What Does it Mean to be a "Fan"?

This guy is a real Cavs fan.

Now that I have lured you in with a funny picture, I have a deeper question that has been on my mind (the title does kind of give it away). Above my desk at work I have various posters and pennants of my favorite teams, Cleveland Cavaliers included. When someone new walks near my desk and notices said posters, they almost always ask "Are you still a Cavs fan?" I was so surprised by this the first time it was asked that I almost didn't know what to say. Of course I am, why wouldn't I be a Cavs fan? "Well, Lebron is gone and they are going to be pretty bad now" is the response I most often get when I defend my choice of NBA teams (I PROMISE, this is not an article about Lebron, trust me).

By now, I get pretty annoyed when somebody asks me that question. I do not have a bunch of Lebron posters on that wall to indicate that he is my favorite player (there are no Lebron images allowed in that office). In fact, there are exactly zero player-specific pictures, just images and logos of the teams. This has got me to thinking, does the average, casual sports fan follow teams, or follow players?

I used to think that people had favorite teams, that they were somehow connected to, and that you cheered for the players on that team because, well, they were on that team. It never really occurred to me that it was the exact opposite for some people, that they had favorite players and they cheered for the team those athletes just happened to be playing for at any given time. I grew up watching the Indians win division title after division title, and playoff series after playoff series, only to come up short on the biggest stage (twice). There were players on those teams that I loved to watch play, that I idolized as a young boy. As it goes in sports, the team had to rebuild eventually, and all of those players eventually left. But I didn't become a Phillies fan because Jim Thome went there, or an Atlanta Braves fan because Kenny Lofton got traded. It was always about (cliché warning) the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.

The same goes for the Cavs. When the team moved Dajuan Wagner Ricky Davis Luke Jackson ....

They really love him.

Alright, so maybe that is part of the problem. When a team is so defined by one player, do fans begin to associate with the player more than the team (i.e., the player is bigger than the team)? Cavs fans didn't have a team to cheer for since Michael Jordan grabbed their dreams out of mid-air, crushed them to a fine powder with his bare hands, and blew it back in our faces. Lebron probably made people into Cavs fans who had never watched a game before. And that is what this whole thing has been leading up to: Are those people that started watching Cavs games solely because of Lebron really fans of the team? The same can be asked of numerous teams across all sports. The Mariners have a huge following in Japan, is that because they play on the west coast and are close to that country? No, it's because Ichiro plays there. The Houston Rockets get publicity in China, not because of that country's appreciation for the underrated Luis Scola (although I am sure they love you there, Luis). They love Yao.

That is what has always drawn me to college sports more than professional. Guys are here, and then they graduate or leave for the draft. That is just how it goes, and you know that going in. Players don't get traded or sign contract extensions or hold out of camp for more money. I don't expect Terrelle Pryor to stay with Ohio State for the rest of his career because, well, he can't legally do that. And guys can't just transfer on a whim. They have to sit out a year (unless you are Jeremiah Masoli).

We cheer for all of them, not one.

Call me an idealist, or naive. I won't argue those points. But this is how I have always felt about sports teams and the athletes that play for them. I was born and raised in the City of Cleveland, not the City of Lebron or of any other player. I graduated from The Ohio State University, not from the University of Troy Smith (definitely not a knock on Troy Smith, just emphasizing that nobody is bigger than the team/school). The Indians franchise was founded in the early 1900's and is still here even though the great players of the 1990's are gone. The Cavs are still playing their home games in downtown Cleveland, even though Lebron does not. I am not dumb enough to think that loyalty still exists for most pro athletes, but I thought that it still existed for fans.
Can anyone make a strong case for supporting individual players and accomplishments over teams and universities? Obviously, everyone is entitled to cheer for whatever team or player they want to. I am not calling you wrong if you were just a fan of basketball, who follows Lebron. But if you have no attachment to a city, or to a school, what do you do then, just arbitrarily cling to a team?

And with that serious note, I give you perhaps my favorite picture of all time. Guaranteed these guys are fans of the team, not the player: