That's part of the game eddie. If we fall out of first place and the team starts to play poorly you will most undoubtedly lose fans. These are called the "bandwagon" fans. This term is abused on the MLB message board but the phenomenon is real.
You have four types of fans: 1) Social, 2) Family, 3) Bandwagon & 4) Diehards.
1) Social Fans: These are the bussiness and political elites. They buy tickets usually in bulk and most of the the time they don't attend. Having Diamond Club seats is a status-symbol more than a desire to come out to the ballpark. If they DO come to the game it's usually to sip on some WINE with a name you can't pronounce and to conduct bussiness or chit-chat about where to park the Bentley in such an "atrocious area" as RFK. The only cool thing about these fans is that the occassional foul bat will get loose in their section and catch one of these blackberry totin' execs square on the noggin because they are not paying attention to the game. That's always great for a good laugh. 
2) Family Fans: These are Mom & Dad taking the kids out on a summer evening to enjoy some of America's past-time with the little ones. Ahhh, peanuts and crackerjacks...and a kid with his face covered in cotton candy holding onto a foul ball. That's what it's all about!
3) Bandwagon Fans: People who might know a little about baseball but nothing about the team. They don't really watch the games on TV and they haven't really followed the players. They come-out to the ballpark because it's FUN and it's a place you can drink beer outside without getting arrested. If the team's doing well you will see alot of them because cheering for a winner is really cool.
4) Diehards: These are the fans that LOVE THE GAME. They usually collected baseball cards as a kid and played in Little League. They typically were taken to ball games by their Father when growing up and owned at least one major league baseball cap throughout their life. They will always wear the team colors at games and will even show-up at AWAY games to root for their team. And as the name implies; Diehards never quit. Even when their team is in DEAD LAST and sucking on the bottom like a Potomac River catfish - they still love their team.
I remember at the Fourth of July, I sat next to a family who brought some kids, one of which was probably too young to go to the game. He kept kicking the chair in front of him, which made the young woman who was sitting in it complain to the mother. I tried to use my leg block the kid, but I could not play watchdog forever and I had to move it and the kid started doing it again. Eventually the woman and the guy she was with got up and left, and didn't come back. I hope they return to a future Nats game!
Eddie Cunningham
