Fans (revised) #9

Although many people enjoy sports and watch them on television or go to games, few “fans” have unconditional pride or really care about how their team does week in and week out.  When I think of sports fans, I categorize them in three distinct categories. We have the “fair weather” fan, social fans, and rabid fans.  Fair weather fans are the ones who love to jump on the bandwagon when their team is doing well. The social fans are the ones who don’t really care about sports or the team, but rather go to sporting events to hangout with friends. The rabid fans are the ones who live and breath their team.

Social fans may not have a favorite team, or even like sports period. Most will attend or watch a game only purely for social reasons. Who wins or who loses does not affect these fans. Many social fans know minimal about the sport being played. When I watch or attend games, I find myself having to explain the happenings of the game. Social fans are rarely involved in the game but do enjoy the company of their friends. 

Although social fans know the least about the team and even the sport, nobody is as disliked by the fare weather fans. These are the fans that never devote themselves to a specific team on a regular basis. If their home team is doing well, then these fans will generally call themselves a fan. However, if their home team is doing poorly, these fans will root for whichever team is on top.  More than likely this type of fan will go out and buy team attire to try and prove their devotion to the team.  When talking with these fans you will find that they love to talk about how well their current team is doing and all about the star players, again to try and prove their devotion. The rabid fans hate “fair weather” fans, because they lack loyalty to one team for a long period of time.

Rabid fans are truly devoted to one team, and follow their team in the good times and the rough times. You will rarely hear a rabid fan cheer for any team, unless they are cheering against another team. Rabid fans begin their tailgating early in the morning all the way up to game time and sometimes after. These fans provide great entertainment while at the game. Some will dress up in crazy outfits. Others love to yell at, and criticize the referees. Some will paint their chests with clever messages or go all out in full body paint even if the weather is brutally cold.  - When I say these fans live and breathe their team, I mean it. - They truly feed off how their team does throughout the season. If the team is doing well these fans will be pleasant people to be around. However, if the team is having a bad year then you do not expect their moods to be anything short of depressed. Although the team doesn’t always do well, the majority of season ticket holders are held by the rabid fans. These season ticket holders generally make good friends with the other season ticket holders around them. These rabid fans are what give teams a “home field advantage.” I spoke to a friend that has been a long time New York Yankees fan, and he told me that it’s a great feeling to know that you are a part of how the team performs. 

As an athlete myself, I understand that a lot of our success on the field is due to our rabid fans cheering us at every game. Hearing the fans cheering loudly gives a team a little bit of extra motivation to do well

I think that everyone should be a die-hard about some kind of sports team because of the ways that you will feel after your team has a good year. The passionate feeling that you get after your team gets a big win or has a good season is indescribable. You do not really get this feeling from any other person or thing. If you truly think about it the team that you cheer for is always there for you. They may not be able to win every game, but they are always there. They never turn there back on you as a fan, and they will do all that they can to make sure that you know that they appreciate you.