Since the article came out on Bleacher Report on how Utah fans are disgusting, I thought about doing two articles, one on the worst fans and one for the best fans in all of sports.
To make the list of worst fans, I took into account attendance, bandwagon fans, and mannerisms at the games, among other things.
Here is my list of the top-10 worst fans in all of sports.
Starting with No. 10:
10. Detroit Fans
Blame it on the poor economy in Detroit or blame it on the performance on a couple of teams within the city. But the fans of Detroit make it onto this list.
The Detroit Red Wings are about to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals and they can't sell out Joe Louis arena even this late into the playoffs. Seats are empty all over the arena, so bad that seats around the glass are empty. The worst part is that many fans have tickets to the game, they just choose not to go, which says it all right there.
The Lions have been horrible for years, but they have also been boo'ed by their own fans for years as well. The boos have become more of an attribute to being a Lions fan, more than cheering.
And who could forget the fight that took place that one fateful night when the Pacers fought the entire Pistons crowd? Many fans are loyal in Detroit, but many are just downright awful.
9. Seattle Fans
It's no surprise the Sonics will be moving away from Seattle; the fans can cry all they want about how they love the Sonics but they don't have much of a case: The Sonics ranked 28th in average attendance this past season.
Bad team or not, if your team is up for being moved to another state, you need to get out there and support them; it didn't do them any good to not show up to the games but then hold protests to keep the Sonics in Seattle.
The Seahawks sell out every game, but then again they are a very good football team. Of course people are going to show up. The Mariners are 18th in avergage attendance this season, filling their ballpark just over 54.5 percent each game. That isn't good at all. Even though they have started off slow, they have a good roster there in Seattle; it's just nobody wants to go to the games to see them.
Instead of sitting around waiting for the Mariners to start playing some solid baseball, why not go to the games now and support them everyday to pump their spirits up a bit?
8. Charlotte Bobcats Fans
You would think a city that lost an NBA team before (the Hornets) would try to change its ways and come out to support the new team that was brought in.
Well, whoever thought that was dead wrong.
The Bobcats ranked 24th in average attendance this past season. Since being given an NBA team again in Charlotte, the Bobcats have been in the bottom ten of NBA attendance since their inception. This looks more like a city that has taken for granted the second chance it received from the NBA and isn't cherishing it.
Sure the team isn't that great, but with a new arena and a new team with a nice young roster, you must get out and support the team; show the NBA you deserved to be given a second chance with an NBA franchise.
7. New Orleans Hornets Fans
Ok, so maybe this isn't fair to put them here because of how down the whole area is after what took place with Hurricane Katrina, but when your team is challenging for an NBA title and can still only manage 26th in average home attendance, then there is a serious problem. Especially when the Saints sell out every home game across the street at the Super Dome.
Maybe New Orleans isn't a basketball city. That's fine, but when the NBA hands you a team because of poor attendance in the previous city, you owe it to the league to show up to the games, not wait till the playoffs to jump on the bandwagon and wear your yellow t-shirts that they hand out to make it look like you have been there all season.
6. Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers Fans
One team just won a Super Bowl and is always one of the best teams in the NFL, the other has some basketball history and plays in one of the nicest arenas in the NBA. What does that equal? Poor attendance for both teams.
The Pacers and Colts were dead last this past season in the NBA and NFL in average attendance. Sure, the Colts play/played in a smaller stadium last year, but even if you go by average capacity each game they were only 25th in the NFL with an average 95.1 percent capacity.
A new change of scenery for the Colts will definitely help attendance next season as they will be moving into a brand new stadium. The Pacers could be in trouble fan-wise, especially if they continue to miss the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference.
5. Arizona Fans
Some of the best sports venues in the country are in Arizona, as well as a couple very good teams in the Suns and the Diamondbacks. The Suns have no problem selling out as they are the jewel of Arizona sports.
The D-backs, however, even with a World Series title and the current best record in MLB, get no respect from Arizona fans, sitting at 17th in average attendance, filling Chase Field each game to 56.7 percent capacity.
The Phoenix Coyotes, even with a brand new facility that is incredible in Westgate, were 29th out of 30 NHL teams in average attendance, and that is with a young improved roster that challenged for a playoff spot most of the season. There is a problem when fans show up wanting to see Wayne Gretzky stand on the bench rather than the actual hockey game that's taking place.
The Cardinals have always been the joke of Arizona sports, but are now improving and, with a new stadium, brought fan support, but how long until the fans start leaving because the team isn't winning anything? My guess would be this season, especially since last season attendance fell toward the end of the season when the Cards were out of playoff contention.
Arizona fans are some of the biggest bandwagon fans in the country, I feel; many will talk about how they love the teams but then say they never attend the games—that's a problem.
4. Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks Fans
The winner for biggest bandwagon jump of the season I think goes to the fans of the Atlanta Hawks, rarely selling out their arena if at all the entire season was a problem, but finally, when the team made the playoffs for the first time in nine years, the fans came.
