How to Show that You are a Hardcore Sports Fan

Any fan of a sport can be a hardcore one; it all depends on how passionate, dedicated and even loyal you are to that particular team. Fans also have their own ways of showing how faithful they are to their favorite teams.

We have all seen how crazy some fans can be on college football campuses on game days, especially if it is against one of their biggest rivals.

Soccer (or football depending on where you live) can also have a huge hardcore fan following. To me some of these fans can take it a little bit too far regarding their passion for their team and sport. I make this comment because of the violence that has been present at some matches. It is unfortunate because a few bad apples literally ruin it for everyone else. To state the obvious these few fans take being a hardcore fan way to far, no one should get hurt or killed because of a game.

Here in the USA our football games probably bring out the hardcore in fans. Face paint, outfits and tailgating are all par for the course on game day. Living in the Northern California area I have seen many highlights of Oakland Raiders games and their fan base has more than one colorful character on display. Some of these fans have outfits designed to intimidate the opponent and they make sure that their presence is seen from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.

Some fans might enjoy watching a sport while not really having a favorite team while others will follow a team very closely. This is another great thing about sports; you can be whatever fan you would like to be, as long as you aren’t breaking any laws.

Being a fan of baseball I have followed the St. Louis Cardinals for many years, even though I live halfway across the country. I am proud to be part of a fan base that understands the game and will even show appreciation to the other team when a great play is made, even if it goes against one of our players.

I also enjoy watching football games but I don’t have a favorite team I follow; I prefer to watch good games and exciting players instead.

When your favorite team is playing one of their rivals the excitement is higher than usual as well as the tension. Fans know how quickly standings can get altered after division rivalries or what cross town and state match-ups do to establish bragging rights.

I have no problems with rivalries whatsoever but a few years ago a local one went way too far. At the beginning of the 2011 baseball season the San Francisco Giants were playing in Los Angeles against their rival, the Dodgers. After the game a Giants fan was brutally beaten and nearly killed by a couple of Dodgers fans, presumably because he was wearing Giants gear.

Fans showing passion is part of being a supporter of the game and team but there is no need for violence, period. Some people have a bit too much to drink and do foolish things, not an excuse for this kind of behavior, but it unfortunately does happen. I am glad that the Dodger’s organization made security adjustments to try and prevent this kind of senseless act from happening again.

Many hardcore fans become historians of their team. They know how many championships the team has won, who some of the most memorable players were or who some of the players are that the franchise would rather forget.

This is another reason I am happy to follow the Cardinals. Sure they have over ten World Series titles (second in baseball history to the New York Yankees) but the team is rich with history, tradition and has had their share of Hall of Fame players come through their team.

If you don’t know a ton about your favorite team, don’t worry because there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Remember, be what kind of fan you want to be, the sport will gladly accept your following in any capacity.

Part of being a fan is having a best player on the team. You might follow this players’ statistics every season or even their off of the field charities. You don’t have to have a favorite player but the majority of hardcore fans will have one or two on their team.

You might even have favorite players who specialize in different things to help the club. Take football for example, you might have a favorite player on offense and one on defense. It all depends on what you enjoy watching and supporting.

Showing your dedication to your favorite team is important to many hardcore fans. Not every season will be successful and there will be rough patches. Sticking with your team, through up and down times, is crucial for the most dedicated fans.

Obviously some franchises are more successful than others. Being a lifelong baseball fan the most dedicated fan base, that sticks with their team through thick and thin, I can think of are Chicago Cubs fans. Even though their team hasn’t won a World Series since 1906 the fans still flock to Wrigley and proudly wear their Cubs blue to support the club.

It is easy for fans to like successful teams because they win. On the other hand it can be tough to continue to root for a team that continuously falls short in the win column.

I play softball with a couple of Cubs fans and we do poke fun at their struggles. They are used to it and we are just doing it to play around with them but they know that their team hasn’t done well for a while; these struggles haven’t dampened their loyalty to the club one bit. If this isn’t true hardcore fan dedication I don’t know what is.