The Most Easily Triggered Fan Bases in Sports
These are the most easily provoked fans on the internet who are triggered with just a few words. Did your squad, or favorite player, make the list?
Image via Complex Original
On the internet, triggers are everywhere. For victims of abuse, racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice, as well as those—like soldiers—who've lived through traumatic events, these online emotional triggers are very real and can sometimes lead to negative physical reactions. For these people, there's little that's funny about online triggers.
But those aren't the only people who are able to be triggered. Sports fans are often regularly bombarded with triggers on the internet, many times leading them to get hilariously #madonline. They may have experienced a traumatic event that led to them having such overreactions (like blowing a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals), but, let's face it, it's only sports. It's not that serious. And since it's not a matter of social injustice or life or death, the response is often funny.
This is a list, originally published in 2016 and updated in early 2019, about those fan bases that are most easily provoked online by words, videos, memes, etc. It's not only about passion—Green Bay Packers fans are very passionate but often too Midwestern polite to linger in your Twitter mentions with blind rage and vitriol. This is about the fans who will tweet you 12 consecutive times totally unconcerned with whether you respond or not. This is about the fans who will curse you out on Facebook, caring little if their family and friends see them using the C-word to describe a complete stranger. This list is for those who get irrationally angry #onhere. These are the most easily triggered fan bases in sports.
Tom Brady Fans
Worst subset: DeflateGate truthers
Trigger: "Brady cheated, plain and simple. Peyton never had to cheat."
When it comes to triggered fans, Brady fans might be the most relentless. They will argue with the official ESPN Twitter account for hours, ignoring the fact that ESPN will never ever respond to them. They've purchased probably millions of dollars worth of anti-Roger Goodell merchandise (shoutout to El Presidente) just to express how much they hate Goodell for suspending their beloved QB. It was only four games, but the way Patriots fans make it seem, Goodell and his NFL cronies whipped Tom Brady bloody before eventually mounting him on a cross. Say something about Brady being a cheater, and you'll get beaten with legal facts and PSI statistics until you're convinced these people care more about DeflateGate than Brady himself. And don't dare go online and attempt to say that Peyton Manning is better than Tom Brady. Someone from Southie who just got a bunch of free AOL hours will be calling you slurs for races you don't even belong to. —MP
LeBron Stans
Worst subset: Stans who become diehard fans of every team who goes to.
Trigger: “Jordan would never.”
Now that LeBron James has closed the gap (if not surpassed it) between him and Michael Jordan, LeBron stans are more bearable than they used to be. But they're still annoying. It doesn't take much for a LeBron fan to get riled up. Each and every one of them are ticking time bombs that explode over any shots at The King’s greatness, like "swept in the Finals,” "free throws in the fourth quarter,” or “Jordan would never.” Most annoyingly, they'll talk smack about a team you've rooted for your whole life when they're switching sides every four years. Nothing worse than a LeBron fan who just became a Lakers fan talking about how many championship “we” have won. Oh, do yourself a favor and don't mention that LeBron scored eight points in an NBA Finals game one time. They’ll give you hell if you try that. — ZO
Warriors Fans
Worst subset: Bandwagon fans since 2014
Trigger: "The Warriors blew a 3-1 in the Finals"
Besides "J Cole Went Platinum With No Features," the Warriors giving up a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals is the best joke on the internet. The best part of the joke is that it makes Warriors fans so angry. So angry that they will tell you in under two seconds about how the team signed Kevin Durant this summer. Or about Draymond Green getting suspended for repeatedly hitting people in the nuts. Or about how everything is fun with the Warriors and they just do things better than everyone else. Blah, blah, blah.
All in all, the 3-1 jokes are just the tip of the iceberg for Warriors fans, who are super sensitive in general. They're constantly complaining on Twitter about this or that and when called on it, they'll simply point out that their team is God's gift to basketball. The root of this sensitivity seems to come from the team itself, as Warriors players often talk about slights and whatnot, but Warriors Twitter takes things to a whole different level. This will only get worse with the inclusion of KD on the team. But man, if this fails? If they're not as good as everyone expects them to be? Get ready to defend yourself, Warriors Twitter. Y'all gonna get these jokes. —ZF
Cowboys Fans
Worst subset: "I've never actually been to Dallas but..."
Trigger: "Dez didn't catch it."
Cowboys fans have the worst of unfounded superiority complexes, and it leads to them being insufferable in these internet streets. The fans range from '90s bandwagon kids who live in L.A. and have never been to Texas to fat BBQ masters with Dallas star tats on their back who've never left Texas, but the worst are the fans hiding behind their keyboards. According to these geniuses, Dak Prescott is a mobile Tom Brady who grants wishes and can cure cancer with a smile. Don't think Dak can sustain his hot start? Prepare yourself for a barrage of poorly-written insults about your favorite team and you personally as a human being. As for Tony Romo? He's both the best and the worst, and if you can't simultaneously hold both beliefs, you're in for an argument.