What I found funny was how into the game the fans were; where were they at the beginning of the season when the Hawks weren't in the playoff race?
The Atlanta Braves have been successful for years, but maybe their fans got a little too greedy. When the team struggles to sell tickets for the NLDS, there may be a problem of greedy fans that only expect the best.
Now that the Braves are not guaranteed a playoff spot, will fans stop showing up? The question is up in the air, as the Braves average only a 59-percent capacity rate at home games thus far this season.
3. Philadelphia Fans
No doubt about it, Philly sports fans are very loyal to their teams; it's the way they act at the events that gets them on this list.
Cheering for opposing team player injuries, shouting obscenities at players and other negative items are just some of the attributes that Philly fans are known by. Its one thing to cheer for an opposing player who gets up after being injured, it's another to cheer when the player gets hurt.
One memory that comes to mind is when Michael Irvin hurt his neck at the old Eagles stadium, Philly fans stood up and cheered the injury. This might've been because it was the Cowboys the Eagles were playing, but either way its wrong.
For such great and loyal sports fans the respect of Philly fans goes down for many because of their behavior at games, not because of their loyalty to their teams.
2. New York Fans
Many fans in New York are seen as bandwagon fans; I find it hard to believe that you could honestly be a fan of both the Yankees and Mets or the Giants and Jets, but many New Yorkers pull this off.
Many New Yorkers are accused of being bandwagon fans, and those could be rightful statements, especially when a Mets fan may jump from the their team to the Yankees when the playoffs come around and their team may not be in it anymore, but another New York team is.
Not many places can say they house so many sports teams, but New York does; it's a shame because there are many great fans in New York, they just get accused of cheering for the wrong reasons.
If the Yankees weren't good, would fans still show up to their games? New York fans much like Atlanta Braves fans expect too much from their teams when in reality their teams aren't the best at any of the sports.
The Knicks haven't won in decades, yet there is such a demand to win now. Now with the Giants winning the Super Bowl, how many Jets fans do you think were cheering for the Giants because it was New York? I am sure quite a few were.
Don't get me wrong, many New York Fans are great, but they can't cross over from team to team because to me, as a New Yorker, I dislike the Mets and the Jets and I could never cheer for either of those teams should the Yankees or the Giants not be in the playoffs when the other two teams are.
1. Los Angeles Fans
I guess the term "come early and stay late" doesn't apply to L.A. fans, as many come late and leave early. In one of the most famous video footage in sports history, Kirk Gibson hobbling around the bases after hiting that pinch-hit homer in the 1988 World Series, the fact it is still talked about how you could see cars leaving the ballpark rather than the homer is very embarrassing.
L.A. fans can be very loyal, but how loyal can you be when many of your fans are Hollywood-ites just looking for a photo op. or there for a night out on the town?
When one team averages a larger home attendance than another team in the same sport that plays in the same arena, there could be a sense of being a bandwagon.
For a city that desperately wants a football team back, fans in LA are going to have to show more loyalty to their teams than just showing up whenever and leaving early to make sure they beat the parking lot traffic.
Sports are great, but it's a shame when fans become bandwagon fans or don't appreciate the sport in general, because at any time the team and the sport could be pulled from your city and shipped somewhere else, just like that.
Just ask the fans of the Seattle Sonics, or even the Montreal Expos.
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4 months ago
I know everybody will have different lists, but being the #1 and #2 sports markets in our country, New York and LA fans are held in a higher regard which means they are always the center of the media. They of all people should be the most loyal fans to their sports, in my opinion, they just don't prove it.
from 4 months ago
You've gotta listen to New York radio sometime, there are still some SF Giants (formerly NY Giants) and LA Dodgers (formerly NY Dodgers) fans in the area in addition to the Yanks and Mets. Mostly they all hold a similar contempt for each other and to say otherwise, unless you reside in even the Tri-State area is ignorant at the very least.
Great analysis though.
4 months ago
I was about to say, "Amen brother" until I read came across your New York section.
I don't think there are that many people that root for both the Yankees and the Mets and/or the Jets and the Giants. There may be those like myself who FOLLOW both teams, but are not actual fans. There might be certain instances where fans root for the team they don't normally root for. This Super Bowl may have seen some Jets' fans rooting for the Giants just to see the Patriots lose and not get their perfect season. Mets' fans might have been rooting for the Yankees over the Braves in 1996. Overall, though, I find the idea that there are a large number of fans who go back and forth to be untrue.
Additionally, both the Mets and the Yankees have let down their fans the last couple of years, but the Yankees manage to sell out nearly every home game and the Mets' attendance projects to go up this season. The nostalgia of the stadiums getting torn down may have something to do with it, but fan loyalty has a lot more.
