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Topic: Fairweather Fandom?
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OrangeAfroMan · « **on:** February 23, 2018, 02:13:20 PM »

The blowouts thread reminded me of "Orange Afro Man"'s end in the Swamp.

Short of it - I had annual season tickets in the front row of the NW corner (end zone). The GatorVision camera crew would move around during the game, but I must've been the midpoint or something, because I was on the jumbo-tron A LOT. So often, in fact, that after a few games, they gave me my own graphic - Orange Afro Man.

I wore a big, orange afro, obviously, and blue face paint - usually a U and an F on my cheeks. I went to every game and things were great. But then #1 Miami came in and laid it on us. The final score was 41-16. We were #6, but not that good - just a byproduct of reputation and being early in the season.

I'm cheering my heart out - and by that I mean I'm literally yelling the entire time Miami is on offense - there were a few afternoon games I felt lightheaded at times - gotta hydrate!

Anyway, we're hapless. Not even competing. So we leave early in the 4th quarter. Now maybe it was a coincidence, but I never saw my graphic up on the jumbotron again. We weren't alone, mind you, I was standing there in the aisle waiting in a line to exit the section. People were giving me some flack - probably because I was a familiar face or whatever.

But my point was that Florida wasn't even competing. I was looking for any reason to continue watching, but I couldn't find any - it was too sad.

So I'm asking if I was a fairweather fan. It's not like this bothers me, I'm just curious. What if I had stayed? Wouldn't have mattered or changed anything, imo. If my team is almost doing this or nearly doing that - if they're getting after it and the ball just isn't bouncing their way, that's one thing. But in that game, they might as well haven't have shown up.

If your team is getting drilled and looks listless overall, do you feel any sort of duty to watch it until the clock reads 00:00? I didn't and I still don't.

847badgerfan · « **Reply #1 on:** February 23, 2018, 02:19:46 PM »

I've seen you on TV...

I always watched until the end, because I liked to see the younger fresh faces get in the game as to how they perform, and I liked to watch the coaches coach. I also looked for sideline body language as a sign of whether or not the team could bounce back the next week.

A lot of that is hard to do when you're watching on TV, minus the fresh faces part.

Brutus Buckeye · « **Reply #2 on:** February 23, 2018, 02:29:18 PM »

Quote from: OrangeAfroMan on February 23, 2018, 02:13:20 PM

I wore a big, orange afro, obviously, and blue face paint - usually a U and an F on my cheeks.

Pics or it didn't happen.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #3 on:** February 23, 2018, 03:30:18 PM »

My interest goes up and down with how well they are doing. I think that is typical. I paid more attention in CKS' first year even though they looked horrible because I was trying to see if there was any life there somewhere.

Two games I attended along the way was Alabama who got up 31-0 at the half and Ole Miss who was up 35-0 at the half and made it 42-0 just after the half. I stayed for the entirety, but I was mostly chatting with Ole Miss fans in the latter.

Brutus Buckeye · « **Reply #4 on:** February 23, 2018, 04:04:41 PM »

I've never avoided watching OSU because they were bad.

Of course the worst they've been in my lifetime is 6-7, and the only time they've ever been worse than that was in 1897. So I don't know how I would react to, say, a winless season.

I did finally throw in the towel on the Browns. But that was because they benched Brian Hoyer for Johnny Football. If they aren't going to take themselves seriously, then I'm not going to take them seriously either. I found it so liberating to free up my Sundays that I haven't gone back.

Now if they ever found their way into the playoff hunt, I might start watching again. But until that point, I'll continue to enjoy my Autumn Sundays. I won't go as far as to claim fair weather fandom, as I watched every game for years while they were absolutely awful. Frankly, I've just had it with the NFL as a whole.

With the NBA, I am a proud fair weather fan. I didn't watch a single NBA game when LeBron was in Miami, and I probably won't watch another one ever again after he leaves Cleveland again. But they are quite fun to watch with him on the Cav's roster.

medinabuckeye1 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 23, 2018, 04:19:41 PM »

Like Brutus, it varies by sport for me.

CFB:
This is my main sport to watch/follow. I've left a few games early but mostly that was due to one of two factors:

Weather and/or being there with someone who was uncomfortable staying.
Because the Buckeyes were up by 20+ and we wanted to get a head start on the traffic out.

I've never left a game early because the Buckeyes were getting crushed. I sat through every last minute of their loss in Arizona to OAM's team (to be fair, I was there with a tour group and the bus wasn't leaving until after the game anyway but I stayed in the stadium until the bitter end). I've sat through some other bad losses as well.

NFL:
I liked NFL football and back before the Browns moved I was a big Browns fan. When they moved it just brought home the "this is a business" aspect of it to me. I realize that CFB is a business as well, but I KNOW that at least the Ohio State University is never going to pack up and move to another state.

When the Browns moved I guess I just decided that they were a product and, as a consumer, I'll watch if the product is worth watching. In the ~20 years that the Browns have been "back" I think there were one or two years in which the put a product on the field that was worth watching.

NBA:
This is a sport in which literally more than half of the teams make the playoffs. Seriously, unless they added a team and I didn't notice, they have 31 teams and 16 playoff spots. IMHO the entire regular season and the first round of the playoffs are a complete waste of time. I cannot remember the last time that I watched an entire NBA regular season game, maybe never. The first round of the playoffs isn't much better. The #7 and #8 seeds universally do not belong in the postseason so the 1/8 and 2/7 series are worthless. The 3/6 and 4/5 series are generally better but even there, the 4/5 winner basically never beats the #1 anyway so who really cares? Here is my NBA watching plan:

Regular season: I don't watch or even follow the standings.
Playoff first round: I follow how the Cavs are doing if they are in it and if it is VERY convenient I'll watch a game or two.
Playoff second round: I watch most of the games if the Cavs are in it.
Conference Finals: If the Cavs are in it, I watch every game.
NBA Finals: If the Cavs are in it, I watch every game.

