In 1990, Johnny Gill sang a song called “Fair-weather Friend.” For those of you who don’t remember that song, the chorus went like this:
I won’t be a friend of fair weather
I will be there until the end
Even through stormy weather
And again
Is there anything worse in sports than a fan of good weather? Being a fan of fair weather is like betting your friend on a game and saying that your little brother will pay the debt if you lose. Or how to choose the winner of the Superbowl… after the Superbowl. You have nothing acquired. Fair weather freaks are ruining sports. It was easy to root for the Lakers or Celtics in the ’80s, the Bulls in the ’90s or the Patriots as soon as Drew Bledsoe lost his job to Tom Brady. It is easy. It’s easy to root for Tar Heels basketball or even Red Wings hockey, but picking a team and sticking with it during stormy weather is the sign of a true fan.
In no other aspect of life is it “okay” to have a good time. If you knew that you had a friend who would run whenever problems arose in your life, you would not be friends with that person. Now that my Lakers are struggling in these playoffs, I have the Cleveland Caviler fans complaining. Seriously, Cavs fans? I didn’t know Cavs fans existed. I thought they were a myth like the Yeti. 99% of these “Cavs” didn’t even know the Cavs existed 10 years ago, and the 3 people who did thought they were the Calves and couldn’t figure out why the team was named after a baby cow. These are the same people who couldn’t name 5 people on the team who aren’t named LeBron, Mo or Big Z.
I understand that everyone wants to cheer on a winner. I get it. What bothers me is when a fair-weather fan gives a real fan a complaint about his team. The reason is this; Good time fans don’t understand how much it hurts a true fan when their team loses. If the Cavs are beaten in the playoffs, the fair weather fan will be disappointed for a few minutes and then move on. Whereas a true fan team loses and their day is pretty much ruined.
They have sports etiquette on the court, now the fans need to have the same. It’s fine if you want to be a fan of fair weather, but you have no right to give someone else a hard time about their gear. There are some who became Cavs fans when LeBron was drafted, that’s great. I understand that others like the Cavs now because they are winning. Penalty fee. I understand that people are drawn to a winning team, but I hope all these Cavs fans will stick with their team when 23 has a new home at Madison Square Garden. Hopefully then we’ll see if they can take the rain.