The Jets also manage to have a waiting list for season tickets despite usually being horrible and the Giants an even greater waiting list no matter if they win the Super Bowl or miss the playoffs.
from 4 months ago
I definitely see where you are coming from, because there are so many people in New York, there are a lot of people that do not cheer for both teams but I have come across a few people who do cheer for one or the other depending on how the team is doing, one line from the movie Hitch is what I think a lot of New York Fans think of the teams, the quote was, " So do you like the Knicks", and the chubby guy in the movie, I forget his name for some reason says, "When they're good." I am a New Yorker so I am just speaking from what I have seen and heard, it will always be different though to what others see and hear. Thanks for the read and the response though man.
from 4 months ago
Well I think all teams have their share of "fair weather" fans. I have to admit to being like that with the Rangers. I lost interest in the team for a couple of years and then started getting back into them after the lockout was over and they were back in the playoff hunt.
Of course, I'm a big San Antonio Spurs' fan too and I was hot and cold even in 1999 and 2003 when they won championships! (I got my act together in 2005 though, and have been a better fan ever since.)
Hockey and basketball are lesser species than baseball and football in my mind anyhow, but that's another article...
4 months ago
I like your list. I agree with you about most everything except Detroit, just because the cost of a hockey ticket has sky rocketed. I know you mention the economy but really tickets at Joe Louis, especially at play off time is ridiculous.
from 4 months ago
That is true, I just think in general Red Wings fans have the same syndrome that Braves fans have/once had. That is that the team is always successful so we can just showup for the playoffs and that'll be fine, problem is the fans aren't showing up for the playoffs, I mean the attendance isn't that bad but it isn't what it should be for a conference finals. Thanks for the read.
4 months ago
As a New Yorker who is loyal to the Jets, Knicks, and Rangers (my favorite baseball team is the Pirates, I don't root for either New York team but despise the Yankees) I think you have a point to a degree but also question some of what you said. If anything Knick fans should be praised for the passion we continue to show and how much we care given that our team has been the laughingstock of the league for five years. Also, I have Jet season tickets and all the diehards hate the Giants. Did we root for them in the Super Bowl? Yes. But we rooted for them because we hate the Patriots even more. I do agree with you that there are lots of bandwagon fans who don't really care about sports that ruin it for the real fans; it's unfortunate. I think this is particularly the case with Yankee fans (who often are downright obnoxious when I probably know more about their team than they do) and is the main reason I hate the Yankees so much.
4 months ago
Your wrong here. You said the fans are the worst because they dont show up. But the fans do show up, the ones who arent fans dont, You cant say the Red Wings have the worst fans, because the ones that show up are real extatic, its just that they dont have very many fans, thats why the stadium isnt full! The Hornets dont have bad fans either, after Katrina how many people do you think have the money to go to these? The Saints are full all the time because they did SO much for the community after Katrina, and now to mention that they only have 9 home games in a season not 40! Bad Article.
from 4 months ago
How can you say the Red Wings don't have very many fans when that team and city was once known as Hockey Town USA because of the championships they have won and the players that have played there. They are an original 6 team, the fans don't show up because of the economy and they are greedy after averaging 114 points per season since the lockout. The Hornets do stuff for the New Orleans community as well, the Saints obviously will have a better attendance because they average more fans per game, football tickets aren't cheap either, how can people go to football games but not basketball games at a venue right across the street from the super dome.
4 months ago
Good stuff, but as a Bostonian I would've mentioned Pats fans, no not based on attendance, they've been fine in that area. And yes, there are plenty of diehards in every fanbase including this one. But the number of bandwagoners who didn't even know they had a team before '01 is absolutely disgusting, and i've seen it all over. I've talked to people a good five-ten years older than me who don't know who Drew Bledsoe or Ben Coates are (not to mention Tony Eason, Mike Haynes, Andre Tippet etc.) There are a good share of great fans in NE as there are everywhere else so i think that generalizing a fanbase is unfair but for the purpose of this article, Boston has to get my vote for at least the top 10.
from 4 months ago
Agreed about the logo, that was a classic, and the last time i checked, a bandwagoner is still a fan, regardless of locale, Boston is bandwagon Mecca. It really is a tale of two fanbases. The real fans are for my money one of the top 5 fanbases in pretty much any sport, but the bandwagoners are even more ignorant, biased, annoying etc. than any other contingency of fairweather fans in sports.
from 4 months ago
bandwagoners are fans yes, but usually only when the team is performing and is really good. I have never heard of bandwagon fans of teams that aren't good at all
from 4 months ago
agreed, but Boston sports are flourishing and the bandwagoners are out in full force, the fact that they don't follow a team routinely doesn't make 'em better fans, if anything, it makes them all the worse, proving what I meant to say, Boston bandwagoners are the worst fans in sports, although bandwagoners as a whole are generally poor in the knowledge/manners departments. I wasn't trying to attack all Boston fans, most in my experience are courteous and knowledgable, but those that aren't are often overtly ignorant and often times classless.
from 4 months ago
I dislike bandwagon fans, a lot actually. Looks like we agree here haha, somewhat
4 months ago
I am not a fan of Boston teams, obviously because I am from New York, I must say though, Boston fans that live in the area are great fans, its the fans that don't live in the new england area that I have a problem with, you know how many red sox fans there are out here in Arizona, I highly doubt that there could possibly be that many Red Sox fans here in Arizona. Also, I wish the Pats went back to their old logo from their supoer bowl year against the Bears, the patriot snapping a football (what a classic logo). Thanks for the read
4 months ago
Not a bad list
4 months ago
Emmm Nordiques fans have to be top 10. :D
4 months ago
The whole Red Wing fans not showing up because of the economy is bull.
