With each athletic success comes newfound fans from every walk of life. Having lived in, and around, Philadelphia all my life, athletic success in the college and professional ranks happen almost annually.

In 2001, the Philadelphia 76ers made it to the NBA Championship. Led by Allen Iverson, the Sixers took on the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference. For those of you who aren’t from Philly, Philadelphia is predominately a football city. With that said, however, I could have been made a liar by the stagging number of sudden Sixers fans that clogged the city’s bars and restaurants.

The 2003-2004 basketball season for Saint Joseph’s University was one to remember. Led by current NBA players Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, the Hawks advanced to the Elite Eight before bowing out to a determined Oklahoma State team. Adults and adolescents alike proudly wore their Saint Joe’s caps and tee-shirts, showing their undying support for the Hawks. According to their census, Saint Joe’s currently has roughly 7,500 students — an amount far less than the number of followers they had during the 2003-2004 NCAA Tournament run.

Fast-forward to the Fall of 2008. A magical run by the Philadelphia Phillies allowed for unreplicated happiness for its faithful. As with many true Phillies fans, Joe Carter ruined my childhood with one lucky swing of the bat in October of 1993. For the Phillies to be back in the Fall Classic was something that Philadelphia baseball fans yearned for the past 15 years. As stated, Philadelphia is a football town; furthermore, it is unlikely that the Phillies —a team with the most losses in sports history — are able to have the amount of “fans” that were present for the team’s memorable parade down Broad Street.

Maybe you’re saying, “Who cares, Mike. We can support anyone we want, whenever we want, and who are you to say otherwise.” Well, alright. That’s a fair arguement; however, I argue that I do have the right to argue one’s fanhood. I openly have stated my dislike for football. Now, the Philadelphia Eagles, statistically, have been the best Philadelphia sports franchise this decade. It would be very easy for me to convert into an Eagles fan, but, consequently, it would be untrue.

I’ve been a Phillies fan all my life. I ran the bases with the Phanatic in 1991 when my father had company seats at the old Veterans Stadium; I was at the 1994 Fourth-of-July fireworks celebration — holding my commerative Darren Daulton card; I was present for the third-to-last game before the demolishion of the Vet where two intoxicated adolescents proceeded to give the Vet “one last rim job,” proceeding to circumnavigate the 300-section. I saw Ryan Howard hit his 55th homerun during his MVP season; I saw Cole Hamels throw his gem down the stretch two years ago, helping the Phillies clinch the division; I advanced to the second row (First Base side) when the Phillies raised the Championship last Fall, and proceeded to meet some of the guys and drink their champagne next to the locker room.

If you’re a fan, you’re a fan always — not when it’s convenient to be a fan. The Phillies were miserable for many years, and enduring their misery made last Fall that much sweeter. I’m a La Salle Explorer, not a Villanova Wildcat or a Saint Joseph’s Hawk. It’s okay to support your own school or your alma mater — it’s practical and it’s proper.

As a fan of most sports, I encourage the support of athletics, but do it properly. If you are a “true” fan of a given team, do not hesisitate to question someone’s fanhood if you feel as though it isn’t justified.

Watch the games, drink the beers, cheer and yell with every up and down, but, most importantly, do it as a true fan.