What Does Being a "Fan" Mean to You?

[greece66]

@Phosita
I dunno if being optimistic makes one a better fan, but it doesn't make one less rational either.

Seems to be working for Red Sox fans.

The expectation for Red Sox fans is to be optimistic now? How surreal.

Context guys!

Being a Greek all I know about baseball is I love Red Sox and hate the Yankees.

(plus some random references from american sitcoms)

Beyond that, I don't even understand the rules 

[walker834]

Wanting the team to succeed. Some fans are delusional as far as how to go about that.  But being a fan regardless.

[fairweatherfan]

Tired of seeing veiled accusations thrown to and fro around here about who is and is not a "true Celtics fan," I want to push people to articulate what being a fan of the Celtics, or any sports team, means to them.


For me, being a casual fan means you enjoy watching the team play, and you identify to some degree with the team.  When the team is losing, or playing badly, it's not too hard for you to simply change the channel and stop paying attention for a while, even years.

Being more than just a casual fan means that you have a genuine emotional tie to the team.  This is not something you can turn on or off.  When the team does well, you feel good.  When the team does poorly, you feel bad.  Even when you want to stop paying attention to the team, you can't, because you care whether you like it or not. 

You feel that being a fan of that team is a significant part of who you are, which is why you feel that your own fortunes in some way rise and fall with those of the team.

For me, being a fan has nothing to do with your attitude about how the team is doing, it is all about how following and watching the team affects you.   


What does fandom mean to you?

I gotta disagree with this somewhat.  As my embarrassingly high post count can attest, I follow the team constantly, and have since long before CB existed.  I don't avoid or ignore the team when times are tough.

But I pride myself on being happy when the team does well and shrugging it off when they don't.  Game 7 2010 was my worst experience as a fan - hopefully the worst I'll ever have - and I was fine within a day or two.  To me, that's not being less of a fan, that's loving the game and the team while maintaining an appropriate perspective. 

I've seen way too many people let fandom make them depressed or hostile in areas of their lives that actually matter, and while I don't look down on people that do that, I believe avoiding that trap helps me get a lot more enjoyment out of what's ultimately a source of distraction and entertainment.  To me it's a little perverse to suggest I'd be a better fan if I was just unhappier about something I can never control.

[littleteapot]

The pain is part of the excitement!

The sweet wouldn't be as sweet without the sour.