Love and devotion

Each year, the face paint is applied, the foam fingers are raised and cheering sections warm up their vocal cords for hours of exciting match-ups.

Being a fan can sometimes be more intense and exciting than actually playing, but what does it actually mean to be a fan?

“Being a sports fan is a complex matter, in part irrational but not unworthy, a relief from the seriousness of the real world, with its unending pressures and often grave obligations,” Richard Gilman, a literary and theater critic said, being quoted in an article on Forbes.com.

The chants, the high fives, and the suspense can bring some people to tears, while others experience bliss and life changing moments.

Liberty University graduate and New York native Benjamin Fuller races home from work on weekends to catch Syracuse University basketball games.

“I bleed orange, man,” Fuller said. “I love the emotion of the college game, and I love the tradition of the Syracuse Orange because I grew up watching them.”

Some people may think that the cheering and the fun starts when the game does, but they would be completely wrong. Depending on the importance of the game, who your team is playing, and if you know anyone who is a fan of the opposing team the excitement can start as late as the night of the game, or as early as a year before.

When it comes to rivalries, statistics come out about how many times each team has won, the point deficit, and even where the game is played. I mean lets be honest. When your team wins at the opposing home court, it means so much more because they prove to the other team that they do not need thousands of fans cheering, or the support of their home city, but that they can travel any distance, anytime, anywhere, and hold their own against the opponent.

Being the Celtics fan I am, it is law for me to hate the Los Angeles Lakers. There are no books written, or speeches given informing me of this, all I have to do is look at the rivalry. Years of hard work went into putting together a great franchise, and I will stand behind them till the day I die.

As many of you know, being a fan does not just apply to professional, college, or even national teams. But even parents rooting for their son or daughter on a middle school team can get out of control.

“There were an estimated 41 million children involved in sports in 2006, and that number has continued to grow,” CNN.com said.

Because of the huge involvement, there are plenty of opportunities for parents to be involved, not only in productive and helpful ways, but also destructive ways.

In September of 2008, there was a fight that erupted between parents at a youth football game. After the game ended, the two mothers of players from opposing teams met outside in the parking lot and began to fight.

“This woman just started punching her and continued to punch her,” Sgt. Tom Nestor with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said to MyFox Tampa Bay.

The mother who started the fight was charged with a felony, and the victim was treated for minor injuries.

As ridiculous as that sounds, when it comes to showing team support, fans will do anything to support them.