How To Avoid Being "That Boston Fan"

Let’s not flatter ourselves. The rest of the country doesn’t hate Boston. Just NY.

Good article, but I disagree. I think the majority of Boston fans, and most fans for that matter, are respectful. The problem is, you don’t see or hear from them as much. The obnoxious are the ones that live to call up WEEI every day, and need to feel like they’re apart of the game by being belligerent. There are people like that for every team in every city. Boston may have a few more than some cities, but the fact is the reason people complain about the fans is when they’re jealous of the teams’ success. No one wants to admit that they’re team sucks, so they deflect attention.

I am a C’s fan from NY and a Mets, Jets and Islanders fan. I have no animosity towards the Sox, actually I root for them because I hate the Yankees, but I cannot root for the Patriots I really hate them with a passion. I hope no one blames me for rooting for 2 of the 3 Boston teams.

Jeff — thanks, that was a fantastic article (wicked good, even). Living here in CA I do try to put most of your suggestions in action — heck I even have my favorite “west coast teams” so that I don’t seem too Boston biased. Sometimes, though, it is hard to turn the other cheek, as the saying goes. Your article is another reminder to keep turning the cheek….

Brick -
I can’t speak for the rest of the country, but as a Boston transplant living in the SF Bay Area, I can say that most everyone here hates the Red Sox and the Patriots - more than the Yankees in the case of the Sox any much much more than other football team in the case of the Pats. People tend to have some respect for the Celtics though, which is nice.

1) I don’t care what other sports fans across the country think about us. We rule.

2) Savor this each and every day. It won’t last forever.

3) Thanks to the stinkin’ Giants, New Yorkers still thumb their nose at us. I seriously hope the Rangers miss the playoffs and the Yanks do the same. At least we can continue to laugh at the Knicks on a daily basis.

Living in San Diego, it is 100% true. Nearly everyone out here loathes Boston sports fans.
It’s not just the Chargers-Pats mini-rivalry either. I think the overexposure of the Red Sox and the fact that there are many fraudulent Red Sox fans is the majority of the reason.

When you think about it, it’s not all the fans who do the talking. Every NBA game or show that is on you hear about the Celtics. They are on Sportcenter and every other daily sports show on ESPN almost every day. I would blame the media more than the fans for the constant exposure of the C’s. What’s the problem anyways? Why do we get a bad rap when we finally have a winning year. Was 15 bad years not enough for all the Celtic haters??? I guess it comes with the territory. It’s not fair to one of the most likeably and successful franchises in the league.

I place the blame somewhere between Glen Ordway and Kevin Millar

Brick,

I live in L.A., and I can say with certainty that they hate us here. There’s an obnoxious DJ named Tom Leykus who actually goes on tirades at least once a week about New York AND Boston.