The Favorite Sport in the Life of Every Type of Fan

Different types of fans have been classified for decades. Sports fans are enthusiastic devotees, usually as spectators to a particular sport, athlete, or team. They show their enthusiasm by attending the sports game, joining a sports club, or watching the team on television. People experience a gaming event by living through their favorite players or teams. Why do these people like to watch sports? Science has proved that watching sports makes us feel dominant, feel a rush of pleasure, and we actually feel like we are playing the game.

To understand these different ways to support sport teams, we classify these sports fans into groups. There are several groups of fans, some of which include super fans, super violent fans, bandwagon fans, and sports hater fans.

Super sports fans are those who customarily dress to support their team using face paint, body paint, and ridiculous hairstyles. Super fans are very enthusiastic about their team when they are winning. They are always willing to set aside anything to cheer for their team and follow them religiously. They have followed their team for so long that they know the team’s history, including the starting lineup from when the team first formed, recollecting every win and loss. Then, there is the super fan who follows every team and every sport, watching any sport and any team, just to have something to talk about. They keep track of every home run, touchdown, or major game event. Every conversation they have in life somehow comes back to sports.

Sometimes fans can get so invested in the game that they become super violent sports fans. These fans’ love for their team and deep immersion in the game can sometimes pose a danger to themselves and others. When their sports team wins, they feel empowered and successful. Winning at home heightens this feeling. However, many of these fans don’t know when to draw the line, and they become mean-spirited. Some mean-spirited fans have tasered other teams’ fans, instigated fights or even resorted to firearms over supporting the other team. If this extreme excitement occurs at home, it might result in thrown beer cans, screaming, yelling, and punching. So, why do sports games lead to violence? Several factors contribute, including alcohol, the nature of the sport, the desire to join in the team’s victory, and group behaviour. These all play a role in the existence of super violent sports fans.

Now, we have bandwagon fans. These fans are the most common in sports around the world. Bandwagon fans are simply the fans that support the team with the most championships, who are winning in the league at the moment, or reigning champions. If at any moment they catch wind that the team they are supporting is performing poorly, they will switch their allegiance to another team that is currently winning. These types of fans are usually disliked by superfans who know everything about their team. Although most people won’t admit to being a bandwagon fan, there are some ways to detect one. Ask if they know the team staff; if they are a true fan, they will know more than one star player and they will be aware of the coaches and a little about them. Determine if they know the statistics; if they are a true fan, they will know more statistics than just those of the star player—this also takes time and effort. Also, see if they know any historical information about the team, like past championships, past star players, and their past records. These are just some of the many ways to detect a bandwagon fan, but is there anything wrong with being a bandwagon fan? If it weren’t for bandwagon fans, we would have the same people supporting the same teams, which would bring no variability to the game. Besides, bandwagon fans give committed fans something to joke about. It also leads to situations where true fans can marvel at the bandwagoner’s lost expressions when they have no idea what’s going on, who’s playing, or just look ridiculous trying to support their chosen team.

Next, we have sports haters. Although they are not sports fans, they play a significant role in the sports ecosystem. These individuals don’t necessarily hate sports itself, but instead, despise certain aspects that accompany it. They believe that sports lovers are simply people who watch sports and ignore everything else. Sports haters often argue that schools prioritise sports—evident from large gymnasiums and state-sponsored games—over education and students’ academic growth. They judge athletes based on their appearance rather than their athletic ability. Sports haters may say that athletes dress poorly or that they are probably on steroids, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. This group of “fans” even has its own website, attempting to enlighten people about their views on sports and its impact on society.

Clearly, there are many different types of sports fans. Among them are superfans, super violent fans, bandwagon fans, and the so-called sports haters. Superfans are enthusiastic and loyal watchers. Super violent fans are those that resort to aggressive actions like throwing things, resorting to physical violence, or exhibiting mean-spirited behaviour when their team starts losing. Bandwagon fans follow any and every team if they hear that the team is performing well. The last “fan” we discussed was the most interesting—the haters of the game and everything that comes with it. These are just some of the many types of crazy, enthusiastic, mean-spirited, and hater “fans” we have today.

Did you like this example?

278

15