MLB Fan Behavior: The Good and the Bad

Fans often have their own unique reasons for heckling players, with some doing it purely out of love for the game. It can be quite fascinating.

After diving into over a million fan comments, we’ve compiled a list identifying the most negative and abusive MLB fans, alongside those who are surprisingly polite.

The findings might catch some readers off guard, especially when it comes to the New York Yankees, traditionally seen as a fanbase filled with hostility. An analysis of team fan pages on Reddit revealed that they actually rank fourth for the number of abusive comments.

Interestingly, Yankees fans were found to have the third most negative comments overall, according to a survey by Vegas Insider.

Top Negative Fans

The Green Monster’s home turf holds the title for the most negative comments, with the Boston Red Sox fans leading the pack at an astonishing 27.6% of their comments deemed negative.

At the moment, a trending title on the Boston Reddit page was “The F**kin Lineup,” with sentiments like, “The lineup just isn’t working, and winning feels impossible unless your starting pitcher hits deep.” A bit harsh, right?

Following closely are fans of the Athletics, who are understandably frustrated about their team’s relocation from Oakland to Sacramento. They’ll be moving to Las Vegas soon.

Adding to the negativity, comments from track and field fans contained the highest percentage of swear words, with over 6% of remarks featuring explicit language—”f**k” being the overwhelming favorite. Red Sox fans, unsurprisingly, were a close second.

The Kind Ones

In contrast, Toronto Blue Jays fans, hailing from a typically polite country, ranked surprisingly low in negative comments, making them quite positive in comparison.

In fact, Blue Jays fans were 20th in terms of positivity and 13th in negativity. The most positive fanbase, however, belongs to the Rockies, with an impressive 46.45% of comments expressing positivity. The St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals followed closely behind.

On the flip side, Door to the West saw the least negative comments overall. St. Louis Cardinals fans were the only group with less than 20% negative feedback.

Despite the rankings, Yankees fans shouldn’t feel too disheartened. They still lead the charge with the most abusive comments in sheer numbers, posting 5 out of every 100 comments being negative, primarily due to their overwhelming fanbase.

This just might be a badge of honor, reflecting their passion for the game.