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Best, worst and most obnoxious MLB fan bases
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Best, worst and most obnoxious fan bases in baseball

The best fans tend to show up to the ballpark no matter what state the team is in. Of course, it's hard to blame the folks who don't show up when their teams put a bad product out on the field.

Here we display the five best and five worst MLB fan bases mostly attributed to fan attendance whether the team is winning or losing.

 
1 of 10

Best: Chicago Cubs

Best: Chicago Cubs
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

From the Curse of the Billy Goat to Steve Bartman, Chicago Cubs fans have been to hell and back, but there they are every single season, still supporting the old Cubbies at Wrigley Field and all along Waveland Avenue. It truly is a shock to see just how much this team is supported on the north side. An example here is the 2011 Cubs, who finished with a 61-101 record. Despite this, they ranked fifth in the National League in attendance at nearly 36,000 per game.  Of course, that loyalty has paid off with the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series and becoming a power.

 
2 of 10

Worst: Minnesota Twins

Worst: Minnesota Twins
Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images

From 2001-10, the Twins finished with a winning record nine times. During that very same 10-year stretch, the team earned a playoff spot six times. Despite all this, Minnesota finished in the top five in the American League in attendance just one time. Playing at the old Metrodome surely didn't help, but the team deserved more support than that. Now playing at the new Target Field, the Twins saw their attendance drop in each of its first six seasons. That's annoying. Come on, man. 

 
3 of 10

Best: Kansas City Royals

Best: Kansas City Royals
Denny Medley/USA Today Images

This isn't all about attendance. It could be about baseball atmosphere and the willingness of die-hard fans to support a losing brand. Prior to winning the World Series in 2015, Kansas City had failed to finish outside of the bottom six in the American League in attendance during a 21-year span. What the fans did bring was some good behavior,  solid energy to Kauffman Stadium and a willingness to cheer for a losing brand. When attending, one wouldn't know you were watching a last-place team. That tells us a story of a fan base that's about as loyal as any in the game. 

 
4 of 10

Worst: Oakland Athletics

Worst: Oakland Athletics
Noah Graham/Getty Images

It's hard to blame A's fans for not showing up. Their team plays in a dump of a stadium. The owner of the team is unwilling to spend to keep homegrown talent. Heck, it's almost as if A's fans have to buy new jerseys each season. Even then, this is a team that Billy Beane has made into contenders for the better part of the past 20 years, earning eight playoff appearances during that span. The issue here is a lack of a widespread fan base. Despite winning an average of 95 games in 2012 and 2013, Oakland averaged 21,000 in attendance. That's just plain horrible. It's also rather embarrassing. 

 
5 of 10

Best: Boston Red Sox

Best: Boston Red Sox
Michael Ivins/Getty Images

Say what you want about how boisterous the Chowder Heads are. They let the opposing team know that this is Boston and the Red Sox's home field. That's what makes Fenway Park such an experience for fans of all teams. What separates Boston fans from all those other loud, annoying fan bases is that they have an intimate knowledge of the game of baseball in general and the Red Sox specifically. You'll never be left wanting for intelligent baseball conversation, no matter how loud it might get. 

 
6 of 10

Worst: Los Angeles Dodgers

Worst: Los Angeles Dodgers
Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Having experienced Dodger Stadium, one thing did stand out to me. The whole "arriving in the third inning and leaving in the seventh" really happens and it's obnoxious. More than this, Dodgers fans simply are not engaged in the game. Instead, they seem more intent on making it a social gathering with selfies and Snapchats. The stadium may be great, but the experience leaves a whole heck of a lot to be desired. Such is the nature of the beast in Southern California, I guess. 

 
7 of 10

Best: Seattle Mariners

Best: Seattle Mariners
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Seattle finished in the top five in the American League in attendance in each of its final three seasons at the Kingdome. Considering how run-down that venue was and the fact that the Mariners finished with 76 wins their final season at the old stadium, this is an amazing accomplishment. As we have seen with the other professional sports teams in this city, most recently the NFL's Seahawks, this isn't necessarily an exception to the rule. Knowledgeable and passionate, Seattle is a tremendous sports city. That's taken on a new meaning in baseball. Heck, the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers) drew decent support in one season in the city despite some major issues with the stadium and ownership group. 

 
8 of 10

Worst: San Francisco Giants

Worst: San Francisco Giants
Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

The Giants failed to finish in the top five in the National League in attendance in any of their final 10 seasons at Candlestick Park. Now that they have the crown jewel of a stadium near the bay, the team has finished in the top five with regularity. This tells us a story of a front-running fan base that wasn't prepared to support its team when it was down on its luck and playing at a crappy stadium. So while we all enjoy AT&T Park here in the bay and have seen a ton of recent success, this is something that baseball purists should never forget. 

 
9 of 10

Best: St. Louis Cardinals

Best: St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Baseball in St. Louis is a pastime. It represents everything that's right about middle America. Go to a Cardinals game during the day, and you'll see this firsthand. The atmosphere is as electric as any stadium in baseball, and the fans are as knowledgeable as anyone else. The stadium is always filled, the conversations are intelligent and there's a sense of respect for the game's past. It's one of the rare times you can go to an opposing team's venue and really enjoy the home crowd. That says a lot about fans in St. Louis. 

 
10 of 10

Worst: Philadelphia Philles

Worst: Philadelphia Philles
Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images

When the Phillies are winning, everything is fine and dandy. The team finished in the top six in attendance every season from 2007-13. During that very same span, Philadelphia earned five playoff appearances and a World Series title. When not booing the home team (seems like this happens a lot nowadays), the obnxious fans simply aren't showing up for the cellar-dwellers. Where did all those loyal fans go? That's a question one might ask him/herself before questioning this fan base's inclusion in the article. 

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