Listen, there has to be something done about the excessive gatekeeping in sports fan culture. Being asked, several times, to prove your loyalty to or knowledge about something you’re passionate about is exhausting, especially for people who are casual fans or those just starting to get involved.

Everyone’s heard the questions, tried to rehearse the answers — Oh, you’re a fan of this team? Well, can you name three somewhat obscure facts about it? No? Oh, must not be a real fan, then. It’s humiliating to even the most intense fans, and especially downright off-putting to people just getting into sports.

In today’s hyper-intensive sports environment, with national and international scrutiny applied to every aspect of a sport, from the team, to the location, to the number of fans in attendance, being a casual fan, or even a new-to-the-sport fan, is almost impossible. I say this from experience.

As someone who grew up only passively invested in a couple sports here and there, largely by association with people who were much more intensely involved rather than my own personal interest, I’m very familiar with feeling overwhelmed and unwelcome amongst fans of any particular sport. I’m also extremely familiar with being called a bandwagon fan, simply because of my historically less than enthusiastic approach to sports in general, let alone specific teams.

It seems that if one isn’t a die-hard fan of a particular team, then one can’t be a fan at all, and this mindset is poisoning what is otherwise supposed to be community-building entertainment and fun.

For those who aren’t aware, “bandwagon” culture is a phenomenon that essentially persecutes anyone who dares get invested in or become a fan of something after it’s gained popularity. In the world of sports, the phrase is typically applied to people who “suddenly” become fans of a player or a team after they’ve won a few titles and grown in popularity.

Bandwagon culture is often applied to people who aren’t otherwise typically considered sports fans — women, queer people, people with disabilities, and so on, and is seen as something that tends to discredit one’s investment in a particular player or team. They can’t be real fans, because they just jumped on the bandwagon.

The question stands, then: What’s so wrong with being a bandwagon fan? A fan who’s just now getting into a particular sport, or a particular team (whether or not that team has a winning record)? Professional sports are, from the fan’s perspective, meant to be forms of entertainment, above all else. Sports events started out as a way for the working class to step away from their hard-working lives and relax via entertainment by watching people fight or play a game in front of them.

If someone is a bandwagon fan after a particular team has racked up significant wins, doesn’t that mean that the fan is making informed decisions as to who to pay attention to when developing a new interest in sports?

Sara Novic of ESPNW puts it best: “bandwagon sports fans are following a team not in spite, but because of the evidence — the wins that team has already accrued. The decision is far more informed and rational than the blind loyalty to a team we love for the sake of always having loved.”

Alienating casual or bandwagon fans from any fan base inherently negates the existence and base purpose of sports altogether. Moreover, it continues to enforce the male-dominated gatekeeper effect that exists in sports fandoms, which ultimately does nothing to encourage more diversity and representation in sports overall. Excluding bandwagon fans leaves no room for fresh perspectives or the chance for change in otherwise toxic sporting culture.

There’s nothing wrong with being a diehard fan of something — of being so invested in the success of a particular player or team that it feels like you, yourself, are the one succeeding or failing with every win or loss. What needs to be understood is that there’s also nothing wrong with being a casual observer or even a bandwagon fan who’s along for a winning ride.