The Fanbases: Top Ten Worst

Sports fans are complicated. First off, they can be huge liars. For example, Yankees fans despise Red Sox stars like Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jonathan Papelbon, but, unless they're lying, they'll admit they'd take each and every one of those players and welcome them to the Bronx with open arms. Why? Because they're fantastic players. But they hate them because they are rivals. It's not a knock on sports fans, but it's the truth. Also, there's a fine line. There's a fine line between being flat out obnoxious and being supportive and passionate. Let's take a look at the top ten best and worst fans.Worst (most obnoxious/fair weather)10. Oakland Raiders: I should probably put them higher, but why hate them even more than needed when they're 24-56 the last five seasons? The problem with Raiders fans is simple: they try too hard to be tough. Most of their hardcore fans are above 40, and as Bleacher Bloggers put it - and accurately so - "there's nothing worse than someone who acts tough but is soft as a marshmallow." It's somewhat excusable when you see obnoxious fanbases like the Steelers, Eagles, Yankees, Red Sox, or Lakers, because, admit it, those teams are great. But the Raiders are irrelevant. Since 2003, they are getting outscored, 2322-1594. And while preseason means nothing, they looked like their normal selves. When was the last time you heard of a preseason game ending 45-7? Well, in Week 3, the Raiders lost to the Saints, 45-7. 9. Washington Redskins: The Washington Redskins, or as some like to call them, the Deadskins, don't have the bad wrap like the Eagles, Cowboys, Jets, Phillies, Yankees, Sox, Lakers, or even the Pukie Dukies, but are very underrated - just in a bad way. Anybody who lives near DC knows that. I actually think of them as a joke. Almost every year, they start off very well. The consensus around Redskin Nation is that the team is headed to the Super Bowl. For example, this past year, they started 6-2, and even beat the Cowboys and Eagles, but fans overlooked one thing. Of the teams they faced, the opposing record was 53-74-1. They even played the two worst teams in the league (Lions and Rams), and also played the Browns. Those three teams combine for a 6-42 record, and the Skins outscored them by just 11, and even lost to the Rams. But the Skins are headed to the Bowl! Of course, they finished 8-8.8. New York Jets: J-E-T-S! Jets Jets Jets! Over the years, New York Jets fans have made that chant much too popular. There are many myths around Jets Nation, and Cold Hard Football Facts did a tremendous job debunking them in 2004. The Jets have loyal fans, but it's too obvious that a lot of youngsters became NFL fans and heard about the famous upset in Super Bowl III, a 16-7 Jets win over the Baltimore Colts, and became Jets fans. Jets fans are definitely taunters, as are most New Yorkers. The chant is getting old. 7. Dallas Cowboys: Before I go on, keep one thing in mind: whatever team you root for, the Dallas Cowboys are definitely superior. And there's no doubt about it. You know why? Five Super Bowls. But they haven't won a playoff game in 13 years! Five Super Bowls. But Tony Romo can't win the big game! Five Super Bowls. Quite a few of them live in the past, unable to face the reality of 1997-2009. Also, the America's Team nickname rubs people the wrong way. 6. Philly Fans: I think Philly fans get a very bad rep. Like most athletes that are familiar with the media, they are blown out of proportion/misunderstood/unfairly labeled. They have a reputation for being out-of-line. And it's undeniable that Philly fans aren't angels. They threw batteries at JD Drew because he was drafted by the Phillies years before, and didn't sign, when it really wasn't his fault. The man to blame was his mega-agent, Scott Boras. And they cheered when Cowboys WR Michael Irvin lay motionless on the ground, and cheered even more when ambulance was called. And who can forget the infamous snowballing of Santa Claus? But, one thing remains. They are loyal. They boo. They are obnoxious. But they are loyal, and even through the tough times with both teams, they show up, and in bunches.5. New York Yankees: As I said, there's a fine line. The Yankees cross it. They have always had the loyal supports who will back up their guys at all cost, but not all of them. You can be a diehard, but you can also be polite. And you can also be the direct opposite of polite, but still be loyal. Not the Yankees. Sometimes, you'll see normal Yanks fans who like the real Bronx Bombers, like Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neill, Mariano Rivera, or Andy Pettitte. Ben Heller did a fantastic job profiling them, and we all know cases of each of Ben's examples existing. And let's not forget the Yankees fans who live in Bristol, CT, aka the Baseball Tonight crew. 4. Duke Basketball: Ah, the Pukie Dukies. The Cameron Crazies. To quote Wikipedia, "they have earned a reputation as the rowdiest, wittiest, and most organized college basketball fans." Duke is very good, and it's a bad thing, at getting inside players' heads. For example, Adrian Branch, who starred at the University of Maryland from 1981 to 85, was once arrested for use of marijuana, and Duke fans behind the basket yelled 'Freeze. Police!' when he shot a free throw. Who can forget when fellow Terrapin Donald Veal once got arrested for rape and Duke fans showered him with panties - over 1,000 of them - and had signs saying "Hey Herm, did you send her flowers?". Or NC State's Lorenzo Charles, who was arrested for stealing pizzas. The Crazies threw pizza boxes all over the court. I admire the creativity. But I'm sensing some hostility here.3. Los Angeles Lakers: Ask a casual basketball fan who their favorite NBA team is. Chances are, they'll say they've been a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers for their entire life. And chances are, it's mularkey. Don't get me wrong, the Lakers have had fans all along, but when was the last time they had to deal with rough times? 2004, when they had their first losing record in 12 years? Oh, the horror. Again, I'm not saying Lakers Nation is all bandwagon, but it's tough not to notice how many fans the Lakers have gained over the last two years. And a lot of them don't really care for the team. They only care for Kobe. Ask them who Luke Walton is, and they'll likely bring up Star Wars.2. Boston Red Sox: Red Sox fans too, have been there for a while. But, Red Sox Nation makes me cringe. They always blow things out of proportion. For example, after getting swept in four games by the Yankees by a combined score of 25-8, many Sox fans hit the panic button, when in reality, it was only four games in a 162 game schedule. To be precise, that series made up exactly 2.5 percent of the season. But don't get me wrong, most Red Sox fans are loyal, but after the Sox won the World Series in 2004 (their first since 1918), many jumped on the Red Sox Nation bandwagon. 1. Tampa Bay Rays: Talk about a sickening fanbase. From 1998-2007, the Rays suffered some needed growing pains to rebuild an expansion franchise. In 2008, a year after being the worse team in all of baseball, the Rays won 95 games, winning the American League East. In 2008, their average attendance per home game was 22,370, which jumped 5,000 from the previous season. Still, that's very pedestrian for a playoff team, much less the best team in a very tough division. But in the playoffs, fans came out of nowhere. In their first game, against the Chicago White Sox, there were over 35,000 fans. But that's nothing. In Game 7 of the ALCS, over 40,000 fans came out. It seems odd, doesn't it?