Has anyone else faced this situation?

[CHawk]

In NJ, they just point and stare at me.

I think Im going to buy a Curt Warner jersey on ebay and call it a day.

That just the PA people pointing at you cus your from Jersey

 

[CHawk]

Haven't been accused of being a bandwagoner yet. Though I do live in Louisiana now so it's only a matter of time. I haven't put much thought in what my comeback would be with someone calling me out.

I went to the Panthers game last year and am going again here in a few weeks. If its anything like last time, there's going to be tons of Seahawks fans at the game. I have a feeling that will be the day when I hear bandwagon talk.

Going to the Panthers game also, got a wolf gray 12 to represent!

 

[Lanakila]

I could be considered a Bandwagoner since I only started really following the Seahawks from around 2008. The thing is I never watche football at all until we moved to Seattle. Frankly, I mocked my friends that were football fanatics. But about a year after we moved up here a friend of mine took me to my first NFL game. I don't even remember who the Seahawks were playing but the whole event was such an eye opening experience that I became a convert on the spot. Now I get it.....
And although I own a fair amount of Hawks gear now all of it is still pretty new. So I went on e Bay and have found a huge supply of 'Vintage Seahawks Gear'. I have decided to stock up so that my recent conversion won't be so apparent. There is this: Vintage 1990s Seattle Seahawks Hawks 12th Man NFL Blue Trucker snapback hat . Only $60. Sounds reasonable...... Or this! Vintage Seattle Seahawks Seat Cushion Seattle Wave Cushion . Only $50. Wow! Or even this:
VTG Seattle Seahawks 80s Sunglasses Sunglasses A mere $75
Nah, not really but I think the Seahawks recent success has really spiked the vintage wear market. I think I'll have to make do with my 2 year old Seahawks hoodie.

 

[Atradees]

You know its bad when your team is terrible so you start combing the box-score for some kind of hope.

A guy asked me if I was a Patriots fan. He was just being a condescending drunk. I said Dave Kreig and Largent.

I was a Steelers fan and a Bradshaw fan from eight to twelve years old. So I guess I didnt become a Hawks fan til 1982. Then I jumped to the Hawks. We certainly werent a bandwagon destination but I think I like the underdog role.

 

[CaptainSkybeard]

I live in the south east too, and its a chilly day in hell when I see someone sporting hawks gear, besides myself, outside of a panthers game. So I'm not seeing the bandwagon fans.

Most people react to me with mild surprise. Like they just spotted a rare albino tiger or something.

 

[AVL]

The golden corral around here has soccer fans working the grill.

I became a Hawk fan when they drafted RW and I have looked at many of you as bandwagon fans. I think it's a good feeling to have.

 

[Subzero717]

The golden corral around here has soccer fans working the grill.

I became a Hawk fan when they drafted RW and I have looked at many of you as bandwagon fans. I think it's a good feeling to have.

Wait, what? You became a fan last year and you looked at "many of us as bandwagon fans." I must be misreading something.

 

[TeamoftheCentury]

Thanks to the O-Poster for the topic. Please don't take my following rant to be directed at you. It's directed at all of us, me included.

First, please allow me to submit for the consideration of all that it's entirely possible that there are various levels of passion for the Hawks. Some of our passions border on being a bit overly-passionate (along the lines of the Jimmy Fallon character in the movie "Fever Pitch." My family understood me a bit better once they watched that movie. They laughed the entire time continually pointing and looking at me.) Well, I resemble that, I guess. Guilty as charged. It's both a badge of honor as well as something to be aware of and keep in check. Definitely a passion, but not a priority (on the level of things that matter most) as another .net member so eloquently put it a few years back.

While I'll honestly admit it ticked me off for a moment when some putz decided to question my life-long passion in this forum by simply looking at my .net start date... really that term "bandwagoner" is mostly and incessantly used as a pejorative used to essentially say, "I'm a better fan than you." Sure, there are probably those who may be classified as jumping on the winning team bandwagon. But, what does it really matter? Why do any of us feel it necessary to establish "cred" in the eyes of others? If you're among the passionate crowd, you just can't quit them even if you wanted to. Crazed fans may even try superstition when the game is on the line even though every sane part of you doesn't believe in superstition for 5 seconds. If you're a fan... you're a fan and you should have no need of an outer layer veneer of cred.

It's a bit of a narcissistic tendency to feel the need to prove to others that we are "true fans" and we're all probably guilty of it to some degree. My die was cast long ago, much like perhaps many fine fans in this forum. Not sure exactly how it happened, but it's probably getting caught up in the game through attending training camps out in Cheney, getting ridiculed by friends in school for being a Hawks fan, running to 7-11 when the pre-draft Athlon magazines (and others) would hit the shelves (before the Internet for you young whipper-snappers), etc., etc., etc. But whatever got me hooked isn't going to be the same story as every other fan. The reason I finally registered at .net was to talk Hawks with others who are likely as passionate as I am... not join a club that has some hierarchy of fandom. If we're being honest, this forum can give off that vibe at times. To me, that's unfortunate and sometimes that can be enough to keep me away for a time from even reading in here. I've got thick enough skin, but why even entertain such nonsense? Life is too short to allow others to do whatever it is they think they're doing to feel superior.

Rather than constantly fixating on identifying "bandwagon" fans... why not be more interested in asking someone what drew them to the Hawks and find whatever we can to appreciate? If it sounds like they are just jumping on board... remember how much you actually knew when you first discovered the Hawks. If you sense they're just looking to "one up" you... just move along. Those are not the droids you're looking for.

I certainly can understand the point of the OP and, again, have already admitted I've felt that pain. So, yes, it can get under our skin when someone wants to be a putz and say they're better than you for whatever reason.

Now I've done it. Just invited several "I'm better than you" replies. :laugh: (BTW, it was momentarily funny when Sherman the entertainer said it to Skip Bayless. That was deeper and came as a frustrated response to the constant badgering by the media. Still, I think Sherman probably could have approached it more differently and been more effective with a different response tactic. I think he actually misrepresented the best of Sherman with that comment. Ah well. We all say things in the heat of conflict like that and allow others to get the best of us at times.)

 

[Lieutenant Dan]

I'm in Dixie, so when I wear my gear out and about I usually get a smile along with a "Seahawks, huh?" Sort of like it's an amusing oddity, LOL.

When I wear my Alexander jersey people react with a bit more warmth because of the Alabama connection.

No one has ever questioned me on whether I was a bandwagoner, and I've never questioned it back so far. On the RARE occasion I see or meet another hawks fan here, I'm friendly to them and engage in some hawk talk. But I've only met three hawks fans in 10 years out here.

God help you if wear the wrong college gear, on the other hand.

 

[BlueTalons]

In NJ, they just point and stare at me.

I think Im going to buy a Curt Warner jersey on ebay and call it a day.

That's what you get for wearing a "new jersey." :hmmmm:

 

[Bambam_gohawks]

it's annoying yes, but i'll be honest. that was me in early 2000. I wasn't much of a NFL fan although i played in highschool. I started watching in 2002 just cause my friends were really into it, but obviously our 2005 season was a BOOM! The way I see it, there are bandwagon fans, but everyone starts somewhere, and some fans who started as a bandwagon fan can turn into a dedicated true fan. All i know, i love seeing our community grow and support a great sports team. I'm still proud to be in a community where our games sell out without fail that it'll always be televised. Whereas there are other communites who don't support their team and they can't even watch it on the telly.