WHAT MAKES A #1 FAN? WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Everyone has his or her reasons for being fan of a team.  Mine are simple; I live, work, and play in Chicagoland.

But that’s just me.

I got hit with the question “what makes a real #1 fan?” over the weekend.

It’s something I’ve thought about often because we make up these classifications for fellow fans; die-hard, smart, casual, fair-weather…

 But honestly does it really matter?

When you go to a game, stadium security isn’t checking ID’s and turning people away because they just showed up in a team’s corner last week, as opposed to the person who’s been a fan his/her whole life.

If there were the case, American Airlines Arena in Miami, Gillette Stadium in New England, and even the United Center here in Chicago would be ghost towns.

Do the players care?  Hell no.  The players just care that people show up. Length of affiliation damned.

The only people who really care about what makes a “#1 fan” or who a “real” fan is us, the fan.

Just another way we prop ourselves up while making others seem inferior. 

 I’ve been that guy who jumps all over someone’s fandom, usually because their “team” had beat mine and I needed something to put them down.

I mean the nerve of them!  How dare they talk trash to me?!  They hadn’t invested as much time or felt a consistent sting of disappointment!

Those people don’t know their team’s history like me.  They don’t own Jersey’s or posters or autographs like me.

But guess what? When I think that way, I immediately feel like a jackass afterwards because it just reeks of jealousy and bitterness.

I just wanted what they had; A win, consistent success, a marquee player, a championship...

But if I was really tired of not seeing any of those things by my team, I could easily switch to another franchise that does offer one, or all of the above.

 Oh wait, I can’t do that though...then I’d be a frontrunner, but then again, frontrunners win and isn’t that what matters?

Seems some people just can't deal with others bragging or boasting.  Especially if they don't share the same level of commitment to a franchise 

A fan is a supporter, someone who chooses to invest personal time and energy into a team or person.  Who the hell cares if you’ve been doing it for one year, or 20?

Who cares if they weren’t really showing up to games when the team was down?  Just means they didn’t want to spend money on a bad product.

There are no guidelines or rules to being a fan, that’s half the fun in it.

Maybe you’re like me, and just repping where you’re from, or enjoy the play of a particular player. 

Maybe it’s just the household you were raised in, or you simply just like a winner

As long as YOU know and understand your reasons for being a fan, screw everyone else.  As a good buddy of mine likes to say, “doesn’t have to make sense to you, only has to make sense to me.”

There is not a multi-million dollar contract for being the #1 fan.

-WST