A Fan Faux Pas?

[IrishCanadian25]

For those of you who listen to Mike & Mike in the Morning, there was an interesting discussion this morning based on one fan's question - and it resulted in said fan being banned from the show. I figure we'll discuss it here.

A fan has tickets to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Chicago. Said fan is a Blackhawks fan.

The issue? The Hawks are up 3-2 in the series, and if they win game 6 in Philly, the Cup is theirs on the road and Game 7 won't happen.

So this fan asks - "is it ever acceptable to root for the opponent in this situation?

Basically, can he root for the Flyers to win Game 6 so he can go to Game 7?

On one hand, if the Hawks lose Game 6, there's no promise they'll win game 7, so this fan may be in line for watching the opponents win the title on HIS home ice.

On the other hand, the Stanley Cup Finals are an amazing event, and Game 7 of that tournament is a whole other level of sports experiences.

So I ask - is this fan in the clear rooting for the Flyers against HIS Blackhawks, so that he can see game 7? Or should we ban that fan from Wrestlezone, too?

 

[klunderbunker]

Not ok. Your team is your team no matter what. If you get to game 7, you could lose, which would be even worse. If you win game 6, instead of game 7 you have a banner raising to go to. This is absolutely not ok at all and is selfish thinking which puts the fan over the team. You cheer for the team to win no matter what, period.

 

[Ferbian]

I wouldn't necessarily say that he should be frowned upon for wanting to go to a game to watch his team.

I don't have access to all the American sports and such so I can't exactly say about the great experience behind the said "game 7" but if it truly is sport experience on a completely new level, can you really blame him for wanting to experience it?

He paid for the tickets, so of course you'd guess he should be in his right to want to experience it, I don't see the problem in cheering against his favorite team for that, it's not like cheering for a team necessarily means "oh shit, they won't win if I don't cheer" you'll end up like good old Jim Belushi (standing in specific positions etc. when his good old Chicago Cubs etc. were scoring).

So yes I would say it's not exactly something that should be frowned upon, even if it means that they may very well not win the 7th game, but you can't say until the 7th game has happened, and even if he chooses to cheer for the Flyers over the Blackhawks, it doesn't necessarily make a difference.

Edit: And something tells me I'm gonna be frowned upon for having this opinion, reading KB's post, but let me ask, wouldn't you want to experience something that involves such a great experience?

I'm gonna bring in wrestling in this, Wrestlemania happens every year, but wouldn't you be bummed if there was one specific event that caused Wrestlemania not to happen, if you had the tickets for it? it goes for any sport, I would cheer against my team if it ment that my team looses, and I could experience the greatness behind something, no matter the result of it.

And as I said, you're sole cheer, won't make a difference, I'm very certain about that.

 

[hatehabsforever]

You can never cheer against you own team, especially in the finals, of any major profesional sports league. Because there are no guarantees of what the future holds. You have to cheer for your team to win its respective title whenever, however they can.

Just ask Zdeno Chara or any other Bruin or any Boston fan. Even a 3-0 lead is no guarantee. How can you cheer for the Flyers to win Game 6, knowing they could then carry momentum into Game 7. Or benefit from a lucky bounce. Or a bad call by the refs or whatever. You could be cheering for your team to lose, and lose the whole series in the process.

Unforgivable. Unacceptable. In my opinion.

 

[Super Hans]

If you cheer against your own team for your own gain then in my eyes you aint a real fan.That shit is sacrilege!

 

[Dave]

For me, it really depends on the scenario at hand.

Take for example, this upcoming World Cup. Scotland will not be participating but if they were, I would be behind them with more than 100%. England, on the other hand, will be competing in the World Cup finals and although a lot of Scottish people still hold a grudge against the "Auld Enemy", I will be backing them wholeheartedly. It would be the exact same scenario if Scotland were involved in the competition. You see, most of Scotland's budget for sport comes directly from the England to Scotland budget and a World Cup win is sure to make increase our budget for sport. In this scenario, I see no reason why I shouldn't support the "opposition". I am being completely selfish in doing so, like the fan in question.

In the named scenario though, it really does depend on how sure the fan is that his team are going to win the final match. If he is sure that they will, at home, then I see no problem with it. However, I could never bring myself to support the team my team are playing against for the sake of another game. Personally, this doesn't come down to your loyalty to your club, it comes down to the loyalty to yourself. If you want to see a gold-dust seventh game, then so be it.

 

[People's Champ]

No no no no no no no and no. (I think that's enough NOs). In no way is it acceptable to root against your own team for anything. Whoever that guy is is just a plain idiot. Not a real fan at all. Should the Flyers win Game 6, they have a shot at winning Game 7. He could attend a game where he watches the Blackhawks meltdown, or get extremely unlucky and lose. Having your team win a championship is the ultimate goal of any true fan, tickets to the next game or not. What a disgrace. There are absolutely no excuses to root against your team.

 

[Stormtrooper]

The aforementioned fan is a fool, for rooting against his favorite team, for a selfish gain. No true fan can root against their favorite team.

However, I think that there is a sort of middle ground. He should root his ass off for the Blackhawks, but if they lose, take solace in the fact that he will be at Game 7. Never though should he openly root against his team, that is against the unwritten rules of fandom.

 

[gd]

You don't do this. Have to always vote for you team. Seems like the only logical thing to do. Even in this situation, no way you should root against your team. Maybe secretly deep down inside, but not really. The biggest part about being a fan is rooting for your team no matter what.