I like sports, nearly all of them. the spectacle of competition and the excitement of it all. I watch major stuff, like the world cup or the Olympics, as most do. I think however that I might have spotted some problems with these events. I have no intention of criticising the sports themselves, instead I will focus on the fans (and fan means fanatic) and their perspectives.

first up we have the idea of supporting some team or some person, I have no problem with the MOTD watcher or the casual fan, my ire is reserved for the die hard, the fanatical fan that follows their team from birth till death never wavering and always willing. why do I feel this way? Do I not also have preferences? Well yes, of course I have but I reserve the right to enjoy the game or the match regardless of how it turns out, regardless of whether my preference is satisfied. I know there are people who follow a specific team, they’re the guys in the stands with the shirts on with their own names on the back, they’re the guys who say “we” when describing the game afterwards (as if they contributed), they’re the guys who really care and who’s day is made or ruined by the result. They are not concerned with the quality of the sports event rather the result, they would rather watch their team grind out a scoreless draw than see them lose in a 6-5 barnstormer. I find this perspective kind of silly, the true fan of the sport is the neutral observer, rewarded by not having an expectation and a motivation. I contend that I am that fan, I prefer the game more than the result. Since I don’t gamble I have not particular stake in the outcome.

The second point I would make is that of a shared foolishness, the idea of an atmosphere. I have shared in this illusion, the one where we turn to each other and recognise in each other that we are both feeling something akin to elation or excitement. what is not happening here is that we are experiencing a change in the air between us, there is no extra energy in the room or the stadium. I find that there is often a confusion between the psychical phenomenon and the physical one, where a fan mistakes one for the other.

Paul Simon Wilson