Lebron and the Bandwagon Fan Debate

     What's going on everyone? Thank you all if you're reading this right now. I really appreciate it. Today, the topic of discussion was given to me by a good buddy of mine who I refer to as Elroy. With all the commotion caused by Lebron James and his decision of where to play basketball, there's been a lot of talk about "bandwagon Miami Heat" fans, or "bandwagon Cleveland Cavaliers" fans. But the question here is, what makes you a "bandwagon fan?" I'll be glad to share my opinion here.
     Let me get this out of the way first and foremost. I was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Through my father being in the military, I grew up on Fort Knox, Kentucky, and at some points, Hardin County, Kentucky. So as it relates to sports, my loyalty has pretty much always remained loyal to those two states. For college sports, I cheer for the University of Kentucky above any team, and The North Carolina Tar Heels, as long as they aren't playing Kentucky. For the NBA, I cheer for the team that plays in Charlotte, whether they're called the Hornets or the Bobcats. Since 1995, my NFL team has been the Carolina Panthers. Those things do not change at all.
     Now, with the above being said, for 19 seasons or so, I was a Shaquille O'neal fan in the NBA. He is my favorite player of all-time. Currently, and since 2003, I've been a Lebron James fan. He and I are the same age just about ( he's five months older than me.) We graduated high school around the same time, and I've pretty much watch his career from the beginning. In the NFL, my favorite player for years was Peyton Manning.  However, neither Shaquille O'neal nor Lebron James have ever played for the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats, and Peyton Manning has never played for the Carolina Panthers. So, in essence, when I cheer for those guys, I'm cheering for their teams as well.
   This is where a lot of the debates come from. Some people criticize others for cheering for a player, and following that player only, rather than having a team, especially when that player is the best in the world as Lebron is. Fans who were once Cleveland fans when Lebron played there, became Miami fans, and are now about to be Cleveland fans again. The problem, I believe, is when people claim to be fans of the team forever and cheer for that team, but then abandon the team when that star player leaves them.
      An instance of the most common reference of bandwagoners, is a person who only cheers for the teams that are really good, and they consistently switch teams, but swear that they've been fans of the team for years. I don't believe there's anything wrong with that, as long as you're honest about it. The problem, again, comes when the person lies and says they've been a fan of that team for years, when they haven't. Simple solution? Be honest! If you're just cheering for the Spurs because they're the best team in basketball, then just say that. Don't try to give some drawn out explaination on how you've been a Tim Duncan fan his entire career, when you don't even know where he went to college, or when he came into the league ( Wake Forest and 1997 are the answers.)
     The bottom line here? Stay loyal to your teams. Don't go switching back and forth between teams, just because this new team is the new hotness. If your original team is trash now, stick with them. I've been there! Both my Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets have endured a 1-15 season (twice) and a 7-59 season, but I never switched my loyalty ( Although I did consider it with the Bobcats. Yikes! I was ready to Thunder UP!). The commotion comes when those so called fans lie about their loyalty and also try to rub it in other people's faces when their powerhouse team wins the big game. Show us your loyalty when your team has a bad season or two, and then we'll believe you.
     Thanks again for reading everyone. If you haven't already, hit the like button here on the blog, and the follow/subscribe button. Whichever one it is. Show support and if you like what you're reading, refer a friend to my blog. Also, if you have any suggestions on how I can improve, shoot them to me. I'm always up for getting better. Thanks, and you guys take it easy.

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