The Pistons rock the Palace, and the Tigers had to put a limit on their season tickets because there was too many requests.
from 4 months ago
If you go to Comerica in the spring (for the last 4 years) you can sit in the front row because there is no one there. I'm a college student, so I wasn't around Detroit in the summer. In 2006 I went to a game in the fall, expecting it to be really wild since they were playing so well. It wasn't. The game I went to was the day after they clinched their playoff spot. Of course, no one showed. Detroit, and Michigan fans in general are the biggest bandwagon fans. How many people talk about UofM basketball these days.... no one.. If the Tigers don't make the playoffs this year they will fade very quickly into obscurity.
4 months ago
I don't know where you get that the Colts only fill up 95%, because every game is sold out long before the season starts for every game in Indy. You have had to pay $100+ over face value on stubhub for the last couple years if you wanted to go to a Colts game and didn't get tickets the day they came out.
This year Colts games are already sold out for the entire season and you aren't going to get in for less than 250 bucks all year if you don't have seats.
Also the Pacers are a team that made the playoffs 17 out of 18 years and were in the hunt for a title every year. Up until 2 years ago the Pacers routinely sold out all the time. Now when you consider everything that has happened off the court, the team not being so good for the first time in over 20 years and the fact that Indianapolis is a tiny market (40th in the country) and it makes perfect sense that you would have a little bit of an attendance drop off.
from 4 months ago
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/attendance
You'll see the Colts, sitting last in attendance average... I don't make this stuff up, I obviously got it from somewhere and this is where.
from 4 months ago
Also, a little bit of an attendance drop off? Averaging just over 12k fans is horrible... they were also dead last in the NBA in avg attendance, meaning two teams in indianapolis are dead last in avg. attendance per home game.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/attendance?year=2007
from 4 months ago
Next time do more research, the RCA Dome has the smallest attendance size in the NFL.
http://www.stadiumguide.com/nfl/capacity.htm
from 4 months ago
and yet they still don't fill the stadium to 100% capacity....
from 4 months ago
jordan learn how things work please. That attendance number is expanded for things other than football games like concerts when they can put seats on the ground, for football all Colts games have been sold out long before the season starts for years now. Try getting a seat for a game next year, I hope you have your 250 bucks for a nosebleed seat ready.
from 2 months ago
I just bought a ticket for 40 bucks on ebay man. Isaac, you are not being honest with yourself. Our fans suuuuuuuuck.
4 months ago
It's a sad but true fact that Arizona "fans" are pretty bad. I am one of the few that truly care about the team and faithfully go to every game even when E.Go is pitching and I pretty much expect a loss. It's sad when we have such a talented team, but a half filled stadium that at one point was stuffed with fans waving pom poms. It doesn't help however, that this organization is coddling the "spectators" at the game and telling them what to do, when to cheer, when to stand up, and when to clap. If that's what it is going to take to develop some real fans, than so be it. Overall, very good list with spot on accuracy.
4 months ago
Your assumption of Detroit Red Wings fans is wrong. You just "heard" that people have tickets to the games but just aren't going. That's simply not true. The cheapest ticket in the Joe is 100 bucks right now, for a nosebleed spot. And yes, with the Michigan economy, people can't afford to go. On top of that, the Wings have been good for a long time. The prestige of the Tigers (well, not so much right now) being good is new, the prestige of the Pistons being good is still somewhat new. With those two teams playing at the same time, fans are going to pick the Tigers and Pistons over the Wings every time just because it's not as cool to go to the Wings games anymore. Blame it on bad fans if you want, but the reason people aren't there is because there's too much of a good thing.
4 months ago
a new thing with the Pistons? The Pistons have been good for years they may not have been in title contention throughout the mid to late 90's but they won 2 NBA titles in 89 and 90, that definitely isn't somewhat new. The Pistons have been good for a very long time.
from 4 months ago
They haven't been good as long as the Wings have been. On top of that, fans actually get an experience when they go to Pistons games. Not so much at Wings games. The Joe might be historic, but it's one of the worst stadiums in professional sports.
from 4 months ago
I agree with you there. The Joe is a dump haha
4 months ago
I'm from Atlanta, been a Braves and Hawks fans since I was about five years old, and I have to say your right on about the ATL.