The last time the Cowboys won a Super Bowl both 2Pac and Biggie were alive, yet their fans still talk of them being "America's Team" on the internet with zero sarcasm. Let's ignore the fact that there's a team literally called the PATRIOTS that have won four Super Bowls in that time. Cowboys fans, under all the bravado, are actually very sensitive like much of the other fan bases on this list. And no matter how many convicts they sign or young women owner Jerry Jones forces to simulate fellacio, they are always down to jump in your mentions to argue their greatness. —MP
Kobe Stans
Worst subset: Kobe > Jordan believers
Trigger: "If it wasn't for Shaq..."
Lakers fans have zero tolerance for Kobe Bryant slander. As a Lakers fan myself, I can speak from experience. Comparing him to LeBron? GTFO. Saying he's not the GOAT? Square up. Naturally, every Kobe hater knows the secret sauce to getting Laker fans in their feelings—"If it wasn't for Shaq...." That's the start of an internet fight 10/10 times. Prepare yourself for an oral history of the post-Shaq years including detailed examples of the Mamba carrying teams with guys like Chris Mihm, Kwame Brown, and Smush Paker on his back. Wait, do snakes even have backs? Who cares.
MJ never hit a free throw with a torn Achilles to save his team's playoff hopes. Flu game? You can go to work with the flu. LeBron once left a game with CRAMPS. These are the responses you'll see in your mentions. I know because I've used them myself. —MN
Mets Fans
Worst subset: the (secretly jealous) Yankee haters
Trigger: "Maybe if they opened up their wallet."
When you’re the little brother and your big brother perennially gets way more attention than you, earns more money, spends it more extravagantly, is infinitely more successful, and has a reputation that far exceeds yours, yeah, you’re going to get pissy every time they’re brought up.
Mets fans might be the most triggered in all of baseball simply because they happen to play in the same city as the Yankees. And when everything they do inevitably gets compared to the Yankees, almost always for the worse, mention anything that remotely reminds a Mets fan of the pinstripes and watch the steam come out of their ears.
Aside from a few seasons here and there, Mets fans have been subjected to the Yankees constantly stealing headlines in New York City and cementing their status as the one of the premier franchises in all of sports while the Mets have largely wallowed in mediocrity (at best). While World Series titles are the expectation for Yankees fans just about every season, Mets fans are usually calling up WFAN in June bitching about the manager and already looking ahead to next season. And it burns them.
When your squad more often than not makes the wrong hire, signs a free agent who turn out to be a bust, or loses millions of dollars in the most famous Ponzi scheme in American history that causes ownership to pinch pennies—and the squad in the Bronx almost always does the complete opposite—you understand why Mets fans get so salty when you bring up the Yankees. Tell a Mets fan his team is cheap and they’ll tell you the Yankees bought all their titles in the 90s and 2000s. The only thing that would make Mets fans happier than winning a third World Series title would be the Yankees relocating to Siberia.
New York will always be a Yankees town since the Bronx Bombers have been around for over a hundred years, have won 27 World Series titles, and do things “the right way” while Mets fans seeth at their success. The inferiority complex is so real that Mets fans actually root for two teams: the Metropolitans and whoever happens to be playing the Yankees. — AC
Duke Fans
Worst subset: "So what I didn't go there?"
Trigger: "You're just another one-and-done factory like Kentucky these days." | "Coach K is a greedy hypocrite."
It’s not clear whether Duke fans are easy to trigger as much as they are fun to trigger, but at some point the two become nearly indistinguishable. The Blue Devils have become a tremendously successful program under smug vampire coach Mike Krzyzyewski, despite being one of the last holdouts against early-entry players. After all, this was DUKE, why would anyone want to leave? Krzyzewski selflessly placed his own needs ahead of his players, no matter their background. Along the way he also managed to write several leadership books and take over the helm of Team USA, no doubt adding to his collection of anecdotes that he will share with anyone for the right price. See? You’re mad already. Duke fans think they do everything the right way, even as they do more or less the same things as any other program. At the heart of the aggrieved Duke fans’ agony is this conflict: feeling that they are better than any other program combined with the absolute—if deeply buried—knowledge that they’re not. They just have more white guys. —RB
Joe Paterno Supporters
Worst subset: All of them
Trigger: "You know he assisted in the rape of innocent children, right?"
Joe Paterno did plenty of good things at Penn State. He put the university on the map, donated millions to the school (the library is named after him), and coached up thousands of players who still speak so highly of him that he's practically a deity in their eyes. But 60-plus years of goodwill in Happy Valley gets wiped out by the fact he openly harbored a known predator and pedophile for DECADES, allowing that monster to prey on innocent children with absolutely no repercussions.
