Sports Fan mentality...Please explain

[Anonymous]

I honestly don't get it. I enjoy going to games and I'll cheer for the home team, just to make it fun for myself, but I don't care whether they win or lose. Surely not enough to get all worked up and for me to be happy, sad or disappointed. I mean folks are hugging, crying, jumping up and down, and I look at them and try to figure out that emotion. I'm not talking about people that have a loved one playing or have a financial interest in the outcome, just ordinary folks. Anyone??

[Anonymous]

Do you ever cry at the end of a movie?

[Anonymous]

You obviously didn't grow up as a sports fan. Which is fine, but it limits your frame of reference. When you follow a team for an entire season, or multiple seasons, you develop an attachment to them, and you DO care whether they win or lose. For you, it's a one-time, three hour event - for fans of the sport, and particular teams, it's a multi-year commitment.

That said, if you're not a kid - maybe a teenager - I think it's ridiculous to cry when your team loses. Or, in the case of Maryland fans, riot.

[Anonymous]

It's completely bizarre to me too. It's not like the players are even from the team's local area - it's a weird, arbitrary association.

I get supporting a specific athlete, if you're familiar with their particular life story. But emotional over a big league team? Collected from all over? Weird.

[Anonymous]

I loved the school I went to and it made my who I am today. It makes me emotional to see the kids on the basketball team (and during football season at times) to be successful. I also grew up watching baseball and football with my dad--with baseball this was an almost everyday thing--so I've always loved it, and now it has a fond emotional and sentimental aspect to it. I'm a female, by the way.

If you didn't grow up playing/loving sports, you'll never ever get it. But don't put anyone down just because YOU don't understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's completely bizarre to me too. It's not like the players are even from the team's local area - it's a weird, arbitrary association.

I get supporting a specific athlete, if you're familiar with their particular life story. But emotional over a big league team? Collected from all over? Weird.

But some are. Like last year the winning shot was made by a Gonzaga graduate and his "brother" (who also attended Gonzaga) was on the other team. Last night the "brother" won the national title and his brother was in the stands.

Also, even if you don't know these people personally can't you appreciate all the hard work they put in to get to this point. They have been working since they were 5 years old and now they are in the top 1% of the nation.

Can't you at least appreciate how monumental the accomplishment is?

[Anonymous]

But when I saw Hootie (of the Blowfish) crying when South Carolina won, that made me tear up. Love you Darius!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But when I saw Hootie (of the Blowfish) crying when South Carolina won, that made me tear up. Love you Darius!

Me too!! Lol. Carolina grad here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But when I saw Hootie (of the Blowfish) crying when South Carolina won, that made me tear up. Love you Darius!

Me too!! Lol. Carolina grad here!

you mean south Carolina-there is only one Carolina and you know you look up to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But when I saw Hootie (of the Blowfish) crying when South Carolina won, that made me tear up. Love you Darius!

Me too!! Lol. Carolina grad here!

you mean south Carolina-there is only one Carolina and you know you look up to it.

LOL...no.

But congrats on your men's national championship!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But when I saw Hootie (of the Blowfish) crying when South Carolina won, that made me tear up. Love you Darius!

Me too!! Lol. Carolina grad here!

you mean south Carolina-there is only one Carolina and you know you look up to it.

LOL...no.

But congrats on your men's national championship!

Thanks but just look at the map Great women's run this year. Amazing team

[Anonymous]

You get invested the same way you do with anything else. You watch the team, you know the players. You know the way they play. You know who got hurt and has been working all season to come back. You know who is playing off the bench. You know that the couch makes them go to tutors and keep a certain GPA. You know how this single group of players will not play together in this formation ever again. You maybe went to the school and feel a cultural pride connected to that place. You've watched all the games this season. Now they are in the biggest game of them all and you are SO excited. So excited because this is the build up of the entire season. It's going to be fun to watch. You'll probably have a few beers. You will know each play they do poorly that they could have done better. You will know when they got ass lucky with that shot. And when they are ahead with a few minutes left? You will get this little leap in your throat that "oh my god, they might win it all". And when the final minutes tick down and they DO WIN IT ALL? You jump up and down and cry and celebrate because it's fun as hell. You also might be tipsy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely bizarre to me too. It's not like the players are even from the team's local area - it's a weird, arbitrary association.

I get supporting a specific athlete, if you're familiar with their particular life story. But emotional over a big league team? Collected from all over? Weird.

But some are. Like last year the winning shot was made by a Gonzaga graduate and his "brother" (who also attended Gonzaga) was on the other team. Last night the "brother" won the national title and his brother was in the stands.

Also, even if you don't know these people personally can't you appreciate all the hard work they put in to get to this point. They have been working since they were 5 years old and now they are in the top 1% of the nation.

Can't you at least appreciate how monumental the accomplishment is?

NP here. Just to correct you:

A Villanova player (who's brother was on the Carolina team) had the winning shot against Carolina. This year, he was in the stands supporting his brother and team win against Gonzaga. Also - not sure why you put "brother" in quotations. They are adopted brothers. No need for quotations.

GO HEELS!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's completely bizarre to me too. It's not like the players are even from the team's local area - it's a weird, arbitrary association.

I get supporting a specific athlete, if you're familiar with their particular life story. But emotional over a big league team? Collected from all over? Weird.

But some are. Like last year the winning shot was made by a Gonzaga graduate and his "brother" (who also attended Gonzaga) was on the other team. Last night the "brother" won the national title and his brother was in the stands.

Also, even if you don't know these people personally can't you appreciate all the hard work they put in to get to this point. They have been working since they were 5 years old and now they are in the top 1% of the nation.

Can't you at least appreciate how monumental the accomplishment is?

NP here. Just to correct you:

A Villanova player (who's brother was on the Carolina team) had the winning shot against Carolina. This year, he was in the stands supporting his brother and team win against Gonzaga. Also - not sure why you put "brother" in quotations. They are adopted brothers. No need for quotations.

GO HEELS!!!!!

PP was referring to the fact that Nate Britt from UNC and Kris Jenkins from Villanova both attended Gonzaga College High School in DC. If you don't follow high school basketball in the DMV, you could be forgiven for not getting the distinction between the local high school and the university in Washington state. I know what PP meant because my kids plays AAU with some Gonzaga kids, and because they beat the Wilson Tigers in the finals of the DCSAA tournament

Also, I think PP put brother in quotes because Jenkins was adopted by Britt's parents when they were already AAU teammates and in, IIRC, in middle school, so their relationship started as being friends and evolved from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You obviously didn't grow up as a sports fan. Which is fine, but it limits your frame of reference. When you follow a team for an entire season, or multiple seasons, you develop an attachment to them, and you DO care whether they win or lose. For you, it's a one-time, three hour event - for fans of the sport, and particular teams, it's a multi-year commitment.

That said, if you're not a kid - maybe a teenager - I think it's ridiculous to cry when your team loses. Or, in the case of Maryland fans, riot.

OP here. Not true. I did grow up as a sports fan. I remember watching the World Series with my dad in 1980 when the Phiilies won, I remember the celebration with Tug McGraw on the mound, I remember jumping up and down and screaming when they won....but I was 11!! I can't imagine myself as a 47 year old woman acting that way for ANY team (unless a family member is playing). It's very bizarre. And why do people care enough about these random players on the teams to follow their lives or stats?