Two months ago, I wore a Marvin Williams Jersey to school. I got asked about 20 times who he was, and some of these even claimed to be hawks fans. I also did not see another Hawks Jersey on that day. I saw Celtics, Lakers, Hornets, Magic ect. multiple times, and not a single Jersey. But when playoff time rolled around, it was a different story. Hawks Jerseys all over the place and everyone sayin "Hey Mike, you watch the game?". I was disgusted.
I
from 4 months ago
It's a shame to because Atlanta sports used to be huge in the late 80's early - mid 90's with the Braves early success and their world series title to the Hawks and Dominique Wilkens and Spud Webb, Atlanta used to be a sports powerhouse now its simmered off substantially since then. It will come back, especially if the Atlanta Hawks can continue to grow as a team and be successful for years to come.
from 4 months ago
I have to disagree with using 59 percent home attendance as a detrimental argument towards the Braves. That is the median, more or less, for MLB teams at home this season. The Braves are also still one of the bigger draws on the road in many parts of the country. I wont disagree with the Hawks, but you must admit they had a much better home court advantage this season than in years past.
Also, you bring up the Braves struggles to sell out the NLDS, yet the NBA Champion Spurs couldnt sell out their Western Conference Finals games last season. You cant pick and choose on certian points for one team, yet discard them for others. There is no merit to this article, no base to any of the arguments, and its strictly opinion. Definitely a waste of time.
from 4 months ago
Sure I can pick and choose, Spurs fans are better then fans in the ATL. I hate the Spurs but they have some solid fans. Aren't these articles mostly opinion based anyway? Just like your opinion of my article is just that, an opinion. Therefore it holds no merit either.
4 months ago
No. 1 I'm sure you are getting attacked writing your opinions like you are about LA and NY. Stay strong
No. 2 I can't stand the Lakers, but no one can touch the Buckeye fans.
hands down.
4 months ago
I noticed that you put 'Bobcats Fans' and not just Charlotte Fans. The city embraces the Panthers, but I don't see it with the Bobcats yet. However, I attended every Bobcats game this season. There are many die-hard Bobcats fans here. I think the attendance will eventually come, but many people in Charlotte are still bitter about the whole situation with the Hornets and George Shinn. Also, attendance was low at the end of the Hornets run here because everyone wanted Shinn gone. We just wanted a different owner.
4 months ago
I dont get out you but colts fans
the colts sell out and have one of the most loudest arenas
teams get 3-5 false start calls a game becuase of the crowd
4 months ago
AMEN Chris!!!!
P.S. In terms of obnoxious tendencies I would have to put Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox fans at the top of the list!!!!
4 months ago
as an arizona fan myself, i cant deny the fair weather tag. although i will say the fact that myself and many others have followed the cardinals at all given the lack of any sort of legitimacy in their 20 years in Phoenix is commendable
from 4 months ago
It is, I live in the valley also, have for most of my life and I love the Cards, not more then the Giants but I love the Cards and its like an emotional roller coaster with them every season, so much potential and they fall short, especially the last couple of seasons. Maybe this is the year. I still remember 1998 and the win over San Diego to make the playoffs and then actually beating the Cowboys in the first round.... the memories.
from 4 months ago
It is, I live in the valley also, have for most of my life and I love the Cards, not more then the Giants but I love the Cards and its like an emotional roller coaster with them every season, so much potential and they fall short, especially the last couple of seasons. Maybe this is the year. I still remember 1998 and the win over San Diego to make the playoffs and then actually beating the Cowboys in the first round.... the memories.
4 months ago
Haha yes Nick
amen is right
This guy is crazy
this is the most obvious list ever
i mean if teams are not winning obviously they are not going to have fan support
Why do i want to read about loosing teams fans?
And Nick Ian and Michael, I will be coming out with a top 10 toughest places to play at, i will come out with it tomorow,
and note to this writter
THE COLTS ARE IN IT!!
4 months ago
Detroit was actually voted as one of the top 3 fan based cities in the United States. The Red Wings throughout the season typically fill up at least 75% of the seats. Unfortunately for any city in the United States, hockey isnt the most popular sport in this country. The Pistons have also sold out over 250 consecutive games, yes, thats right, SELLOUTS, a completely filled Palace of Auburn Hills. Even with the Detroit Tigers struggling this season, Comerica Park continues to fill at least 90% of the park, because all that the people want in the city of Detroit is thier sports teams to be sucessful. Every year, thousands and thousands of Detroit sports fans buy Lion's tickets, and if you've ever gone to a game at Ford Field, it is usually almost sold out. I think the most important point in all of this is, is that if your not a professional news reporter, and unless you travel the country, and have been to sporting events in all of these cities, you have NO credibility, you have no grounds to make comments and speculations like this. This seems to be more of a bias description rather than factual, concrete information. In summary, you are an idiot, get more information before you blab your mouth.
from 4 months ago
I got plenty of information, obviously people aren't going to agree with the list thats fine. You can't call me bias when 1. I put Arizona fans on the list and I live here and am a fan of 3 of the teams here. 2. I am from NYC so I know a thing or two about New York Sports, so there is no way I am bias.
