Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert…on anything. I am just an A’s fan who loves talking about the A’s. So if you find yourself shaking your head at my amateur ramblings or wondering why I even bother in the first place then please, move along, move along. If, however, you are like me and just love talking about the A’s then, by all means, welcome aboard!
I've been an A's fan going on 30 years now. I know some of you younger fans are already rolling their eyes because you hate when some old timer talks about how long they have been a fan. But in my defense, as much as you hate when old timers bring this up, us old timers equally hate when some younger fan tells us that we are not real fans because we don't meet an arbitrary set of rules that you feel define what a fan is. It seems every new generation of fans has a group who feel it is their job to define what is the accepted rules to be considered a fan a specific team. I did it when I started rooting for the A's(sadly and regrettably) and I have experienced it every time the A's reloaded for a playoff run. Of course I don't mean all or even most fans, the vast majority of which that I have had the good fortune of encountering being very good people and fans. But there is a small segment of fans who feel it is their job to tell others whether or not they have the right to call themselves A's fans. No matter what anybody says, I consider myself an A's fan, and don't feel I need to justify it to anybody. And if you want to call yourself an A's fan, you don't have to justify it to me. You root for the team how you see fit and I'll do the same. Just because we both consider ourselves A's fans doesn't mean we have to be friends or even agree on matters pertaining to the team we both root for. Thus is life. But in light of recent events, I want to touch upon the subject and get some things off my chest, so to speak.
We live in the age of social media and, for better or for worse, this has given rise to the "online super fan". Most of these OSFs are just die hard fans who use the power and accessibility of the internet to share their love for their favorite team. They share stories, memories, thoughts, time, memorabilia, and game experiences to create a rich and vibrant community for all to enjoy. They help make being a fan fun. But there are also OSFs who have designated themselves as, to borrow a term from one OSF, "thought police". Personally, I first gave up on social media way back in its infancy when fan forums* and community blogs were all the rage. Fan forums were great, where else could you mingle with so many fans from so many backgrounds and locations? Fan forums eventually gave way to fan community blogs that took the interacting to a whole new level. This is where I got off the social media train. I used to love the free-flowing talk and ideas about the A's but while on a very popular A's blog, I experienced some-shall we say-"though policing" by a small group of OSFs who decided to ridicule and ostracize any fan who didn't see things their way...and they always got their way. I grew tired of the blatant disregard of other opinions and ideas so I walked away, for almost ten years. That is until I decided to get on Twitter.
I've been on Twitter for two years now. In that time I have had the chance to interact with some wonderful people and even better A's fans*. It has been what social media should be, a global fraternization of people with common tastes and desires. Unfortunately, I have also come across more of the same b.s. from OSFs trying to tell me what defines an A's fan. At various times I have been told that I am not a real fan because:
a) I'm not from Oakland.
b) I'm not from the East Bay.
c) I'm not from the Bay Area.
d) I'm from the Central Valley.
e) I don't have season tickets*.
f) I don't attend X amount of games.
g) When I do go I don't sit in the right section.
h) I continue to root for certain players(being a "fanboy").
i) I don't become disgruntled and lash out(being a "blind optimist").
j) I don't like Reggie Jackson and don't consider him a true Athletic.
And that is just on Twitter. As I understand it, facebook can be even worse. Luckily I have no need for facebook.
What brought this on? Booing. It seems we have a new debate between OSFs on what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior for A's fans. There are those who feel it is their right to boo players whenever they see fit* and there are those(whom I tend to agree with) who feel it is counter-productive to being a fan* of a specific team. I understand a fan's frustration and there are times when I feel it is justified to boo. Players who are clearly not trying or have given up entirely. Players who act like knuckleheads either on or off the field. Players who show a certain disdain for the fans who root for them. They all deserve to be aware of what the fans think of them. However, booing a player because he is trying yet is still struggling accomplishes nothing. The way I feel about players is the way I feel about the team; if you can't support them when they are struggling then don't be there when they are succeeding. Which is how I define myself as a fan: one who supports,with noted exceptions, a given team and its personnel through both the good times and the bad. Simple really. Either I am part of something as a whole or I am not. Does that mean you are a real fan or not? Not my place to say. This is the code my fandom lives by, you go live by yours. To each their own. Of course, there are those OSFs* who are going to disagree with me and may even sic their "though police" on me again but this is the way I feel. For better or for worse.
*fan forums- Proudly, I used to always start an A's room back during the Commodore 128 Q-Link days! Long live the '80's!
*A's fans- It is on my bucket list to eventually meet one of you in real life, just to verify that this all isn't just a figment of my imagination.
*season tickets- I had two sets of bleacher season tickets from '96-2004 but had to quit due to job promotion.
*they see fit- Spare me the "I'm a paying customer therefore it is my right to boo!" rhetoric. All a ticket allows is your admittance to the event, maybe a bobblehead, it doesn't give you license to act however you like.
*being a fan- I looked back and went through quite a bit of the Twitter rage over booing last night and it seems, for the most part, it is the long time, older fans who take exception to the booing. Totally unscientific and could be complete randomness but my guess is because some of the fans who are "Boobirds" have yet to truly experience the A's when they have been at their worse and are taking all the winning and recent success for granted. Some are just jerks.
*OSFs- Luckily, or unluckily, no OSFs will actually read any of this.
