How ‘bout them Blue Jays? Toronto’s very own baseball club is having one amazing season and seem poised to continue the winning all the way to the playoffs. They have managed to hold onto the top spot in the American Lead East standings and just finished a nearly flawless August. And with all this winning comes a legion of new fans.
It happens in every sport. Every time one team is suddenly unstoppable, people come bursting out of the woodwork wearing the team jersey (it’s amazing how many Blackhawks fans reveal themselves every playoff season). Jumping on the bandwagon can be derided by some but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, and here’s a few reasons why you should wear that Jays’ hat proudly, even if you only bought it last week.
It’s good for the team- No matter how late in the game you’ve jumped on the bandwagon, it’s a good thing for the team. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t a real fan because they’re denying their team some much needed support. The more voices we can add to the cheers for the Jays, the better it is for the team. They want to know that their winning isn’t going unnoticed by the fans, and they want to know they’re still bringing in new fans. And let’s not forget the money. The Rogers Centre has been selling out like crazy despite the ever-increasing price of tickets. Now say what you will about jacking up ticket prices for a winning team, but all that money goes to help the Jays keep a winning team.
The die-hards are just as shocked as you– Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that the Blue Jays would be where they are now? My guess is close to no one. The team had a rough start, and even though their most loyal fans were watching, I would bet they weren’t cheering too loudly. The thing about die-hard fans is they can be the most critical towards their team. I guarantee those were die-hard Leafs fans that were throwing their jerseys on the ice last year. So when the Blue Jays made those changes at the trade deadline and started winning game after game, the die-hards were as surprised as the rest of us. Yes, they can say they’ve stuck with the team the whole way, and good for them for doing so, but they can’t say they saw this coming.
It’s the Canadian thing to do– Firstly, we have to acknowledge that Toronto now has a winning team (God knows they needed one). The Blue Jays are a Toronto team and the rest of Canada must respect that. But the Blue Jays are also the only Canadian baseball team, so how can we not see them as our team? What a thrill it is to have a whole country pulling for a single team together. New York can even choose between two. It fills you with a surge of patriotism to see a Canadian team excelling at sport that’s not featured in the Winter Olympics. So it’s your duty as a Canadian to cheer on our boys, even though they’re mostly American and Dominican. Still, a Canadian World Series parade sounds pretty good.
It’s fun– The most important reason why you don’t have to feel bad about jumping on the Jays bandwagon is that you don’t need a reason. Baseball is a game, it’s supposed to be fun to watch and having a good team to root for makes it more fun. The Jays are making baseball entertaining again, and watching the game with your friends is one of the more enjoyable parts of the summer. People that give you a hard time for “not being a real fan” are just joyless buzzkills. You can feel sorry for them, then go back to enjoying the game.
So, embrace the bandwagon, and wear the Jays hat proudly. Maybe think about learning the names of a few of the players. Don’t rush out and get a tattoo of the team logo (actually, no one should be that). Just enjoy the game and get ready for playoffs. Go Jays!