GOT FANATICS! - ITS ALL ABOUT THE SAUCE!
May 8, 2008
A fan, aficionado or supporter is someone who
has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking of a sporting club,
person, group of persons, company, product, work of art, idea, or trend. Fans of a particular thing constitute its fanbase or fandom. They may start a fan club, hold fan conventions, create fanzines, write fan mail, or engage in similar activities.
Characteristics of a fan
There are certain common characteristics to be found in fans
interested in different topics and that these characteristics influence
the behaviors of those involved in fan behavior (Thorne&Bruner
2006).
Those common characteristics include (Thorne&Bruner 2006):
- Internal involvement. Fans focus more of their time and resources
intently on a specific area of interest than a non-fan would, and are
not significantly concerned if non-fans (including family or friends)
don’t derive pleasure from the area of interest. Fans usually have a
strong enough interest that small to major changes in their lifestyles are made to accommodate devotion to the focal object. - Desire for external involvement - are motivated to demonstrate
their involvement with the area of interest through certain behaviors
(attending conventions, posting online, etc.) - Wish to acquire - fans tend to express a strong desire to possess material objects related to the area of interest.
- Desire for social interaction
with other fans. This again may take many forms, from casual
conversation, e-mail, chat rooms, and electronic mailing lists to
regular face-to-face meetings such as fan club meetings and organized
conventions
The likelihood for a subject of interest to be elevated to the level
of fandom appears to be dictated by its complexity. Complexity allows
further involvement of fans for a longer period of time because of the
time needed to work the subject of interest ‘out.’ It also contributes
to a greater sense of belonging because of the mental effort invested
in the subject. This could be why sci-fi is so popular, some fans feel
the need to work out all the scientific kinks in these programs. One
example for Star Trek is that a group of fans designed blueprints for
federation starships.
Fan vs. fanatic
The difference between a fan and a fanatic
is that while both have an overwhelming liking or interest in a given
subject, behavior of a fanatic will be viewed as violating prevailing social norms, while that of a fan will not violate those norms (although is usually considered unusual).
Sports fans
Sports fan can describe enthusiasts for a particular athlete, team,
sport, or all of organized sports as a whole. The Sports fans are often
seen attending sporting events or following them on television, as well
as through newspapers and internet websites such as ESPN.com.
The mentality of the sports fan is often such that they will
experience a game, or event while living vicariously through players or
teams whom the fan favors. This behavior manifests itself in a number
of different ways, depending on the venue.
At a stadium or arena, sports fans will voice their pleasure with a particular play, player, or team by cheering,
which consists of clapping, fist-pumping, or shouting positive
exclamations toward the field of play and ultimately, the favorable
object. Likewise, displeasure toward a particular play, player, or team
is met by fans with jeers,
which consist of booing, the shouting of expletives, and in occasional,
extreme cases, the throwing of dense objects onto the field of play in
the hopes of injuring a particular participant. This end of fan
reaction may often degenerate into hooliganism.
It should also be noted that lighter, more harmless objects are also
occasionally thrown onto certain fields of play as a form of
celebration of a favorable sports feat. This is most common when a
member of the home team scores a hat trick
in hockey. Other, more mild forms of displeasure shown by sports fans
at sporting events involve simple groans of disappointment, and
silence. These actions often denote that the favored home team is being
outperformed by, or has lost to the much less-favored road team.
At sports bars,
sports fans will gather together, often while consuming food and
alcoholic beverages, with the purpose of following a particular
sporting event on television as a group. Sports bars often advertise in
hopes of drawing fans of a particular player or team to watch together
to increase bonds between fans and prevent fights. This can create the
sense of unity in a sports bar as all cheers and boos will appear to be
synchronized due to similar feelings and reactions by nearly all fans
at the fortunes and misfortunes of the favored team or athlete. Due to
the level of devotion and intensity of feeling towards the favored team
or athlete by sports bar patrons, as well as partially due to the
alcohol being served, behavior that would be seen as unruly or
fanatical outside of a sports bar is generally more common inside of
one. The intensity of cheering and jeering at a sports bar by sports
fans can often range from equal to stronger than that of fans actually
at the sporting event for particularly significant games and matches.
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