There are a few different types of fans, which one are you?
The Casual
They are typcially unproblematic, and are usually up-beat about their team. They don’t follow them too closely but know enough to engage in casual conversation at a bar. This type of fan never refers to the team as “we.” Most of their consistant watching is during the playoffs, if their team makes it. They don’t own any jerseys but they have an old cap, or t-shirt they found on sale.
The Newbie
They wear their excitement on their sleeve. A friend of a friend or a co-worker had an extra ticket to the game. Usually they don’t attend sporting events, but they were free and wanted to step out of their “comfort zone.” Because the tickets we’re decent seats they had a great first-time experience, they even bought one of those foam fingers that they’ll lose on the way home. They won’t stop talking about the team and they ususally follow the team and coaching staff on social media. They can become problematic.
The Die-Hard
Yippie ki-yay Mother F*****!!! They’re all in! More than half of their wardrobe has the team logo on it. They own home jerseys, away jerseys and secondary jerseys. Ebay is one of their most used apps looking for rare team paraphanellia. They’ll engage in any conversation about the sport but will find someway to direct the conversation back to their team. They are more than likely season ticket holders. The can be problematic, but usually some of the best fans in the arena.
The Delusional (aka, Delulu)
Every season is a season for greatness. Every year has the opportunity to be the year the team starts to turn things around. Not all the time but more than likely they support a perennial loser, their team hasn’t even sniffed the playoffs let alone a winning season. They wear the jersey’s of past players who had some great seasons elsewhere but ended their career here. They don’t have season tickets but should look into a package, because they go to a lot of games and buy tickets second hand, so they end up spending more on fees than actual game. They surprisingly, aren’t very problematic.
The Obsessive
Their entire existance revolves around the team. They are the die-hard on steriods. They are more of a “fan” than the Die-Hard. Every conversation revolves around the team. If their team won a championship, they’ve purchased a replica ring. But they still do a daily scouring of the internet for an all ellusive real one. They are more than just the face-painted, tattooed, loudest person in section 115. This team is their religion, they will die for it, their tombstone will include the team’s logo. If they are luck enough to be home owners the exterior of the house is painted in the team colors. Everything, and I mean everything they own has the team logo on it somewhere, and if it didn’t come with it there’s a sticker. They not only know current and former players by name but everyone in the front office. They don’t care how ignorant or how stupid they sound on social media while defending their team. They have also may or may not have some pending litigation about a restraining order. Their only friend is the team’s branded app. They’ll die for this s***! Needless to say, they can be the definition of problematic fan.
