In Super Bowl 46 in February 2012, the Patriots played a close game but lost to the Giants. In a play-off game on Jan. 20, the Ravens took the Patriots’ chance at another Super Bowl appearance away. Some seasons are great and filled with 18 consecutive wins for the Patriots, but even after losses and occasional disappointments, my brother stays true to his team and doesn’t let other people’s opinions change his loyalty. Win or lose, he remains a Patriot fan.
True fans are rare these days and truthfully it should be the opposite. True fans should outweigh the fair-weather fans. Of course, this happens just like any other popularity contest. The point of an opinion is that it’s your own. I know some die-hard fans, and I think they’re awesome. These are the people who camp out for hours just to get front row seats at sporting events. I’ve stood in the rain to get tickets before. It was kind of a cool feeling. Some people are glued to their computer or phone screens constantly refreshing the page to make sure they are the first to get those tickets.
My mother is a huge NASCAR fan, and she stayed in the stands to watch a race in 100-plus degree heat while people were getting taken away in ambulances from heat strokes, and my dad stayed with us under the grandstand.
I know of a girl who is a huge Utah Jazz fan, and her whole room is Jazz-themed. She was really disappointed when she found out she was too young to enter the Ultimate Jazz Fan contest. I definitely haven’t heard of a lot of girls who have an NBA-filled room.
These are the ultimate fans…they know what it’s like to scrub the body paint off, they have drawers full of similarly colored team shirts, they follow online when the game is blocked and tweet while it’s happening. A true fan is someone who never misses a game, whether in the stands or on TV. They know the stats and the records and can recite them on command. They don’t change their mind because a new team won the championship or some millionnaire holds a nation hostage with a news conference. Many of them have been fans since their parents bought them tiny t-shirts for the team. These guys impress me with their dedication.
I am not, however, impressed by the people who only show up to the big games. They only attend as a social thing. They don’t know anything about the teams or their struggles. These are the convenient fans. They shouldn’t even consider themselves fans. If the team loses, they trash them, but jump on the bandwagon the minute things look rosy again. If you don’t really care, stop pretending that you are a fan. It just makes the true fans mad. I’ll admit I’m not a crazed fan for any team or athlete but I enjoy watching and reporting events. I love to watch the battle unfold. I guess I am a fan of sports in general.
Sometimes I get so into it, I consider myself a fan. People will catch me cheering and getting angry when something bad happens, but I cannot compare myself to those parents jumping out of their seats. I wish I could be a fan like that, my reaction hinging on every play. I went to every home game this football season and I would have been at the away games if I had the gas money or a ride. When the season ended I shed tears with the team. I stayed a fan even through all the adversity, unlike the fair weather types who stopped coming because they said there was no hope.
It’s not always easy to be a fan…you have to take the abuse of the nonbelievers. If you have a lucky shirt…if you have ever painted your face…if you can’t wait to see the final stats…if you record the game and avoid any news of it until you can view it…I salute you for your dedication to what you love. I am fan of true fans.