4 months ago
I am sorry, but it is a joke that Boston fans of any sort are not the top of the list. Did you see the Garden the year before last, no one was there. These fans are quite possibly the biggest bandwagoners that sports has ever seen.
The worst of the group is probably the Red Sox fans, Red Sox Nation is the biggest sham that I have ever seen. Most of the people who claim to be "Sox" fans (for the most part none of them know that there is another team with Sox in it) don't know anything about the team besides for they didn't win a world series for 86 years. They know nothing about the team, and just claim to be fans to be part of a group.
I think more importantly than anything else is that the people who claim to be Boston fans chant "Yankees Suck" whenever possible, against the Orioles or at a Boston area High School Pep rally. Personally, I think that they are jealous of the Yankees success, but it is annoying as all hell.
On another note, this list is pretty bad, I haven't read all the comments but I assume someone has made the point I am about to. The majority of the teams on this list are teams that have low attendance but the teams are terrible, what would you expect. Personally, I would call the people who actually make it out to those games of the best in all sports, supporting a loser is a honorable thing to do, and I commend all those Bobcats, Sonics and Coyotes fans out there.
4 months ago
I was talking about the team or the city as a whole with fans. Sure there are diehards for every team but many teams have bandwagon fans and this and that. If you love your team you will go to the games its that simple, many of the teams on the list don't get good attendance because fans obviously aren't that diehard if they can't support a loser.
4 months ago
And don't forget when Philly's mayor (at the time), Ed Rendell, started the infamous ice ball fight.
4 months ago
Once again, another clueless no-nothing commenting on Seattle fans. The Sonics were 28th in attendance because they HAVE THE SMALLEST ARENA. So I guess even though we have a carpetbagging owner that has been threatening to move, lying through his buck-teeth and getting caught, breaching contracts, asking for the public to finance 90% of a $500M new venue....I could go on, but the author of the article clearly isn't well read and will most likely never read this.
Seattle has supported the Sonics for 40 years, regularly has the LOWDEST CROWDS IN SPORTS, regardless of what sport it is. The wave was invented in Husky Stadium, genius. Also, please provide the number of regular season sell-outs in MLB while you're at it.
from 4 months ago
I'm the author of the article and I do read all the comments I receive. Bottom line, the city of Seattle had a chance to possibly save the Sonics this season by attending the games and showing that they care but as fans many of Seattle Sonics fans fell flat and didn't go to the game and that was most likely the final straw that broke the camels back. For a city that tried to fight for the Sonics in reality they didn't really fight that well this season. So the Sonics were bad, real bad, if the fans wanted that team to stay they would've found ways to show up at the games. If they have the smallest arena, it should be easier to fill that arena and obviously they didn't when they were 28th in attendance and only averaged 78.2% capacity which ranked 25th in the NBA.
4 months ago
yay Philly has been demoted to number 3!! haha but no we really are bad, and im proud of most of it. not cheering for injuries, though, that bothers me when im watchin my flyers
from 4 months ago
hahahaha ''...and im proud of most of it.''
hahahaha...
4 months ago
ANAHEIM DUCKS FAN ARE THE WORST BY FAR!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 months ago
Mets fans hate the Yankees, Yankee fans hate the Mets......Giants fans can't stand the Jets....Jet fans despise the Giants for all their success.
The small minority who root for both are not REAL fans they are idiots.
4 months ago
Dude here is the bottom line in NY......Real Yankee fans hate the Mets, Real Mets fans hate the Yankees, Real Giants fans laugh at the Jets, and Real Jets fans hate the Giants for their success.
The front running idiots you are talking about are the MINORITY in NY and make the rest of us look bad.
GIANTS YANKEES RANGERS 4 LIFE
JETS METS ISLANDERS SUCK
4 months ago
The Reality is that Clay Bennett has never had any intention of keeping the Sonics in Seattle, attendance or not. This list shouldn't be anymore more than a "Cities with the lowest average attendance, last year" comparison based on your writings. Really frustrating when people want to try to comment on the Sonics' situation without really knowing the full story. The national media is telling one side to the story, so unless you're from Seattle you hardly know the half of it.
4 months ago
PHILLY FANS ARE NUMBER ONE!!!! Hell yeah we'll toss your ass down the steps if you've got the other teams colors on. we dont care. you'll never see a true philly fan flip-flop. whether its 3-13 or 13-3 we always bleed eagles green.. or phillies red (well that one doesnt work very well) .. or flyers orange.. or 6ers red white and blue!
GO PHILLY!
from 4 months ago
I agree, I didnt put philly fans on this list because i didnt think they are loyal, they obviously are, I put them due to their behavior alone..
4 months ago
I give you props being a Yankees fan and not tossing Boston fans on here just out of general spite. It'd be a tough argument to make, though they're not perfect either.
