Baltimore Orioles: Do you want bandwagoners?

Do Baltimore Orioles fans want to open their ranks to bandwagon fans?

As the Baltimore Orioles move into Christmas week, things tend to slow down just a bit – as they did a month ago at Thanksgiving. We all know the planes the Birds have in the air and they’ll remain as such for the time being. That’s not to say that something couldn’t get done this week or next, I just wouldn’t bet on it!

In fact, I’d focus on the home stretch of the NFL season more so than anything else right now if I were you – but check back here everyday because we’ll still be publishing fresh content daily! Some of it might come off as fluffy, but this time of year that’s part of the deal.

Speaking for the NFL, the Ravens (who unfortunately are out of contention at this point) find themselves in Kansas City this afternoon. The Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium, which is right next to the home of the Royals. Over the course of the past two years, I haven’t seen too many KC Royals caps and shirts in the mid-Atlantic region, but I’ve seen more than I ever saw before.

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And given the fact that they went to two consecutive World Series’ (winning it all this year), it’s not only understandable but it’s predictable. Heck, all of Canada seemed to embrace the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays like they never had before – because they won this year. Winning certainly does have something to do with fan support – there can be no question.

Some might argue that the Orioles have bandwagon fans also, but I think to get a better read on that you’d have to go elsewhere. Fan support spiked in 2012 for the Orioles for sure, but most of those people were already Orioles fans. They may not have been as boisterous before, but they were already Orioles fans. If you go to a distant city and find people supporting the Orioles simply because they’re a flavor of the month, that would constitute being a bandwagon fan (discounting someone who might either be from or have ties to Baltimore).

So here’s my question to Orioles fans; do you want to be a team that’s known as having bandwagon supporters? Anyone who’s from this region knows how it used to be when Boston or New York would come to town years ago. Granted many of those opposing fans came from those cities, however the fact that those invasions have ceased a bit tells you that a lot of them were bandwagoners. People that just kind of wanted to win.

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Courtesy of Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve met a lot of people across various sports who say that they grew up rooting for the “hometown team,” but they had to switch their allegiance to someone else because the home team didn’t ever seem committed to winning. To me that sounds disloyal, but I suppose to some it would come off as smart. Many folks argue that if sports is supposed to be fun, why should they root for a team that in effect makes them miserable?

The point here isn’t to discuss whether or not it’s good or bad to literally be a bandwagon fan. The fact is that they’re out there, and some of them even switch allegiances numerous times – as teams go up and down. So my question to Orioles fans is whether or not you want people latching onto your team while they’re good?

These “fans” do come with benefits, mind you. Often times they do attend games, buy merchandise, etc. So it’s cash into the team coffers. My argument would be that I don’t want someone like that in a foxhole next to me if they’re going to abandon ship and move onto the next foxhole when things turn into a struggle – but that’s just me. Some people might see things differently.

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I would argue also that Baltimore isn’t built for bandwagon fans. It’s kind of it’s own little club, with a code that most outsiders find it tough to crack – and speaking for myself I love that. It beats to the tune of it’s own drum to a certain extent. But again, that’s just me.