One of the most annoying things in sports is a front-running fan. Well, actually, front-runners aren’t real fans, they are fake fans, and should not represent themselves as true followers. If you were ever wondering what the difference between a real fan and front-running fan was, check out this Nasty 9. The following items may not always be true, but it is safe to say this is accurate more than half the time.

9.  Referring to a team as ‘we’ – If you refer to your favorite team as ‘we’ you are a front-runner.  I’m sorry but I didn’t realize you had ownership in your team’s franchise.  Oh wait, you don’t.  That’s right; you are just a front-runner.  I can’t stand when people say ‘we’; you aren’t on the damn team, get over it!

8.  Just plain being a Yankees fan – If you are a Yankees fan, then you are a front-runner.  If you can’t name at least 10 of the 26 years they won a World Series, then you are a front-runner.  And from 1996-present doesn’t count, anyone can name them.  If you can’t identify them, you’re a front-runner.

Big time front runner. He grew up in Ohio!

7.  Matching your hat to a t-shirt – If you match your clothes with a New ERA fitted hat, then you are a front-runner.  Let’s face it, your black shirt goes great with the Rockies black cap/purple brim fitted but you are NOT a Rockies fan so take that damn hat off! Oh yeah, and if you leave the stickers on your teams fitted, you are a front-runner.  No one needs to know what size hat you are wearing or how much you paid for it so just take the damn stickers off.

6.  Not knowing the team’s past – It’s one thing to be caught up on a team’s present and another when you know NOTHING about your team’s past!  At least know something about the team’s past i.e., the last World Championship or playoff appearance. By not knowing something about the past, it’s hard to say you really follow them.

5.  Overstating players on your team – If you think every position player on your favorite team is better than everyone else in the majors, then you are a front-runner.  Clearly you know nothing about stats and you just obnoxiously root for names and faces, not the numbers that go along with it.  This may not make perfect sense, but I know people that this statement is fully accurate of them.

4.  Not knowing the players – Even though there is a lot of turnaround on rosters, you have to at least know the core of your favorite team. This includes knowing more than just a couple of players on the roster. If you only know 2-3 players on the team, then rooting for them makes you a front-runner.

3.  Changing your team often – If you change your favorite team every few seasons, then you are a front-runner.  Odds are if you’re changing your team over and over, it’s not to start rooting for a worse team. Just pick a team and root for them.

2.  Ignoring the regular season – If you don’t watch your ‘favorite team’ play a regular season game and you just watch the playoffs, then you are a front-runner.  Baseball is a 162 game season.  You have to stick with it from day 1 until 162.  Unless of course you are an Orioles fan, then it doesn’t really matter when you stop watching.

1. Coming out of the woodwork – If you don’t follow a team when times are rough, then you are a front-runner.  Being a true fan is a tough job, that’s why you must earn it by continuing to support your team when times are rough.  Coming out of nowhere to root for a team is the definition of being a front-runner.