4 months ago
I appreciate the tough skin it takes to write an article like this. Everyone from Detroit will hate you for picking Detroit, everyone from New York will do the same for picking New York, so on and so forth.
That being said, I think an important criteria that you missed is when a stadium boos some of it's best producers.
I hate to sound biased and pick on the yankees, but I can't tell you how many times I have watched A-Rod struggle in April and get booed despite the fact that he has been maybe the most important offensive player for their team every year he has played.
I even heard Jeter get booed once in early April when he was hitting below .200.
Attendance can be low for any number of reasons, and bandwagon fans exist in every sports market in the entire United States.
I rooted for the Celtics in every game last year, but I am not going to spend $50 dollars to go watch a team that has won 20 games when I can watch them on TV. The atmosphere at the Garden is wholly different when they are winning.
Also, Philly fans are the worst. They boo Donovan McNabb all year, call for him to be replaced every year, and all he has done is lead them to 3 conference championships (1 Jeff Garcia played in the playoffs but McNabb still had a lot of influence on the season).
Plus they booed Santa Clause, they suck
4 months ago
I think the different definitions of 'fan' have to be considered, before applying a descriptive 'good', 'bad' or 'worst'.
I've booed, cursed and thown foam objects that look astonshingly like bricks and TV remotes, at my TV during games. I can tell you that I'm not booing Jeter, A-Rod, Abreu or anyone personally. I'm booing yet another failure to score a runner from 2nd or even 3rd base with less than 2 outs. I love the Yankees and respect nearly all of them, but I'm sure they too would boo what they saw as way substandard, borderline pitiful performance.
Does anyone remember Paul O'Neill ever getting booed for hitting into a rally-killing double play? I bet not, because Paulie was way harder on himself than any fan anywhere could ever be. Paulie expected of himself what most of us expect from the team.
I think the general definition of a bad fan is someone who's excessive bad taste, class and sportsmanship ends up detracting from the game itself. Having said that I think boo-ing Santa Claus pretty much takes the cake.
4 months ago
Arizona should definitely be higher on this list; I live here so I know first-hand how pathetic they are. However the majority of them are Californians so I guess Arizona could be Los Angeles B.
4 months ago
i can see pacers being on the list but not colts.....they dont put the game on live TV in Indianpolis if the games arent sold out....and they aired every single home game....so tht means they sold out evry time
4 months ago
im a new york fan and i can say i agree we should be on the list. i am a ranger fan and i could say, the team has very loyal fans that sold out the arena even when not making the playoffs from 97-98 to 05-06. this season was supposed to be a big year for them, but all of a sudden, it was a huge boom of "long time fans"
obviously a team being good is going to draw interest, but after the famous MSG chant of "potvin sucks!", when you hear some people with rangers jerseys still with the tags asking you who potman (yes potman) is, you start to see who the real fans are. NY fans also get a bad rap because of the many corporate seating that gives the diehards like myself a bad name.
the thing about being a giants and a jets fan, i will admit, i do. but its not because of being a bandwagoner. while i have more preference to the giants (yea, i guess it seems bandwagon like) i like the jets to, but i am just not a huge football fan. with baseball, i am a yankee fan, but i dont really like baseball that much. if they missed the playoffs, i would be kind of angry, but it'd be more like "oh well"
with the rangers, i became clinically depressed when they were knocked out lol.
4 months ago
Based on how the Lions treat their fans
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/051608/spo_20080516255.shtml
I see why no one cares about football there!
4 months ago
Also, they only care about USC football, and the Lakers there. But there's as much Kobe bryant fans, as there is actual Laker fans who actually support ALL of their players and attend all the games.
from 4 months ago
they I meant LA :(
4 months ago
P.S. I meant the prior comment to be aimed toward the writer of this article who has no clue that the New York Football Giants themselves have a 30 year waiting list for season tickets.
from 4 months ago
ok J.... I know this, I am a Giants fan and a big one at that, being born in NYC, to me it comes down to a choice of who you like and who you won't like. I love the Giants and hate the Jets, I love the Yankees and hate the Mets, I love the Rangers and hate the Islanders....
4 months ago
How many ballparks are there in this country where cameras can actually see the parking lot from inside the stadium? As embarrassing as it was to see the brake lights while Gibson's homer left the park, you make it seem like every other team's fans stay through the entire game. The only reason people talk about the Dodgers is because it's the only footage you'll ever see of a stadium parking lot.
One need only watch the footage of Robert Horry's shot against Sacramento if you don't believe me that LA fans are great fans. People fail to remember that the Lakers trailed that game by 14 at the half and took their first lead of the game at the buzzer.
How about Lakers vs. Portland Game 7 in 2000? Watch the footage of that and show me an empty seat.
