The Anti-fan

In the wake of the Toronto Maple Leafs missing out on center Brad Richards when he signed with the New York Rangers on July 2nd, a friend of my girlfriend posted on Facebook that he was ending his 20 year fanship of the Maple Leafs. It's not the first time I've heard such a claim, although in fairness, I've not noticed a fan coming back to the flock after ditching the team. If and when the Leafs win the Stanley Cup, we'll all have a better picture of these fair weather friends.

There are two things I want to question about those who abandon their teams. I question whether they really are sour fans, or anti-fans as I like to put it, or if they have a legit reason, and the other thing I ponder is what will they do when the their former team returns to glory. Of course former Leaf fans have yet to actually face the latter.

In this particular instance, the anti-fan was upset about the lack of the team signing Richards, but from what I gather there was never really much of a chance for the Leafs to sign Richards. He wanted to play in New York, he likes John Tortorella (the head coach of the Rangers whom Richards played for in Tampa Bay), and his second option was his former team, Tampa Bay. It seems clear to me that the Leafs were never in the running. So is it Burke's fault they didn't sign him? Does it qualify as a straw that broke a proverbial camel's back? Of course I must also mention that Burke's trip to Afghanistan was probably a factor, but considering the moves they made after Richards was signed, trading for Cody Franson specifically, is that really a significant point of concern? The team does have three former, top-tier GMs working under Burke.

Personally, I think the Leafs are one big trade away from being a legitimate playoff team. What will this anti-fan do if Burke goes back on his philosophy of not trying to steal an RFA, and they do manage to acquire Steve Stamkos? Will he rejoin the flock?

Every team has ups and downs, and the Maple Leafs have reached four conference finals since 1993. Many good teams don't win the Cup. It doesn't mean they're not trying, and I believe the Leafs are trying pretty damn hard. Maybe they weren't trying very hard in the 80s, but it's hard to argue they aren't trying these days. And what more can you really expect from a sports team?

Even if the Leafs don't make the playoffs this year, or next, or until 2015. They're sure to make the playoffs again, and they may very well win the Cup at some point in the next ten years. What about the anti-fans that gave up on the Boston Red Sox in the 70s? Were they cheering for the team when they won the World Series in 2004, in 2007?

It's hard to win championships, and being a sports fan means living with the team you love through ups and downs.

I'm not a Leaf fan because they win, obviously, I'm a fan because I grew up in Toronto. Management, players, and even owners will come and go. It's only the fans that stay constant, usually.