Mention that and the hardcore Paterno supporters, the ones who pathetically say Paterno never knew anything about the heinous acts perpetrated by his former defensive coordinator—despite damning testimony and depositions that prove otherwise—shout you down or, worse yet, make a complete mockery of common decency by wearing shameful t-shirts or petitioning for the return of his statue outside Beaver Stadium. Of course, not every Penn State fan is a Paterno loyalist and the majority are, appropriately, deeply ashamed and appalled that supporters of the school still hold Paterno in the highest of regard. But the only thing hotter than the takes on the timeline from Paterno loyalists when you roast JoePa is the place in Hell reserved for Jerry Sandusky. —AC
Ronaldo vs. Messi Debaters
Worst subset: American Sportscasters
Trigger: Any time Ronaldo or Messi are mentioned in the same sentence.
Let’s be real for a moment: Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have been the best two players in the world for the last seven or so years. They also play for opposite sides of the greatest club rivalry in the sport, so it’s natural for the two to be considered rivals. HOWEVER, extreme fanboys on Twitter have turned the beautiful game on its ugly head. If Ronaldo scores a hat trick, Messi’s loyal fanboys will (unprovoked) flood Twitter with claims that the game is rigged in favor of CR7 and that he doesn’t play the game right anyway. If Messi has an unbelievable game in his own right, CR7 fanboys will (also, unprovoked) flood Twitter with memes featuring Messi’s face after he lost the World Cup. When this happens, World War III ensues on social media.
It’s not just the fans, though. Have you ever heard an American sportscaster talk about soccer? They know nothing about world soccer and quickly Wikipedia Ronaldo & Messi’s accolades every four years when the World Cup rolls around. They spend a lot of time pretending the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona rivalry is due to Ronaldo vs. Messi and then a lot more time criticizing Ronaldo for being flashy and Messi for not winning a World Cup. No need for me to name people who are guilty of this, I’m sure their Twitter mentions are a hot garbage fire due to the ever loyal CR7 / Messi fanboys. —RE
The "Internet Wrestling Community"
Worst subset: "Smarks"
Trigger: "And your NEWWWWW Heavyweight Champion of the Wooooorld, ROMAN REIGNS!"
Pro wrestling fans might be the worst—and most easily triggered. While most sports fans are working on their hopes and dreams, the smarks that scour the internet for any and all scraps of news from dirtsheets are mostly working on what they think should happen "because knowledge." Every smark thinks their fantasy storylines would be "the best for business," and spend more time on Twitter talking down the outcomes of matches during Raw, Smackdown, and pay-per-view events than actually enjoying what's there. While it's cool to have your favorite performers and hope that they get more shine, it's not cool to leak DMs you have with Mick Foley debating how the company is operating their weekly television programs. Smarks are so triggered that they do things like sing "John Cena sucks" to the melody of his theme song, to the point where it's just a thing now. And don't go on Twitter and talk about Roman Reigns not being a terrible wrestler; you will get into HEATED debates for the rest of the night. Or do, if you're in need of the entire IWC to be up in your mentions. —Khal
Eagles Fans
Worst subset: The ones at Lincoln Financial Field
Trigger: “You’re not an Eagles fan?”
They just might be the most ruthless, disrespectful group on this list without a doubt. They're on attack 24/7, even when they win. All Philly sports fans are bad overall, but the Eagles top the list. If you attend an Eagles game, I advise you don't wear the opponent's gear. You'll be lucky to get out of Lincoln Financial Field the same way you came in. They're not just triggered by losses, they'll attack after wins just for the fun of it. The Vikings can attest to that. They had beers thrown at their bus after just getting destroyed and eliminated by Philly in the NFC Championship. Before last season, they were easily triggered when opposing fans brought up their zero Super Bowl titles. You'd think they calm down a bit now that have one but nope, they're still the worst fan base in sports. The word " class" isn't in their vocabulary. — ZO
After the Eagles' loss to the Saints, an angry fan allegedly assaulted her girlfriend and put the victim's dog in a microwave. 😳
Details: https://t.co/iHnoEyUQR9 pic.twitter.com/tanrddau3J
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) January 17, 2019
Arsenal Fans
Worst subset: The self-loathing Arsenal fans.
Trigger: Literally mentioning any other EPL team.
Even if you don't watch soccer, you know if you have an Arsenal fan in your life. That's because all they can talk about is Arsenal. For a club who's glory days are somewhat behind them, Arsenal fans will never let you forget about their invincible season or Tottenham's lack of trophies. (Mention that Thierry Henry won a Champions League trophy with Barcelona and not Arsenal if you want to see them cry). From Arsene Wenger's entire tenure as manager to every transfer rumor imaginable, Arsenal fans have a special talent of treating everything like it's the end of the world. Tottenham won the North London Derby? The world is ending. Manchester United is finally winning games? The world is ending. Liverpool is at the top of the table? The world is ending. Don't even get them started on Jesse Lingard's dancing or Harry Kane's facial expressions. They hate everything. The next time an Arsenal fan will be happy is when they repeat their 05-06 season which...will probably never happen again. — RE