The only reason people get to Dodger games late is because traffic in the city sucks. That's why the Dodgers play every Friday night home game at 7:40 now. Leaving Dodger Stadium used to be a nightmare until last year. Besides, who gets World Series tickets in a city like L.A.? It's rich divorced dads who try to buy their kid's affection. You think any of them care about the game? They just wanna make sure their Porsche's don't get dinged in the parking lot.
I'm not making excuses for the people who left. I'm telling you that the people that left weren't fans. They were rich bitches with tickets.
We're talking about the city that Raider Nation called home. The same city where a Giants fan got killed in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. A city where cop cars were burned when the Lakers won in 2000 and students in Westwood got shot with rubber pellets when UCLA won the Final Four in 1995.
Believe me when I tell you that L.A. is not the worst fanbase. Where else would 19,000 people turn out to Staples Center to watch Game 7 of the 2002 NBA Playoffs? Did I mention that the game was played in Sacramento and those 19,000 were there to watch it on the jumbotron?
Take it from someone who remembers the 1988 World Series and wasn't born that year like you were. It's funny that everyone remembers the six cars in the parking lot but nobody mentions the packed bleachers. Why don't you watch the video again?
It's cool for people to hate on LA fans. My Raiders, Bruins, Lakers and Dodgers have won 13 titles in my 31 years. If they're hating I think I know why. What other city has had that kind of success? Fuck, if I was USC fan I'd be able to claim a few more rings. But then I'd kill myself.
from 4 months ago
Obviously there wouldn't be an empty seat in the Staples Center for Game 7, that's because it was a GAME 7!!
from 4 months ago
Read what I wrote. The game was in Sacramento. They were showing the game on the jumbotron at Staples Center.
from 4 months ago
And I'm talking about game 7 vs. Portland. Which took place at the Staples Center
4 months ago
So you're saying that if that World Series game in 1988 was a Game 7 instead of a Game 1 that nobody would have left?
from 4 months ago
dude, its just a damn list, it isnt the official document for sports and fans.... relax
4 months ago
I think you would've been just fine listing Pacers fans, but taking a shot a Colts fans is pretty laughable. I think there are enough stats to the contrary that suggest Colts fan are, indeed, solid fans.
I mean, you've got them on the same list as Bobcats fans, who don't even show up. If you want to squabble over some 95.1 attendance rate at the RCA Dome, OK, but doing so on a list like this one -- about bad fanbases -- is pretty convoluted, when it's pretty obvious that Colts fans are, indeed, showing up and supporting the team.
Also, such things as rising ticket prices and increased ticket scalping (which both apply to the Colts) contribute to attendance rates as well. Calling a someone a bad fan because they can't afford a ticket is pretty lazy on your part.
In the end, grabbing a stat or two off some websites will only get you so far in terms of the whole story.
4 months ago
1. Charlotte Bobcats have no fans because no one in the state of North Carolina cares about the NBA. It's all about college hoops during that time of year. People in this area love the passion and teamwork that the college level offers, but the pros lack. I will say that the Panthers have really been embraced in that city.
2. Are you really taking shots at New Orleans fans? I'm nor expert but I do believe that If you add up the cost of going to a season of NBA games it is considerably higher then going to a season of NFL games. Maybe the Hornets lack of attendance can be explained through simple economics.
4 months ago
1. Charlotte Bobcats have no fans because no one in the state of North Carolina cares about the NBA. It's all about college hoops during that time of year. People in this area love the passion and teamwork that the college level offers, but the pros lack. I will say that the Panthers have really been embraced in that city.
2. Are you really taking shots at New Orleans fans? I'm no expert but I do believe that If you add up the cost of going to a season of NBA games it is considerably higher then going to a season of NFL games. Maybe the Hornets lack of attendance can be explained through simple economics.
4 months ago
Wow, can't believe Detroit made the list. They've sold out EVERY game since Ford Field opened (2002) over the worst stretch of profession football in the history of the NFL. Of course there are going to be some boos. I can't think of any fans (other than possibly Green Bay) that would continue to sell out given the state of that franchise. The Pistons sell more tickets than any other club in the NBA and have for the last ten years. As for the Red Wings, prior to this year they were always sold out. The stark reality of this year is that with a bad economy, fans have had to make a choice. Other than Canadian clubs, any other city will always choose basketball over hockey. Even with that, the Wings still sold more tickets this year than the majority of the league. Excuse us for not being number one EVERY year. Tigers set franchise records this year AND last with both a dominating and struggling club. Not exactly sure what your criteria are, but most all independent fan statistics place detroit fans in the top five. As for the fight in the palace, I've seen small empty plastic cups thrown in nearly every stadium I've ever been to. To blame all Detroit fans for the asinine actions of Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson is pretty poor reporting.
from 4 months ago
Pistons fans incited the situation by throwing the cup at Artest. They also didn't make it any better by running onto the court and going after anybody with a Pacers jersey, if you ask me all Pistons fans acted like idiotic animals that day, sure the Pacers are at fault also but that night was the fault of the Pistons fans
4 months ago
If you say so. You've already proved to be quite an authority.
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