Is There Room for Bandwagon Fans in 49ers' Nation?

It’s been a long 18 years full of disappointment, shattered dreams, lackluster football and dodging jibes about the 49ers' fall from football glory.

Not anymore.

See, my team is going against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday during Super Bowl XLVII.

Take that, naysayers.

For die-hard 49ers fans like myself, we knew this day would come.

It took a very long time to get there, but we struggled during the Mike Nolan, Dennis Erickson, Mike Singletary and Steve Mariucci eras, with hope in our hearts that this year would be ours. Our hopes came to fruition with Coach Jim Harbaugh, who took us to two NFC championships in a row.

We struggled through the Jeff Garcia, Tim Rattay, Shaun Hill and Alex Smith eras before giving the ball to Colin Kaepernick, one of the most athletic quarterbacks in recent memory.

We faithful struggled to root for a team that had been so explosive during the 1980's, but then deteriorated into somewhat of a laughing stock.

We know the pain.

But then there are fans who gave up on the Niners and began rooting for other teams during those long dark years. Some, have returned to cheering for the Niners this year after their comeback win against the Atlanta Falcons, earning them a trip to the Super Bowl.

These are the bandwagon fans.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do feel that the more 49er fans the better. But there’s just something that gets my goat about people who cheer for my team only when they are winning.

It’s not fair. And to loyalists like myself, it’s an insult.

I have a friend, who on the night of the NFC Championship win against the Falcons, posted a message on his Facebook page that said “If you haven’t been talking about the 49ers then, you shouldn’t be talking about them now.”

Now we put the question to you, bandwagon fan or not.

Sunday's game will begin at 3:30 p.m. on CBS-TV.

Is there room for bandwagon fans in the Niner Nation?

My other 49ers columns:

Opinion: Still Not a Bandwagon Fan During Super Bowl 2012