Sports Fans
While some people are passionate about art or music, for sports fans, nothing beats the sound of wood snapping as a baseball flies over the left-field wall or the sound of two helmets pounding together after a game-altering tackle. Sports fans have established themselves as a distinct population; they have practically created their own culture.
Whether it is football, baseball, soccer or any other sport, these fanatics enjoy watching games and keeping track of their favorite teams. Sports fans are usually devoted to their teams, and the loyalty they have to that team is nearly indestructible.
Popular Sports and Their Fan Bases
With new technologies on the market, sports fans are now able to access information about their teams anywhere, anytime. They can check the scores on their Blackberry or iPhone during a business meeting. They can download live feeds on their computers or make sure to set their TiVo to record the game. Sports fanatics will do whatever it takes to stay updated on a game that they can't attend.
There are all kinds of different sports and sporting events that take place all-year round, but a few sports take the cake when it comes to their enormous fan base. Football, baseball and soccer are all sports with large fan followings. Fans of these sports are some of the most passionate and extreme fans out there.
Football Fanatics
Football fanatics will usually do anything they can to attend games. Whether it means enduring cold weather, paying higher ticket fees or dealing with large crowds, football fans are passionate people who love watching and talking about football.
These fans bring enthusiasm and energy that the entire stadium absorbs. The camaraderie between the fans trickles onto the field, and the players can't help but feel the positive energy their dedicated fans exude.
Baseball
Baseball fans have been around for centuries. After all, baseball is America's favorite pastime. Between the ballpark franks, the smell of beer and the crunching of peanut shells beneath your feet, baseball fans relish watching their favorite sport in this laidback environment.
For some fans, any team opposing their favored teams is sub-par. While a "bad call" from the ref is likely to stir up the anger of passionate baseball fans, a homerun from their favorite team can elate fans and lift their spirits.
Baseball caps and team jerseys have become the unofficial uniform for many baseball fans. They have also become the object of superstitions. Some people wear their baseball caps inside out and backwards when their team is losing and there is only one inning left. Games between rivals, like the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, have become almost dangerous for baseball fans to wear supporting apparel. Taunting and badgering is often practiced among baseball fans.
Soccer Fans
Soccer fans tend to be daring, bold and just as rowdy and passionate as fanatics of football and baseball. Soccer games are known for the riots that break out between the opposing spectators. These fans would better be classified as competitors. They rush the field and start numerous amounts of fights in the stands. This is when being a spectator becomes more dangerous than enjoyable.
Being a Sports Fan Can Affect Your Heart Rate
Any situation can be hazardous if you aren't prepared, and studies have proven that being a sports fan can actually be dangerous, and negatively affect your health.
Sports fans often get so involved in sporting events that their heart rate increases due to stress. Fans' heart rates and blood pressure levels also increase from extensive walking up and down stadium stairs and ramps. Some of the negative health effects avid sports fans may experience include:
- chipping teeth
- choking on hot dogs
- dehydration
- heart attacks
- sunburn.
In fact, a man at a Jacksonville Jaguars game broke a blood vessel in his brain from screaming too loud after an interception. Despite the injury, he did not seek help until the game had finished.
The dedication and loyalty that sports fans possess is admirable. They add to the experience of watching sports. The sports fan culture is one in which two strangers can become good friends just because they both support the same team. Without these dedicated fanatics, sporting events wouldn't be the same.
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