Fans That Other Fans Love to Hate

There are some fans we love to hate. Whether its entitlement, ego, propensity toward violence, excessive body and face paint—there are a myriad of reasons why we hate who we hate.

I'm not talking about rival fans.  That's easy.  We are brought into this world with that gene of malevolence.

I'm talking about fans that when you walk into a bar in any city in America and state your hatred of these fans, you get a wave of universal nods down the barstool line.

I'm talking about those fans that force their way into our collective conscious. As hard as we try not to care, they make us hate them.  We try to turn the other way, but they circle around and plant their spudly mugs right in front of our faces.

Please note, not all fans in cities noted are to be condemned. I do realize that there are good fans even in New York. Please don't spend time defending yourself if you happen to be "one of the good ones."

If you feel you must, OK.

The slides are in no particular order—I'll leave that up to you all. In addition, let me know who I missed. Or attempt to defend the bad and occasionally abhorrent behavior of your fanmates.

Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies Fans

Oh, they may seem docile... perhaps when sober. This is a fanbase that's easy to hate.  They had a criminal court installed at Veterans Stadium!

From throwing batteries at Dick Allen, the Phillies first African American player, to booing halftime act Santa Clause, to cheering Michael Irvin's career-ending neck injury as he lay on the ground, to a myriad of other examples, Philly fans will show time and time again why they have a permanent place on this list.

Did I forget to mention the Philly fan intentionally vomiting on an 11-year-old girl?

Ever sat in the old 700 section at Veterans Stadium? Ever not seen a fight?

These fans are knowledgeable enough sports fans. What they lack is any sense of fair play and decorum.

New York Jets Fans

Here's another classy fanbase that likes to cheer injury—Chad Pennington '07 season. The probability of a painted face, chest, etc., helps to put a bull's-eye on their back.

This is also one of the most bipolar fanbases.  They get so high and so low. They don't ride the waves. Everything is either the second coming of Joe Namath or the second coming of 1996.

And they verbalize everything. Seemingly unfamiliar with the ability to keep some things to themselves, Jets fans love to talk—talk smack, talk about the beer their drinking, the pepper and egg sandwich their holding in one hand and the knish in the other. 

Finger to lips: Shhhhh.

I do need to add here, an honorable mention for the Kansas City fans who beat up the Jet fan. To bring up 9/11 the way they did is bad enough, but to physically assault another fan?

KC normally a whatever, don't care about them fanbase, has shown with this incident that perhaps they'd like to join the pantheon of detested fanbases with another truly disgusting act.

Cheers to a full recovery for James Mohr.

Chicago Cubs Fans

Unlike the Jets' fanbase, Cubs' fans stay low, stay depressed.  Spring training opens with optimism—tempered optimism.  The fog of negativity that ensconces this fanbase is pathetic.

The whining could stop any day now, too.  So you haven't won a World Series in a 100-plus years? 

Get over it.  It's a privilege, not a right.  Field a better team, and you'll have more wins—difficult formula to follow I know. 

Or, bring the goat back for another cathartic—"Hey Sam, rid us of this curse!  We like your goat now. See?  He's on the field!" 

(Cubs' fans will whine and complain that where the goat was eating led to the Soriano error that lost the one-game playoff to get into the real playoffs, but that's later.)

The commitment Cubs fans have to their "Loveable Losers" is admirable.  Or just sad.

What this fanbase did to Steve Bartman is pure evil.  Vilified and threatened, this guy had to go into hiding. His life was forever transformed in a moment of lapsed judgment. 

Los Angeles Dodgers Fans

Notorious for arriving in the fifth and leaving in the seventh is bad enough.  As sports fans, this is pretty foreign to us. 

We get leaving in a blowout.  We get leaving if the weather is brutal.  We don't understand arriving so late and leaving early.

These fans are simply so apathetic that it's mind-boggling.

We don't get Dodger dogs.  We don't get why you think you're so cool or so good.  The Dodgers haven't won the pennant since '88.  Your owner is a like a microcosm of your city—divorce, greed and pettiness.

The beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow is another black eye—actually this is more a detached retina than black eye.  This will go down as one of the most disgusting acts ever committed by sports fans.

From latest news and notes (via ESPN), Mr. Stow seems to be improving.  Here's to you, Bryan.  Feel better soon.

New York Yankees Fans

Entitled, egotistical, obnoxious—I think I can end my reasoning here.  But I won't.

I will admit the payroll and commitment to it is frustrating.  I wish my team had the cavalier attitude that goes along with owning the YES Network.  I wish my team was a perennial contender.

Regardless, Yankee fans make you put your head in your hands and mutter "Just so annoying" over and over and over and over...

Oakland Raiders Fans

Like rejects from a Mad Max film, this fanbase takes game day a little too seriously. 

Their dudes are the best, the baddest, and their woman are the hottest—just ask 'em.

They come out dressed to the nines, and their team, save for a bit of a nice run game this year, is so bad.  And it has been for while.  I admire the diehard attitude, but seriously?   Reality is not just a TV show genre.

It's honestly expected that communication is done through a series of grunts and blunted hand signals.

Los Angeles Laker Fans

When they're not on the phone during the game, they're not attending.  Without a competitive team this fanbase has proven time and time again that they won't care.  This is a "Charlie Sheen—Winning!" franchise.  When the team is not "in it" or playing well, they just don't care—they tune out.

There is a nightclub in the arena—simply ridiculous.

Fair weather? As temperate as L.A. in the winter.

And they reside in a city that brought us the Kardashians. Guilt by association.

Dallas Cowboys Fans

America's team—this statement alone enables every sports fan for every other team, real or imagined, still playing or long relocated, to hate the Cowboys.

They are barely Texas' team anymore with the boys down south playing rather well these days.

Another fanbase of entitled, egotistical folk, who expect the Super Bowl every year. Not sure if this is just pure balls or blindly audacious. Either way, love to see them get their hopes up. Did they really not see that Romo INT coming?

Green Bay Packer Fans

They wear cheese on their heads. They have embraced what was once a negative moniker for someone from Wisconsin.

They paint themselves in green and gold more than any self-respecting fan would or should.

They "own" their team. It's not some massive corporation pulling the strings—they actually own stock in the team.

Their waiting list for season tickets is more than 81,000 names—in a city of 104,000 people!!!!

They would just as soon say, "Ya hey der, have a Point" (Trans: How are you? Have a beer.) as talk smack.

They have had a Pro Bowl QB for the last 20 years. While the rest of us go through change and turnover—literally.

Arizona: All Teams

Seemingly the newbie on the block, they have actually had a professional team, the Suns, in Phoenix since 1968.  You would think this uber boring fanbase would be more knowledgeable.

They now have the Cardinals ('88), who they stole from St. Louis, the Diamondbacks ('98) and the Coyotes ('96) who they bullied and stole from Winnipeg.

For most sports fans, Phoenix isn't even a real sports city.  We'll give you your Luis Gonzalez moment...

This is just such a vanilla fanbase—neither raucous nor overly emotional. 

They have a pool inside Chase Field.

They have a California Cheesesteak (Philly fans are laughing so hard, they can't throw their AAs straight.)  They have a macaroni and cheese hot dog on the menu, more than one salad and a "Healthy Snack Basket."  Let's not forget the grilled mango and papaya garnished cocktail.

This is a fanbase that brings juice boxes for the kids when they go to a game.

Seriously? 

I don't know if this is hate or just dismissive annoyance.