A Philosophy Behind Fanhood
By Max Minowitz
As avid sports fans, we go through roller-coaster emotional swings every season. A fond memory of mine is the San Francisco Giants' 2010 World Series run, even though I also had to listen to my friends complain that I didn't support the Giants prior to their unexpected success.
My friends' bitterness made me wonder: why do dedicated fans often get angry at "bandwagon" or "fair-weather" fans who only support their teams when they are successful? How rational is it to be a "die-hard" fan of particular teams?
Die-hards across the world spend hundreds of millions of dollars per year on merchandise for their favorite teams. Sports fans shell out for these jerseys despite knowing that their favorite player might be on a different team next season. But sports fans live in the moment.
Fair-weather fans attempt to feel only the highs of a team's journey, and do not waste time and energy watching their team lose. After all, why would you spend hours watching a game that is only going to leave you disappointed? But they will never truly appreciate the bliss of a team rising out of the ashes to win.
As a big 49er fan, I will never forget my ecstasy and tears after Vernon Davis' catch miraculously paved the way for victory against the Saints and shot the 49ers into the NFC Championship game.
Sports fans often brag about sticking by a team through "thick and thin." The team has a bad season, and the fans suffer, as if they had something to do with it. The greatest sports stories are about players and teams who overcame tremendous adversity to find success.
They also avoid the miseries of watching their team come up short for years. Because they have invested less in sports, they can direct their attention to more important matters: friends, family, education and careers. How will any fan's life be tangibly affected by who wins the Super Bowl, World Series, etc.?
ESPN personality Colin Cowherd suggests we should be unconditionally loyal only to our children. Blind loyalty to professional and college sports teams is detrimental; we should only be loyal if these programs are making a valiant effort to succeed.
But this method is terribly subjective. Many of us are born into "sports families" and become loyal to clubs. The rest of us have an important decision to make: how much of our happiness are we going to invest in sports? I remember the days where a Niners' loss would ruin my week. As a senior, I now have much more important things to worry about - and so do you.
Max Minowitz is a senior political science major and associate reporter for The Santa Clara.