Rule #2 of being a fan

Over the weekend I attended the Orioles vs Red Sox game at Camden Field. Overall, not a bad stadium, decent seats for $25, and $7.50 Guinness. One thing I did notice was the influx of Red Sox fans attending the game.

This immediately led me back to a thought from a 2002 article I read (don't ask me how I remember it). It was "Rules of being a sports fan" by Bill Simmons. A few blogs back I discussed the bandwagon fan and all those jumping on the Pens and Caps. That is my number one rule I see people breaking all the time. Number two definitely has to be the mis-use of sports paraphernalia.

This should be stated in signs outside every gate at all stadiums and arenas. If you are attending a baseball game such as the one mentioned above, you should be allowed to only wear paraphernalia from 3 teams total. The Red Sox, Orioles, and Yankees. Many of you are thinking.....Why the Yankees?? I would only allow this b/c they are such a hated rival of the Red Sox it transcends sports and all rules. Very few teams are allowed this exemption from Fan Rule #2.

Nothing bothers me more than when people wear any old team's jersey to a sporting event. You cannot wear a Detroit Tigers jersey to a Red Sox game, the one has nothing to do with the other. If your response is "I'm a fan of the game and want to show it". Well great! Cheer your heart out for all the amazing plays and support the game by showing up. However, do NOT wear any baseball jersey to a baseball game. You shouldn't view yourself as an Elitist and have to "show" people you're a fan, albeit of neither team playing.

I'll take this a step further and what's even more infuriating is when people will wear a Hometown team's jersey to a completely unrelated sporting event. An example being wearing a Steelers jersey to a Penguins game. You see it all the time, especially in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, where their fans are so die-hard, they become mindless drones. We get it! You want to show your love for the city and its' teams. Well then don't be a cheap-ass and buy a tshirt or hat of the team that's ACTUALLY playing that day. If you're such a fan, hold off on those 3 or 4 Iron City Beers and buy that t-shirt.

You'll thank me later when you're not waking up in your Steelers jersey after a Penguins game, laying next to the biggest mullet wearing female you've seen in your life. Iron City gets ya every time!