Bulls fan base growing?

[Lex L.]

The Bulls have an enormous following. This goes back to the Jordan Era. But it seems like there have been more Bulls fans at the road games in California than there has been...at least for a long time. It seems like when the Bulls have been playing in Stales (specifically) the building has lit up more when the Bulls have done something positive.

Maybe Im wrong but it just seems like the Bulls fans have been more prevalent on this recent road trip.

 

[inactiveuser1]

There are plenty of fair-weather fans out there and since the bulls have the reigning MVP and are picked to do well, I'm sure they would start following the Bulls. But that's not all of it, I'm sure the fan base is growing and becoming more dedicated

 

[Crystallas]

The Bulls are trending upwards, no doubt.

 

[Uman85]

I hate bandwagoners. Especially when they're on my wagon.

 

[DCguy]

Oh yeah I caught on to that around February last season. I had an old friend who got on me around 03 for liking the Bulls telling me they will never win nothing. Last April he running around talking about his Bulls about to win it all lol. He actually was talking to me about it like he been a fan all along.

 

[Scoot26]

To me you're a true Bulls fan if you were a fan during the Jordan years and then stuck with the team during the post-Jordan era (before Ben Gordon). Most of us became Bulls fans when Jordan was around, the team was already good. I of course was only 7 when Jordan made his return to basketball in 1995 and thats when I became a fan.

 

[Lex L.]

To me you're a true Bulls fan if you were a fan during the Jordan years and then stuck with the team during the post-Jordan era (before Ben Gordon). Most of us became Bulls fans when Jordan was around, the team was already good. I of course was only 7 when Jordan made his return to basketball in 1995 and thats when I became a fan.

What does that mean? What qualifies as stickign with them? Does that mean watching the Bulls on a game in, game out basis even though they were losing 60 something games? Does that mean not changing teams? Does it mean still wearing your gear even when they were losing 60 something games?

In some cases, dormant Bulls fans are being confused as bandwagoners.

Another thing that people need to realize is that when Jordan retired in 99, a lot of people simply stopped following the NBA. Those people didn't start following other teams. They also didn't continue following the Bulls or anyother team. So, if those people start following the NBA again because they see the Bulls re-emerging, are they bandwagoners?

Does anyone remember Reinsdorfs Special person ad campaign guilting people into going to the games during the dead years? The slogan was, "I never jumped off the bandwagon".

 

[Scoot26]

What does that mean? What qualifies as stickign with them? Does that mean watching the Bulls on a game in, game out basis even though they were losing 60 something games? Does that mean not changing teams? Does it mean still wearing your gear even when they were losing 60 something games?

In some cases, dormant Bulls fans are being confused as bandwagoners.

Another thing that people need to realize is that when Jordan retired in 99, a lot of people simply stopped following the NBA. Those people didn't start following other teams. They also didn't continue following the Bulls or anyother team. So, if those people start following the NBA again because they see the Bulls re-emerging, are they bandwagoners?

Does anyone remember Reinsdorfs Special person ad campaign guilting people into going to the games during the dead years? The slogan was, "I never jumped off the bandwagon".

To me its you still call yourself a Bulls fan. TO me its you'll still watch a game (You don't have to. I don't even watch every regular season game when they are good). I had many friends who were "fans" during the championships and as soon as the Bulls sucked, they didnt call themselves a Bulls fan anymore and made fun of me for still being one. Then as soon as they are good again, suddenly the Bulls are okay to be a fan of. You don't need to go to games, don't need to spend money on merchandise, but at the end of the day you still call yourself a fan of the team.

 

[Crystallas]

To me you're a true Bulls fan if you were a fan during the Jordan years and then stuck with the team during the post-Jordan era (before Ben Gordon). Most of us became Bulls fans when Jordan was around, the team was already good. I of course was only 7 when Jordan made his return to basketball in 1995 and thats when I became a fan.

I was a fan before Jordan.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

The fan base is growing largely because young Chicago-native fans are being introduced to basketball now due to the Bulls being so good.

It's the same concept as a lot of us became Bulls'/basketball fans in the 90's because of how good the team was back then.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

I never had the opportunity to become a Bulls' fan before Jordan. But it certainly doesn't discredit your fanhood because you are introduced to a sport because you fall in love with watching one team.

