This ain't no bandwagon.

Today, Bayern played Zenit St. Petersburg. In typical fashion, we conceded an early goal and then came back to win 4-2. But it's not about the scoreline. It's about the fact that it's clear that our boys are having fun again. From the amateurs who got to make the road trip with the team, who were all smiles while hanging out with Bastian and Mario on the bench, to the amazingly hilarious way Franck and Arjen poked fun at themselves the other day against the Paulaner XI, the fun is back. It's a team the plays through injuries (hey, we see you over there Basti with your fractured toe you've been playing on FOR WEEKS) and still manages to tease the Bundesliga's top scorer about his hair (though, really, Holger, you should be careful about that as your own Bieber-esque 'do opens you to much ridicule).

In the midst of the drama that is Neuer-gate (and it should be noted that little of the drama is coming from the Bayern fans), the accusation gets thrown around that Bayern fans are bandwagon fans: we cheer for Bayern because we love the German NT and Bayern makes up the largest contingent of the NT. And maybe that is true for some people. But not for me. And not for most Bayern fans I know. I cheered for the German NT because I was a Bayern fan first.

But more than that, Bayern is more than a bunch of superstar German NT players. Ribery and Robben are both world-class international players with high profiles, too. But for a lot of us, it's the players like Tymo and Daniel Van Buyten who tug most at our heartstrings and who make us proudest (and I'm going to leave my remarks on Tymo at that, or I'll be fangirling over him for pages). It's about the work horses, the silent heroes. Bayern isn't about the superstars; it's about the heart and the team and the players who put in solid performances week after week and yet don't get the recognition of guys like Basti or Lahm. Bayern is the kind of place where one of Germany's all-time greatest strikers, Miro Klose, spends far more time on the bench than on the pitch and yet you don't see him complaining to the media. Bayern is so much more than a bandwagon.

I love the game and will watch matches I have no vested interest in simply because I love the sport. And I love cheering for Real Madrid and Liverpool and for the German NT, but the reality is, I bleed for Bayern. Nothing else makes me prouder, happier, or more frustrated than Bayern. And for Tymo and Daniel and Toni and all the others...everything is Bayern and nothing hurts.