LOL at giles' false sense of fandom.
People root for different teams for different reasons. There is no guide or any rules. If someone starts really getting in to baseball at the age of 16, sees Mike Trout play and loves him and becomes an Angels fan, who the hell cares? If they follow closely, root for them, watch them - does that make them any less a fan than someone who lives in LA? Give me a break.
My dad was a Braves, Cowboys, Devils fan. Was he a front-runner? I guess so. I grew up rooting for those teams because my dad did and I watched them on TV. Am I front-runner for liking the Cowboys? Well, I was 5 when they last won a SB - don't remember it at all. When I started to really get in to football and the cowboys, they freakin sucked. I remember the 5-11 seasons under Campo, the Drew Hensons, Quincy Carters, Chad Hutchinsons, etc. I remained a Cowboys and Braves fan. I fell out of hockey when they had a lockout, but I watched and loved the Devils winning 2 Cups in my time as a fan. I got back on board with hockey a few years ago, and loved Giroux and thus became a Flyers fan (after they lost in the cup to the hawks in 2010).
If someone has passion and follows a team, they are a fan. I'm a bigger Braves fan than some of my friends are Phillies fans who live in Philly.
Yep, clearly a front runner.