bandwagon fan
Only cheers winners
A bandwagon fan supports a team only when it's winning, abandoning them during losing seasons and jumping to whoever is currently successful.
The term is dismissive—real fans stick with their team through bad years: He's just a bandwagon fan who started wearing Lakers gear after they won the championship.
Also bandwagoner.
Unreliable when challenged
- front-runnerLikely winner
- turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
- opportunistOne exploiting circumstances
- chameleonLizard altering its pigmentation
weathercock · fickle · inconstant · capricious · disloyal · unfaithful · wavering · mercurial
Exaggerated promotional fanfare
- viralSpreading quickly online
- buzzContinuous low drone
- crazeShort-lived popular obsession
- trendingCurrently gaining widespread attention
zeitgeist · wave · movement · mainstream · fad · hot · sensation · popular
Achieving victory
- successFavorable outcome attained
- popularityMass public favor
- championshipCompetition for top rank
- trophyAward for winning
spotlight · glory · recognition · status · clout · validation · belonging · hype
Leading candidate or competitor
- spectatorObserver at an event
- hanger-onOpportunistic social dependent
- latecomerPerson arriving past time
- newcomerRecent arrival somewhere
neophyte · rookie · tagalong · transplant · bandwagoner
fair-weather
Unreliable when challenged
- front-runnerLikely winner
- turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
- opportunistOne exploiting circumstances
chameleon · weathercock · fickle · inconstant · capricious · disloyal · unfaithful · wavering · mercurial · vacillating
hype
Exaggerated promotional fanfare
trending · zeitgeist · wave · movement · mainstream · fad · hot · sensation · popular · fashionable
winning
Achieving victory
- successFavorable outcome attained
- popularityMass public favor
- championshipCompetition for top rank
trophy · spotlight · glory · recognition · status · clout · validation · belonging · hype · excitement
frontrunner
Leading candidate or competitor
- spectatorObserver at an event
- hanger-onOpportunistic social dependent
- latecomerPerson arriving past time
newcomer · neophyte · rookie · tagalong · transplant · bandwagoner
- sports fandomfans, fan chants, foam finger, jersey, fan clubs
- sports fansfans, superfan, superfans, fanatic, fanatics
- fansfan, sports fan, superfan, superfans, die-hard fan
- fair-weather friendsfair-weather friend, fair-weather fan, false friend