 

[Lex L.]

To me its you still call yourself a Bulls fan. TO me its you'll still watch a game (You don't have to. I don't even watch every regular season game when they are good). I had many friends who were "fans" during the championships and as soon as the Bulls sucked, they didnt call themselves a Bulls fan anymore and made fun of me for still being one. Then as soon as they are good again, suddenly the Bulls are okay to be a fan of. You don't need to go to games, don't need to spend money on merchandise, but at the end of the day you still call yourself a fan of the team.

To me, it's that you simply can't change teams. During the lean years people were bitter about what happened and how Reinsdorf backed Krause the way he did. In this regard, you could say that the allegiance was divided between the logo and the people on the team. Not everyone views management as "the team". It's hard to fault them for that. I don't think you can say someone jumped off the bandwagon simply because they held/hold management in disdain. And so, if you merely stop going or stop watching, you're not off the bandwagon. You're not necessarily off the bandwagon if you don't go around saying, "Go Bulls!", provided that you don't start backing another team.

There are a lot of people who stopped watching the NBA when Jordan retired in 99. If those people started following the NBA again because the Bulls are good, then I think they're still Bulls fans.

 

[Lex L.]

I never had the opportunity to become a Bulls' fan before Jordan. But it certainly doesn't discredit your fanhood because you are introduced to a sport because you fall in love with watching one team.

I actually became a Bulls fan because of Jordan going there as a rookie. Before Jordan, I would have never watched an NBA game on a Tuesday night in November. I also had some of his gear. That may seem bandwagon until you remember that they weren't very good in those years. This is why following the Bulls/Jordan growing up has been so intensely gratifying.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

There is something called a true fan (sticking with your original team through good times and bad), a bandwagon fan (jumping to a different team at some point), and a fair-weather fan (perhaps sticking with one team but only caring/pay attention when they are actually good).

The most noble is a true fan, obviously.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

I actually became a Bulls fan because of Jordan going there as a rookie. Before Jordan, I would have never watched an NBA game on a Tuesday night in November. I also had some of his gear. That may seem bandwagon until you remember that they weren't very good in those years. This is why following the Bulls/Jordan growing up has been so intensely gratifying.

As long as you never claimed to be a fan of another team before that, I can't claim you are a bandwagon fan.

 

[Crystallas]

I couldn't care less if someone becomes a bandwagon fan. If you talk out of your ass, it doesn't matter if you're a bandwagoner or a die-hard.

 

[Lex L.]

There is something called a true fan (sticking with your original team through good times and bad), a bandwagon fan (jumping to a different team at some point), and a fair-weather fan (perhaps sticking with one team but only caring/pay attention when they are actually good).

The most noble is a true fan, obviously.

It depends on why. In the case of the Bulls, people can't be faulted for not wanting to be a party to supporting the organization that chose Krause over Phil. This is not the same as not following/liking the Celtics simply because Garnett/Allen/Pierce became too old.

There are some situations that give people amnesty.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

It depends on why. In the case of the Bulls, people can't be faulted for not wanting to be a party to supporting the organization that chose Krause over Phil. This is not the same as not following/liking the Celtics simply because Garnett/Allen/Pierce became too old.

There are some situations that give people amnesty.

Okay, perhaps "true fan" was not the proper label. Maybe you can be a "true fan" even if you are kind of a fair-weather-er. I certainly give the non-fair-weather-er's extra props, though.

 

[Lex L.]

Okay, perhaps "true fan" was not the proper label. Maybe you can be a "true fan" even if you are kind of a fair-weather-er. I certainly give the non-fair-weather-er's extra props, though.

Like I said, I think more people would have been OK with the Bulls being bad post Jordan if it hadn't been so ugly with management. So, it's not so much that the Bulls became really bad per se. I don't think the term "fairweather" really applies here for the most part.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Like I said, I think more people would have been OK with the Bulls being bad post Jordan if it hadn't been so ugly with management. So, it's not so much that the Bulls became really bad per se. I don't think the term "fairweather" really applies here for the most part.

To an extent, I'd say it does. I think everybody is a bit of a fairweather-er to an extent though, so I won't judge you for it.

The people who blindly follow a team no matter how idiotic their personnel has become make me scratch my head, too. There is a limit. Cannot deny their loyalty though.