If you stop rooting for your team due to the addition of a (non-violent/criminal/evil) player, are you a fake fan?

[ScrantonBulls]

I've seen this multiple times recently in all honesty. There are some fans of teams who completely stopped watching or rooting for their team due to the addition of a player. TO BE CLEAR, I'm talking about players that are not violent, evil or criminal. I totally get being done with a team when they add Ray Rice.

Truth be told, most of these examples are Lakers fans that completely stopped watching and rooting for them when LeBron joined.

I really can't understand the thought of not watching my team because they added one player I disliked. I can't fathom not watching them when they are contenders especially. I get being done with them for a bit because the organization is embarrassingly inept. But because they added a non-criminal player?

Are people who abandon their fanship of a team due to one player being added TRUE fans of the team? I really don't think so. I love the game and the Bulls, and I don't see how adding a single player would change that.

[WintaSoldier1]

Nah it isn’t fake-fan ship. Most people(I assume) are fans of the identity or culture a team takes on. If a certain player who has enough influence and presence he can totally diminish, negate, and change the identity or culture a team has historically taken on. Not liking the team anymore after someone changes the culture and identity and thus almost disregards the history of the team, Does not make them a fake fan

[Collymore]

There are no real fans. Everyone is fake but some are pretending they are not.

[SkyBill40]

No. Your fandom is completely subjective and all your own. Do with it what you will, be it to cheer for a team or not bother a damn with them.

[CS707]

Only you can answer that question for yourself.

[socal74]

I've seen this multiple times recently in all honesty. There are some fans of teams who completely stopped watching or rooting for their team due to the addition of a player. TO BE CLEAR, I'm talking about players that are not violent, evil or criminal. I totally get being done with a team when they add Ray Rice.

Truth be told, most of these examples are Lakers fans that completely stopped watching and rooting for them when LeBron joined.

I really can't understand the thought of not watching my team because they added one player I disliked. I can't fathom not watching them when they are contenders especially. I get being done with them for a bit because the organization is embarrassingly inept. But because they added a non-criminal player?

Are people who abandon their fanship of a team due to one player being added TRUE fans of the team? I really don't think so. I love the game and the Bulls, and I don't see how adding a single player would change that.

I didn't stop rooting for the Lakers when Lebron joined but my heart is not into it like in the past. I'm 50 and I never missed games live or on tv. Now I don't even know the schedule. I have a friend who loves Lebron and hates the Lakers so I'm pretty sure he's in the same boat as me.

[zshawn10]

ironic coming from a browns fan posting this; I know lots of browns fans who jumped shipped after deshaun joined their team

[Dominator83]

There's some fans that hasn't rooted for their team to win in a decade lol

[JellosJigglin]

Lebron is the first player that got me to stop watching my team. I watched 90% of Laker games from 84 until around 2021-ish.

I don't remember exactly when I stopped. It started as just missing a game here and there, maybe 2 or 3 a month. Then I'd take an entire week off. Then I'd watch again and then take an entire month off. It gradually reduced to missing entire seasons except for the rare times I'm somewhere else that has the game on.

It's not just that I can't stand his cringey passive aggressive personality, but then there's all the baggage that comes with him and his Klutch crew. On top of that I find his style of play exceptionally boring to watch. I could go into detail but the attention span on this board has dropped drastically since I first joined.

If I'm a "fake fan" so be it. I'm looking forward to the post Lebron era no matter how bad the team will be. I'm not looking for the approval of some "official fan council" to tell me if I'm a fan or not.

[Effigy]

I would argue the opposite. Casual fans would be the ones who don't care who are on their team. It's real fans who pay close attention who would have trouble with certain guys on their team.

[Effigy]

There's some fans that hasn't rooted for their team to win in a decade lol

Stop picking on Pistons fans! Believe in the Tank!

[tsherkin]

There is no "real" fan. There are people who invest to different degrees in their subjective recreation. Anyone trying to say otherwise is just putting too much of themselves into the idea of fandom. It's a hobby, recreation, fun. Fashioning your identity around your fandom is unhealthy, particularly later on in life.

People can engage in their recreation to whatever degree they find enjoyable.

Are there die-hards who are there through every little change? Absolutely. Is that any more or less meaningful than those who come in the good times more so than the tougher times, or those who distance themselves from the team? No, not really. Just different degrees of investment.

[MrTribbiani]

Back in the early 2000s, I rooted for the Wizards even after they added Jordan. I personally don't care for MJ's style of play, and I don't like his passive-aggressiveness and narcissistic tendencies; however, that didn't stop me from continuing to root for the team.

[Woodsanity]

I would root for the Knicks even if Embiid was on the team tbh.

[ScrantonBulls]

Lebron is the first player that got me to stop watching my team. I watched 90% of Laker games from 84 until around 2021-ish.

I don't remember exactly when I stopped. It started as just missing a game here and there, maybe 2 or 3 a month. Then I'd take an entire week off. Then I'd watch again and then take an entire month off. It gradually reduced to missing entire seasons except for the rare times I'm somewhere else that has the game on.

It's not just that I can't stand his cringey passive aggressive personality, but then there's all the baggage that comes with him and his Klutch crew. On top of that I find his style of play exceptionally boring to watch. I could go into detail but the attention span on this board has dropped drastically since I first joined.

If I'm a "fake fan" so be it. I'm looking forward to the post Lebron era no matter how bad the team will be. I'm not looking for the approval of some "official fan council" to tell me if I'm a fan or not.

It just means that you dislike LeBron more than you like the Lakers, that's all.

[fanofthegreats]

It doesn’t matter. It’s entertainment at the end of the day.

[RB34]

I think the only fake fans are the player fans.

They don’t care if their team loses as long as their players gets his/hers.

[ScrantonBulls]

I would argue the opposite. Casual fans would be the ones who don't care who are on their team. It's real fans who pay close attention who would have trouble with certain guys on their team.

If adding a guy without a troubling past makes you completely stop rooting for your team, you have weak resolve or were never a true fan to begin with tbh. It means you dislike the player more than you like your team.

[___Rand___]

I'll disown Raptors if they bring on Draymond Green in ANY CAPACITY. Including as a janitor. Is that what you meant?

[Statlanta]

I'm not stopping rooting for my team if Joshua Primo/Miles Bridges/Karl Malone/Royce White bring my team a championship.

Maybe if you got multiple like the Warriors or Bulls or Spurs you would deny the player.