It's one thing to deal with an obnoxious fan, it's another thing to deal with a swarm of them. Especially if you live in enemy territory. While most people see sports for what they are (distractions) others see them as the primary reason for living. This list is made up of those types of people along with others who feel entitled to titles, turn self-loathing into a pastime, or dominate the national conversation with their constant spotlight-hogging. Fans of these teams often say "haters gonna hate" or some equally stupid variation, but the fact is these teams comprise most of the sports coverage in this country. A few are outliers who make this list for reasons we'll get into.
You may scroll down this list and think that some of these choices are based upon the actions of a few people, but we did our best to find organizations whose fans have crafted an identity. You may disagree with a few but keep in mind that just because you’re a fan of the team doesn’t mean each slide pertains to you. Just food for thought. Here’s The Most Obnoxious Fan Bases in Sports.
20. Honorable Mention: St. Louis Cardinals
19. New York Jets
18. Montreal Canadiens
17. Chicago Bears
16. Duke Basketball
15. SEC Football
14. Ohio State Football
13. Chicago Cubs
12. Los Angeles Lakers
11. Cleveland Browns
Best example of obnoxiousness: Well, you can't go wrong with that picture up top.
When I set out to make this list I wasn't thinking about the Cleveland Browns at all. And then I came across this picture and decided to look a little bit more into Cleveland, whom (in fairness) did have their team abandon them overnight. We're not sure if that justifies hurling a (probably) full bottle at other human beings, but it at least explains some of the angst. Still, let us consider three events.
The hurling of bottles over an overturned replay in 2001. This followed an incident in 1995, the last game at the Browns' old stadium, where they tore out seats and set small fires in the stands. If you're wondering if anyone was struck with a bottle, there was at least an assistant coach hit, as well as the four-year-old son of another assistant. Was it our man up top? Well, it's kind of late to piece it together.
Incident number two, this guy literally pissing on Art Modell's grave.
10.
And even if you sympathize with people peeing on the graves of others, here's an irrationally angry man behind the wheel of a truck.
9.
This is why we do research.
8. New York Yankees
7. Washington Redskins
6. Miami Heat
Best example of obnoxiousness: The LeBron Era.
A lot of winning teams have endured bandwagon fans, but no franchise in recent memory better highlights this loathsome practice than the Heat. If you're a Heat Cavs fan you may say "Everybody has bandwagon fans." Okay, yeah, I hear you. Anyway, here's a bunch of Heat fans leaving early from Game Six of the 2013 Finals:
5.
Apparently they all had something bigger going on that night since they couldn't even wait 28 seconds.
Moments later many of them tried to rush back in.
4. Boston Red Sox
3. Oakland Raiders
Best example of obnoxiousness: Their willingness to literally fight for a terrible team.
Raiders fans have always been there to intimidate anyone who dare enter their stadium donning anything but the silver and black. Sometimes (if no other options are available), they simply take that aggression out on each other:
2.
You have to wonder why it is that they're still so passionate as to brawl in the men's room, when they haven't sniffed the postseason (or even a winning season) in a dozen years. When you enter a stadium and have a chance to experience the fist of a fellow fan, you know you're dealing with a terrifying and obnoxious base.
That gets you ranked up high, but there's still an entire town even more widely known for the antics of their followers.