What kind of sports fan are you?

[Chekov's Phaser]

Are you a fair weather fan? A die hard fan who is always the perpetual optimist? A casual fan who just goes with the flow? A fan who swears (literally) after a loss that they will never come back only to always return?

I'm the last one. I swear it's hard to be a fan of sports in Dallas sometimes. I write this has my beloved Texas Rangers are getting beat again. They have had a good year, but I'm starting to see lots of cracks. I'm cussing at the screen as their losing, but I'll be back tomorrow. Same with the Dallas Cowboys. I'm hopefully about this year, but I'm sure the profanity will be flying in a few months.

So what kind of sports fan are you?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Optimist, all the way!

 

[mimic]

It depends on the sport.

College football I follow to the point of obsession, although I only follow PSU really closely and the Big Ten kinda closely and then just the rest of the teams in the Top 25. When it comes to losses I just can't look at any media - after the Iowa loss my roommate banned ESPN from the TV and I didn't make much of an argument. Ugh, they were so happy that we weren't going to go undefeated, the jerks.

Baseball, I was a casual fan up until probably 2006 when the Phils made a run at the wild card (and lost out, of course). My interest definitely piqued when it became a question of playoffs vs. playing .500 ball (our goal in previous years). Now I know nearly every player on the roster; day was I only knew of Rollins, Utley, Howard/Thome, Burrell, Rolen, Schilling, Abreu and anyone who had a fan club (Wolf Pack, Padilla Flotilla, etc.) I guess that's still a lot...anyway, this past homestand was tough. 1-8? Ugh.

NFL, I'm just a casual fan. I used to care more, but that was before I experienced college football.

NHL I was a die hard fan, but since hockey is not really on TV these days it's difficult to maintain the level of knowledge that I used to have.

 

[scottydog]

I have to admit that one of my character faults is that I'm a fair-weather fan. On the one hand, I can justify it by saying that I wouldn't buy an inferior product in the store, so why should I pay tickets to see a bad team?

But this mindset has cost me. When my teams go through a few lean years, I lose interest and then miss-out on the inevitable pendulum-swinging rebuilding and ascension to the top. I miss out.

I really should see a therapist about this!

 

[Canadave]

Depends. With the Jays, I'm an optomist, for the most part. I always go in hoping they'll finally see everything gell together for once.

When it comes to the Leafs, I'm a cynic. But I think that comes with the territory.

 

[StolenThunder]

I don't mind when my team loses. As it goes, I quite like supporting a smaller team. There's something to be said for the challenge.

 

[RoJoHen]

I like watching a good game. I don't particularly care who is playing or who wins (though I will probably celebrate more if a Chicago team wins) as long as the game is entertaining. I don't really have a team that I cheer for on a regular basis.

 

[Garth Rockett]

Die hard optimist. Every spring for the last two decades plus, I've said to myself "This could be the Cubs' year." If that's not optimism, I don't know what is.

 

[Danny99]

I'm diehard for the Leafs, but even I know they don't have a snowball's chance of hell in a Cup in the next century.

I'm more passive when it comes to the NFL (Lions) and MLB (Blue Jays).

However, looking at the teams I chose, I must be a sadomasochist.

 

[Jono]

Pretty much a die-hard fan. I don't waver on my support for my teams and I always hope they will win (though I don't always believe they will).

 

[Scout101]

None of those really fit me. Die-hard fan (at least Sox and Pats, casual Celtics fan, and only follow the Bruins for shits and grins), but more realistic than blind optimism.

Of course, having teams that are in the tops of their sports really helps! If they lose in the playoffs, at least they made it, and they've got a solid core for the next attempt, so no need to climb out on the ledge...

 

[Mallory]

I'm ever the optimist. If I could survive being a NY Giants fan in the 70s and a three decade span of no bowl games for Oregon I can survive anything.

 

[Commander Vaughn]

The type of fan I am varies from sport to sport.

College Football: I really enjoy following college football as a sport in general. I hated it when my favorite team (Michigan) lost, and would stay away from media for awhile afterwards. But after their season last year, I got used to them losing. It freed up more time for me to follow other teams, so now I just enjoy following the sport in general.

NHL: Diehard Detroit Red Wings fan. I generally only follow them and other teams that threaten them.

NBA: I actually follow this league quite a bit too. I have a favorite team, but I pay attention to the entire league.

MLB: I didn't care about this until the Tigers made their World Series run a few years back. Afterwards I got into the league a bit more, and I've actually taken a liking to the Phillies too. Following teams in both leagues is fun to do.

NFL: I root against the Detroit Lions. Especially after last year. I follow them like I do a team I want to win, but I want them to lose. Because if they lose badly enough for long enough maybe we'll finally get some of the change the organization desparately needs.

 

[Pegaritaville]

I'm a die-hard fan, but I wouldn't say I'm an optimist. Years of experience have taught me the futility of that. Some years I know my team will be shitty, but that doesn't stop me from rooting for them- I just lower my expectations.

 

[Rob Hal]

I'm a diehard Blue Jays fan that hits emotional rock bottom after every single loss. It gets to the point that I can't watch games when they start losing badly. I get so angry that I can't be around people...

I'm a diehard NHL fan, but I'm so emotionally invested in any team, so it's not as bad as baseball...

 

[iguana_tonante]

I suppose I'm a fair weather fan (talking about soccer here). Usually I just check the results of my favourite team after the match: if they won, good; if they lost, too bad. Sometimes I will watch a match on tv, but only if it's something important on the line, like the national championship or some kind of cup. Weekly matchs are kinda boring to me. I will transform in a rabid fan only for the World Cup. Like a were-fan, only every four years instead of once a month.

However, I always follow the Olympic Game very closely (Summer and Winter): I like that very much.

 

[Garrovick]

I've been a Notre Dame and Packers fan since the 1950s...

Win, Loose or not even show up...

 

[tomalak301]

I'm a casual fan. Don't go buy merchandise, but do try to make it to some baseball games (Football, Hockey and Basketball are expensive, even though I've experienced all of them) and follow the favorite teams (Warriors, Sharks, Giants, A's, and Niners).

 

[Smiley]

I voted for fair weather, but that doesn't mean I support other teams over my home teams. It just means that I don't care very much about their performance one way or another unless they are in the championship/playoffs. I don't actively seek tickets for any of the sporting events, either. Maybe that means I'm more of a casual fan.

 

[mimic]

I'm a diehard Blue Jays fan that hits emotional rock bottom after every single loss. It gets to the point that I can't watch games when they start losing badly. I get so angry that I can't be around people...

Heh, I'm exactly like that with the Phillies and Penn State. Well, PSU more so than with the Phils, because I have to mope for at least a week before there's another chance at a win, whereas the Phils usually play the next day.