Ranking the top 5 worst fanbases across all sports
(Photo by Michael Ainsworth / AP via dallasnews)
Sports fandom is a hell of a drug. Whether you root for your hometown team, or you’re like me and have a different geographical affiliation across each major league, we do the darndest stuff to support the teams we love.
Sure you can show up to games, support them on TV when you can’t attend, and proudly don the colors of whatever team you might be cheering for, but hate is also a big part of sports fandom. Packers fans hate Bears fans. Lakers fans hate Celtic fans. Yankees fans hate Red Sox fans. The list goes on and on, but our anger and frustration towards other teams is part of what makes us so passionate about the teams we actually cheer for.
Whether you’re from Dallas, Atlanta, even New York; everyone has that one fan base they just can’t stand. It could be your team’s biggest rival, or it could stem from one bad egg that cursed you out on the subway ride home from Madison Square Garden causing you to hate Knick fans forever. Everyone’s story is different, but we all love and hate the same.
Although individual opinions are reflected upon individual experiences, there are a few teams and fanbases that seem to be universally hated by all. If you’re reading this article, chances are you're familiar with the core chunk of “super villains” in the sports world.
The Yankees, the Lakers, Manchester United, and god knows the Patriots belong in there. All of these teams are considered “giants” within their respective sports for decades, and well, that’s going to rub the rest of their competition the wrong way.
Just as everyone has their own separate sports fandoms, everyone seems to have a most-hated franchise/organization as well. With that being said, I’ve compiled what I believe to be the most accurate list of the top 5 absolute worst fanbases across all sports. If you see you’re team on this list, well, chances are I hate you and everything you stand for.
Without further adieu, let’s break down the top 5 worst fanbases starting from the bottom up:
5. Manchester United fans
(Photo via 90mins.com)
Ah yes, the Red Devils. No matter where they stand in the Premier League table, Manchester United fans will have you believing they’ve just won the treble and are destined to sign the next Lionel Messi every time a new transfer window comes about. Even when they do land a generational talent, such as re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo this past summer, the team somehow finds a way to get worse.
Let’s focus on the Ronaldo dilemma, shall we? We all know who Ronaldo is and if you don’t shame on you. We know what he is capable of and how impactful his presence can be at a football club, but nothing has clicked in his return to the prem. In 17 appearances this season, the Portuguese forward has only notched 4 goals in 17 games against teams not named Norwich City (aka garbage).
The fans though? The fans will tell you Ronaldo is the savior and can do no wrong. Kinda like they said Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was “at the wheel” after beating a few mediocre teams. A few months later, fans demanded OGS to be sacked. Funny how things work out.
I hate to break it to you, but your favorite soccer team will never be as good as Manchester United as long as their fans have a say.
For an American comparison, they are like the Premier League’s Yankees. Experiencing nothing but success historically and now can’t seem to win a trophy if their organization depended on it. We all know how Yankees fans can be, and Red Devil supporters put out that same egotistical, “I’m better than you” type of energy.
4. LeBron Stans
(Photo by MADDIE MEYER/GETTY IMAGES via newsweek)
Before I get into why exactly LeBron stans made this list, just now that I am partially roasting myself, big LeBron guy here.
What exactly is a LeBron stan you might be wondering? Well, in simple terms it means a LeBron James fanboy. Someone who follows his every move, defends his every action, and believes his greatness will never be surpassed.
There is absolutely no problem is being a devoted fan to an individual player, but the problem is introduced when these stans throw sports morals out the window. A true LeBron stan is someone who has completely shifted their fandom throughout his career. From 2003 to 2010, they were a Cavs fan. Then they switched to a Miami Heat fan until 2014 when LeBron went back to Cleveland. Fast forward to modern-day and these dudes are rocking Lakers gear for no other reason than to dick ride LeBron.
Loyalty is nonexistent for these fans. They never get to experience true success because they never have to experience the hardships a professional sports organization goes through. There are a lot of highs and lows when cheering for your team, but if you just follow LeBron’s every move chances are you’ll never get that satisfaction of winning a championship after years of lottery picks.
I love LeBron, and I will defend him as the greatest player to ever touch a basketball any chance I get, but these stans take it to a new level.
3. Houston Astros Fans
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty via texasmonthly)
The Astros blow out the rest of their MLB competition and take the trash can for one of the worst fanbases in America. Did I say trashcan? Oops, I meant crown, but same thing for these guys.
By this point, it’s common knowledge that this Houston Astros organization is one of the biggest cheaters to ever grace the sport of baseball. The trash can banging, sign stealing scandal lead them to their first-ever World Series win, but it’s what came after that landed the Astros on this list.
There were a lot of question marks surrounding Astros fans after this scandal first occurred considering it was the coaches and players cheating, and not the fans themselves. Of course, the players and coaches are to blame for their actions, but Astros fans were put in a tough spot. Is there a correct way to defend the fact that your team quite literally cheated their way to a championship and stole it from countless other players who worked their asses off all year? No, but you can at least not be a dick about it.
Over the last four years, Astros fans have built up a sense of entitlement. This is mind-boggling considering they’ve never experienced success until now, but I digress. The fans found a way to turn themselves into the victims and act as egotistical as any average Dodger or Yankee fan would act, only they had no grounds to support their preposterous claims.
What the Astros did is unforgettable, but the way the fans acted after the fact is inexcusable.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers Fans
(Photo by Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports via behindthesteelcutain)
Where do I begin? Steelers fans are some of the most outgoing, extroverted fans in all of sports for all the wrong reasons. They are in your face about every tiny little thing that goes their way, and lord knows they’ll ramble on and on for hours about how they have six super bowls.
What pisses me off the most is of course Steelers fans of all people are the ones that get to experience 18 consecutive years with a winning record. Waving those stupid terrible towels around as thick boy Ben Rottenburger fails to throw the ball even 20 yards, at least this season.
No matter where you are - Denver, Jacksonville, hell even Green Bay - Steelers fans find a way to find you. They are everywhere and it’s awful. Although as a Bengal fan my opinion on the Steel City might be a tad biased, these people give football fans everywhere fuel to add to their hate fire.
1. SEC Football fans - All of ‘em
(Photo by Michael Chang - Getty Images via cnbc)
I couldn’t decide on just one particular team, so SEC football fans collectively take the cake for having the worst fanbase in all of sports. Congrats rednecks, you won another title.
Each and every fanbase on this list has a sense of arrogance and entitlement within their respective leagues, but nothing compares to the way SEC fans think they rule college football. The most frustrating part is, they kind of do. Broadcast companies like ESPN have catered to these programs every need for years now just to keep bringing in millions of views from people married to their cousins.
The weirdest thing about SEC fans is that they hate each other week in and week out during the regular season, but when it comes to the discussion of conference rankings they band together like the god damn avengers.
These fans are wildly in your face about how “elite” their conference is every year but fail to realize they are piggybacking off the success of maybe three programs. Alabama, LSU, Florida, and maybe Georgia have consistently been great, but the rest of the pack pales in comparison. Every conference has a few teams that could potentially run the table on a good year, and every conference has a Vanderbilt. We’re not all that different, you know.
There is nothing sweeter than beating an SEC football team and hearing the crowd chant “S-E-C, S-E-C” until they lose their voices. These fans need to be humbled, ‘Bama can only carry their reputation for so long.