MLB:
I love to go to a baseball game once in a while but I have literally never watched an MLB regular season game on TV. I would make an exception if the Indians were in a really tight race but I wouldn't make the exception until it got to the point that the regular season games were effectively playoff games. If the Indians are in the playoffs, I watch every Indians playoff game. If not, I don't watch nor even care or check who won after the fact.

In my entire lifetime the only WS games that I have watched have been the ones the Indians were in.

OrangeAfroMan · « **Reply #6 on:** February 23, 2018, 04:45:32 PM »

I wasn't giving up on the team in general or anything, but getting spanked at home by an in-state rival with no inspired play, no nothing to enjoy watching. I simply didn't want to be there anymore.

As for pics....eh....that was like 3 phones ago, 3 moves ago, and pre-facebook, so idk about pics. A coworker of mine also got on the screen often, but his wig was half orange/half blue. He spoke mostly in puns and is now a relator.

ELA · « **Reply #7 on:** February 23, 2018, 05:29:22 PM »

I've noticed the state of Michigan does an early exit things during bad losses, or big wins. We always did it growing up, and I never thought twice about it. Moved away, people look at me like I've threatened to blow up the stadium when I try to leave early anywhere but a game in Michigan. And not tied to any specific fan base; UM games, MSU games, Detroit games, leaving early up big or down big is no big thing.

I'll turn games off on tv down big. Turned off MSU-OSU this year. Won't turn them off up big for an MSU game, will for a Detroit game. As for giving up on a season, pro sports, absolutely. Tigers season is over once football season starts if they are done. 2016 I stopped watching MSU football the last couple weeks. I enjoy college football enough that I figured why watch something I wasn't going to enjoy, at the expense of something I was?

medinabuckeye1 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 23, 2018, 06:39:03 PM »

Quote from: ELA on February 23, 2018, 05:29:22 PM

I've noticed the state of Michigan does an early exit things during bad losses, or big wins. We always did it growing up, and I never thought twice about it. Moved away, people look at me like I've threatened to blow up the stadium when I try to leave early anywhere but a game in Michigan. And not tied to any specific fan base; UM games, MSU games, Detroit games, leaving early up big or down big is no big thing.

I have been to two games in the state of Michigan. The first was Tressel's first game in Ann Arbor. Ohio State led most of the day but only won by six points. The game was not "out of reach" until the last few seconds if that. Despite this, I was shocked to see people (Michigan fans, obviously) leaving early.
The other one was Ohio State at Michigan State in John L. Smith's last year. That game was over before it began. Ohio State cruised to an easy win and by the time it was over practically the only fans left in the stadium were wearing red. The funny thing about that game is that when we left the stadium, the MSU fans hadn't left, they had just adjourned to their tailgate gatherings to watch a Detroit Lions MLB playoff game.

Brutus Buckeye · « **Reply #9 on:** February 23, 2018, 08:18:44 PM »

Well I can't say that I blame them for that.

How many opportunities are you ever going to have to see the Detroit Lions play an MLB Playoff game?

ELA · « **Reply #10 on:** February 23, 2018, 09:31:39 PM »

Quote from: medinabuckeye1 on February 23, 2018, 06:39:03 PM

I have been to two games in the state of Michigan. The first was Tressel's first game in Ann Arbor. Ohio State led most of the day but only won by six points. The game was not "out of reach" until the last few seconds if that. Despite this, I was shocked to see people (Michigan fans, obviously) leaving early.
The other one was Ohio State at Michigan State in John L. Smith's last year. That game was over before it began. Ohio State cruised to an easy win and by the time it was over practically the only fans left in the stadium were wearing red. The funny thing about that game is that when we left the stadium, the MSU fans hadn't left, they had just adjourned to their tailgate gatherings to watch a Detroit Lions MLB playoff game.

Heh, I was at that '01 UM-OSU game, and we left early. Also left the '99 UM-MSU game (as UM fans) before Brady nearly led them back.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #11 on:** February 23, 2018, 09:45:20 PM »

I recall a game at Auburn a few years back. I was watching with some friends and Auburn was blowing us out, so I switched over to some Big Ten game of interested, and after an hour flipped back to see UGA had come back and was ahead and had Auburn 4th down and 20 something to go, and a desperation pass by them was tipped by two UGA defenders and collected by an Auburn WR who waltzed in for the winning score.

I would have been better served by ignoring the whole thing.

drewactual · « **Reply #12 on:** February 24, 2018, 02:01:03 AM »

Quote from: 847badgerfan on February 23, 2018, 02:19:46 PM

I've seen you on TV...

I always watched until the end, because I liked to see the younger fresh faces get in the game as to how they perform, and I liked to watch the coaches coach. I also looked for sideline body language as a sign of whether or not the team could bounce back the next week.

A lot of that is hard to do when you're watching on TV, minus the fresh faces part.

yup.... when the underclassmen come in it's almost like a new game. a 'scouting' game, but worth watching.

OrangeAfroMan · « **Reply #13 on:** February 24, 2018, 02:25:09 AM »

I agree, but that wasn't the case in the game I was at.

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Topic: Fairweather Fandom?

OrangeAfroMan

Fairweather Fandom?

847badgerfan

Re: Fairweather Fandom?

Brutus Buckeye

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Cincydawg

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Brutus Buckeye

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medinabuckeye1

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OrangeAfroMan

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ELA

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medinabuckeye1

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Brutus Buckeye

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ELA

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Cincydawg

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drewactual

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OrangeAfroMan

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