the Houston metro area.

[WolfpackGuy]

Easily the Cheatriots.

[DAN_BRONCO_FAN]

Had a discussion with a few family members and friends over Christmas dinner about who's the biggest bandwagon team in the NFL. A friend of mine argued that Denver is on top because of Tebow and Manning. I argued that the Pats are the biggest bandwagon team in the league because of all the non-football fans I see sporting their gear. Most of the Pats fans I know couldn't name more than 2-3 players on the team and admit to not watching much NFL football. What to you think?

point out to them the sell out streak Denver had since 1970 when the NFL and the AFL merged into what we fans know as the current NFL
so Bronco fans aint fair weather band wagon fans http://blog.denverbroncos.com/jsaccomano/broncos-have-one-of-a-kind-sellout-streak/

[baja]

How exactly is a bandwagon fan defined? Is there a difference between a bandwagon fan and a fair weather fan? I always regarded a "bandwagon" fan as a fan who would jump onto a hot team's bandwagon and act like they've always been a fan of that team. So maybe two years ago they were a Jets fan but now they've decided to root for the 49ers, something like that. Where as a fair weather fan will root for one team, but their interest rises and falls based on the success of the team.

While I do find bandwagon fans by this definition pretty lame, I don't really care. They probably define their music tastes based on what Simon Cowell thinks, but hey, to each their own. I find nothing at all wrong with fair weather fans. I mean it's about entertainment, and watching a bad team really isn't entertaining. I just can't get behind the notion that many sports fans seem to have that sticking with a team through bad times is some kind of virtue. I mean good for them for being passionate, but do we really have a more important reason to be following sports other than entertainment?

Post more!

[barryr]

Charger fans only come out when their team is safely winning, so after game 6 of such a season. But I agree with others, the Patriots have a ton of bandwagon fans who only know about Brady and that's about it.