Bandwagon fans. The "bandwagon" fan. In RedSoxLand they are referred to as the "Pink Hats." I'm sure there's a name for them in PatriotLand, maybe "Pink Brady's." I don't know. But here's one interesting thing: Every team has "bandwagon" fans. Every team in the history of any sport has "bandwagon" fans. And here's how I know this: Every team in the history of sports has sold out at one time or another. And every team in the history of sports has NOT sold out at one time or another.
Assuming every fan during the sellout times was a "hardcore" fan, or, my favorite term, a "true" fan, how come that team didn't sell out every game? The answer is simple: the "bandwagon" fans are the ones that constitute sellouts.
Look, here's what I'm saying: You can't sell out unless you have the fans that aren't hardcore fans. There's simply not enough numbers for a team to be shitty all the time and for fans to say "Yeah, I can't wait to go back again!!" There will always be a certain percentage. Maybe 50 to 60%. But they aren't enough to sell out the building or venue.
Enter Ms. Pink Hat, and her cheering at the wrong time at Fenway, and getting up too many times and at the wrong times, and having no clue when to make noise or when to shutup or when to boo a bad move or just in general having no clue. Annoying isn't it? But necessary.
I would love to be able to go to Fenway like you could ten or eleven years ago and get game day tickets at face value somewhere within shouting distance. But those days are gone. And yes, it's because of the bandwagon fan.
But the bandwagon fan is a by-product of success. They don't show up to shitty teams. Which is why the Raiders are rarely ever on TV in Oakland and the surrounding area. They suck. The ubersuck. They suck my will to live. The reason why the Bay Area just doesn't all into the Pacific is because the Raiders suck. Consequently, you can get tickets on game day. Hell, I called to ask what time the game was, and they said, "What time can you get here?"
This is all due to the fact that they suck. Eventually, Haley's comet will return, and the Raiders will get good again. (This will also coincide with Britney understanding moderation; Dan Shaughnessy saying something positive about the Red Sox in his columns; and my ex getting hit by a car). And, you won't get any tickets to the games. Know why? Because all the people who thought "I'm not watching this, they suck. Call me when they don't suck" are now coming back around.
And you know what? IT MAKES SENSE!! I'm cursed with liking my teams no matter what. You have any idea how shitty it was to go to Oakland once every year to watch the Celtics vs. the Warriors and also spend $200 on the NBA package so I could watch the Celtics suck the big one? Seriously. It was year after year of them looking like a bunch of blind men trying to screw a football.
But, every year, there I was forking over the $$$ for the right to watch my team get humiliated. And now, I'm finally rewarded with this season. But, I can't go to games in Boston if I visit the east coast.
You know what? Oh well. What would you rather have? A shitty team that you can walk up and get great seats for, or, a great team that it's almost impossible to get tickets for? I guess what I'm saying is, bandwagon is directly tied into how good your team is. People want to see good teams, not shitty teams.
So, good job to all those 10,000 "hardcores" in Kansas City, I'm sure the 30th year in a row of not making the playoffs is no big deal, meanwhile, I'll watch my Red Sox from my living room and enjoy the fact that they are most likely going to the playoffs again.
The price of success.
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