Why fans hate their teams

Hey guys,

I'm working on a story about the psychology of why some fans "hate" their home teams, and was wondering if anyone knew of any studies/professors etc. who could add depth to more than just "they pay $25 and feel it is their right to boo."

I'm looking more at the fan who is a season ticket holder who will call in talk shows and plaster message boards as soon as state U starts losing some games. What drives these people to do this when hopefully they aren't drunk. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, if this is in the wrong board, please send to the right spot.

 

I hate my alma mater, but I also don't go to any games nor do I care enough to call in to talk shows.

Other than that, I got nothing. Sorry.

 

If you live in my area, two words: Danny Snyder.

 

There is a fine line between love and hate; often the things we hate are things we have loved in the past.

It is like if your wife sits around the house, does nothing but watches TV and get fat while you are hard at work. You'll feel cheated because you are investing your time and money into the relationship but you aren't seeing the returns, overtime you slowly begin to hate your wife.

If you get emotionally involved with a team and in exchange for your love, they trade your superstars for draft picks and raise ticket prices. You will begin to hate the team you once loved.

Some people, like Leaf fans are willing to put up with a fat wife but others will stop buying tickets, turn off their TVs and find other interests, ones where their emotional investment is returned.

 

All you need to know about many fans, maybe the typical fan, is the guy in the movie Major League, the Randy Quaid character. He describes a typical fan.

 

Call 411 and ask for just about any number in Kansas City.

 

Because Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn are poo poo heads.

 

The team has the potential to make them happy, instead sometimes it makes them sad.

When something makes us sad or fails to make us happy, it's human nature to be angry with it.

That's about all there is to it.

 

I don't think fans hate their team, they hate the individuals that they perceive to be most detrimental to the team's success. Could be the owner, could be one or more players. It's only in the really bad, bag-on-the-head situations where there seems to be no end of losing in sight that fans turn on an entire organization.

People in Baltimore don't hate the Orioles. They love the Orioles and long for their return to prominence. They hate Peter Angelos because they perceive his actions to be directly antithetical to the Orioles' success.

 

I hate the Lions. Because they suck so much. And they never give me anything cheer for. I want them to go 0-16 so they make some drastic changes and get the bums out of town. I really, truly hate the Lions. They make me want to scream. The only thing worse are the fans that actually thought the Lions had a fighting chance against Chicago last weekend. They have so many things they need to fix it is not even worth rooting for. Years of screwups on top of screwups.

I honestly know many people who think the Lions are good and get excited and I want to punch them. In the head. Repeatedly. Just like in 2007 when Skip Bayless predicted the Lions would go to the playoffs after the were 6-2. The Lions lost something like their next 6 or 7 games. Nothing to believe in. Ever. Yes, the beat a terrible Washington team, congratulations. They almost came back on you.

Then there was the beatdown against N.O. and Chicago, the collapse against Minnesota. Then there's the fact that the defense and special teams blows, Ernie Simms got hurt in garbage time and the backup QBs are awful. Oh and the Lions only have two NFL caliber WRs. All these things make me sick. They are 4-5 years away from even being considered to be a playoff team.

And then they expect people to buy tickets for $70, pay $20 for parking and $3.50 for a hot dog. And their commercials are condescending and Brandon Pettigrew sucks. Who drafts a tight end in the first round?

 

I hate the Cubs. Not any individual player. Everything about them, from their stupid stadium to the fans to the uniforms.

 

I hate my hometown Rams. Not particular tough to do these days.
On another topic, I really never understood why being a "fair weather fan" was judged a negative thing by sports fans. Or with "jumping on a bandwagon." Why is this seen as bad?
If a restaurant gives me bad or bad service, I won't go there for a while. If there's a discernible change in management, or one of my friends tells me things have gotten better, I may go back and give them a second chance. If an actor makes too many crappy movies in a row, my desire to see their next film probably isn't very high. Why should my tolerance for sports teams be any higher than my tolerance for other kinds of business?
Fans have every right to demand some kind of quality from the home team. If those demands aren't met, I see nothing wrong with turning your loyalty elsewhere.



Brian McDowell