Ever since I can remember, my dad has been obsessed with Illinois basketball. The University of Illinois is his alma mater, so Illinois basketball has always held a special place in his heart. The team hasn’t had a winning record since the 2009-10 season, and yet once basketball season rolls around you can always find him of the TV cheering on his favorite team. I admire his dedication as a fan to Illinois basketball no matter the scoreboard.

Today there are few fans like my dad, and too often we see attendance and views drop dramatically when their sports team isn’t winning. Instead of this, fans need to support their favorite teams through the good times and the bad.

I’ll admit, it’s hard to see your favorite team lose. Nobody wants to watch a losing team simply because it isn’t enjoyable. Nobody wants to have to find reasons to defend their team when they haven’t won a single game in the season. Simply put, winning teams have more loyal fans, but this needs to change.

There’s evidence of this in our beloved Kansas City Royals attendance record. In 2013 they went 86-76, and their total attendance was 1,750,754. In 2015, the year they would end up winning the World Series, their total attendance was 2,708,549.

Now their total attendance is falling again, which can be explained by the team’s 80-82 record this year and their continued lack of any postseason runs. Consider the discouragement this gives to the Royals players, and the franchise as a whole. These increases and decreases in attendance prove that because of the scoreboard, their fans are beginning to abandon them after just two years of faithful loyalty.  

Instead of abandoning these players, we need to continue to give them our support and encouragement. This means showing up to their games, even when the tickets are cheap and the team isn’t winning. Yell as loud as you can in the stands, even if it gets you a couple of stares from the crowd.

Eventually the tide will turn again in your team’s favor, and for the sake of your pride and conscious I implore you to remain faithful. I can say with surety that the 1,750,754 fans who stood by the Royals through all of their times, good and bad, felt pride and joy in the fact that they are not indeed, a fairweather fan.