Great, baseball season again. Ugh. I fucking hate baseball. Never heard of a sport that had more of an overwhelmingly self-righteous attitude among the fanbase, and the following is my story.
I spent 3 years of my life trying to learn about baseball because I found it interesting. After having never grown up around sports, followed by 5 years of living in Europe, where baseball is almost unheard of, it was fascinating, exhilarating. I moved back to the U.S. in 2009, my best friend (a Giants fan) got me started watching baseball at the start of 2010, and lo and behold, SF wins the World Series. I was stoked, because my best friend was stoked. The overwhelming majority of baseball fans, upon the discovery that I was a new fan, accused me of being title residue, nothing but some shithead bandwagon fan. Never felt more belittled by something so trivial in my entire life.
I'm just one man, so my absence from the ranks of baseball fans won't impact the sport. But I am still a man, with every right to enjoy a sport for my own reasons, regardless of how long I've been a fan. Treat new fans with patience and respect. Don't bully them into not liking the sport altogether.