ESPN: The Great Debate of 'America's Team' (Pats Included)

[jmt57]

I can confidently say that for decades and even when they sucked,the Steelers have and had a larger fan base than ANY team in the NFL - Period...

The Steelers do indeed have a large and loyal fan base that is spread out across the nation, but prior to this decade it seems to me that the two biggest fan bases were that of the Cowboys and Raiders. The resurgence of the Steelers this decade on the field, along with the Cowboys inability to win a playoff game and the Raiders descent in to the abyss seems to coincide with Steelers Nation being lauded as the number one fan base.

On the other hand you have to wonder what would happen if their team was really bad for a while, with a few two or three win seasons. For forty years the Steelers have been good; they've probably only had one or two back-to-back losing seasons since the first Noll and Bradshaw team made the playoffs and have had only a couple of double digit losing seasons. The vast majority that follow that team now have no idea what they were like in the 60's or what it's like to follow a truly horrible team suffering through a two or three win season. For as much as they revel in labeling others as bandwagon fans, I'd be very curious to see what back-to-back seasons with double digit losses - or worse - would do to their fan base.

 

[LeonPowe]

Steelers fans brag that they suffered through the 80's and 90's, calling them "lean years". And yet in the 80's they were just coming off of 4 super bowl championships and they made the playoffs several times in that decade, and made it to the Super Bowl in the 90's and had consistently good teams near the end of the 90's carrying into this decade.

And yeah, they do revel in calling everyone else bandwagoners. And yet you ask them when they became fans, and they all say the 70's.

 

[Ryan]

One thing I don't understand is why so many people accuse the Patriots of having nothing but bandwagon fans. I'm sure there have been a good amount of fans that have jumped on the bandwagon since the team became so great, but why are the Patriots so specifically targeted when it comes to this? Throughout recent years I've seen this said in a lot of places and I don't get it. Haven't Pats games sold out going back to 1994? Hasn't the team had a solid fanbase in NE for a long time? I certainly remember a LOT of Patriots fans here in MA before the 2001 Super Bowl season.....

I'm guessing it's just more B.S. from haters, but I find it really odd that they resort to accusing the fanbase of not being loyal.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

One thing I don't understand is why so many people accuse the Patriots of having nothing but bandwagon fans. I'm sure there have been a good amount of fans that have jumped on the bandwagon since the team became so great, but why are the Patriots so specifically targeted when it comes to this? Throughout recent years I've seen this said in a lot of places and I don't get it. Haven't Pats games sold out going back to 1994? Hasn't the team had a solid fanbase in NE for a long time? I certainly remember a LOT of Patriots fans here in MA before the 2001 Super Bowl season.....

I'm guessing it's just more B.S. from haters, but I find it really odd that they resort to accusing the fanbase of not being loyal.

You make a good point. However, every winner has Bandwagon fans. It's human nature. Folks want to identify with a winner. Personally, I don't have any problem with these fans, unless and until they reveal the shallowness of their support during tough times or demonstrate their lack of understanding of the game itself.

But I do think there is a fair contrast to be made between franchises that have old and deep fan bases (like the Giants, Steelers, Cowboys, Packers and others) and franchises who have begun to find their legs in the last decade or so. I also think it's fair to put the Pats in the latter category. While many individuals surely have been "loyal" since 1994, 14 seasons isn't a long time in the NFL.

The Franchise has had four different owners in its 50 year history and arguably was without a lot of direction until the Krafts came along in 1994 (though folks tend to forget that it was Orthwein who brought in Parcells in 1993, a defining moment if there ever was one for the Patriots). As someone who attended his first Pats game in 1974 (thus my nick), I feel that that represented a sea change for the Franchise, even though it took the better part of a decade for it to bear the fruit we enjoy today.

As to whether the Pats have more than their share of bandwagon fans, well I really have no way of making that determination. I am, though, frequently impressed by the number of folks who blog and post about the team who don't seem to understand the extraordinary nature of what the Patriots have accomplished since 2001; this was never more in evidence than in the first weeks after Matt replaced Tommy last year when many indeed revealed the shallowness of their support for the team and their lack of understanding of how hard it is to succeed in the NFL.

 

[TruthSeeker]

But I do think there is a fair contrast to be made between franchises that have old and deep fan bases (like the Giants, Steelers, Cowboys, Packers and others) and franchises who have begun to find their legs in the last decade or so. I also think it's fair to put the Pats in the latter category. While many individuals surely have been "loyal" since 1994, 14 seasons isn't a long time in the NFL.

I disagree. I don't think you've made your case at all that the Patriots don't have an old and deep fan base. I think a proper interpretation of the facts reveals the opposite.

Exactly what success were the Patriots building on in 1994? Oh, that's right, they were a 5-11 team. That must have been an aberration; surely a blip from their success 1992. Actually, they were 2-14 in 1992. Oops. Do you even want to ask about 1991 or 1990? I didn't think so.

What you have is a team that was in shambles in their recent history. And yet, with only hope and faith to rely on, Patriot fans bought up all the season tickets - and then some, creating a waiting list that continues to this day. What kind of fan purchases tickets for a team that has had the worst record in the NFL 2 of the previous 4 years? Certainly not a bandwagon fan. No, the kind of fan that buys these tickets is diehard fan that now has a reason to hope and believe that things are finally getting better.

The Patriots had a solid fanbase for years in New England. Yes, a lot of people (including myself) rooted some for the Giants as New England was the home market of the Giants in the 60s. And yet, I never saw passionate Giants fans around. I certainly never saw much Giants paraphernalia. The Giants were a minor sidebar even though they had just won the Super Bowl in 1990.

No, New England was dominated by Patriots fans. This was despite the fact that the Patriots had, at some point every decade, been the laughingstock of the NFL. Their owner and their stadium were continually mocked; their team sometimes mocked.

What kind of fanbase sells out the stadium with that legacy? A dedicated, passionate fanbase.