Lutz's+Formal+Essay+2

When presented with the classification writing assignment I really had a tough time deciding what to write about. There was just so many things to write about that I couldn't really decide. That was until I was sitting in lunch one day and my table started arguing about the difference between being band-wagoners and a true fan. A light went on in my head and I decided that I would write about the types of football fans. I chose to put this writing in my wikispace because it involved sports since I am such an avid sports fan I thought it really fit. Over the years I have had to deal with the three types of fan so the topic was really easy to write about because I am so familiar with the three types.

Football Fans: The Rowdy, the Reserved, and the Reverent?  No other country (other than Canada) has NFL football, and no other sport has a fan base quite like it either. We have all seen the crazy costumes that die hard football fans wear at games. They range from face-painted children to bare-chested rowdies. We have also probably been seen on the couch in front of the game on TV on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Football fans love the game, but the way they express that love comes in many shapes and sizes. Fans can be classified into three major fan groups that include the die hard, the band-wagoner and the casual.  People who begin to follow a team only when the team starts to win continuously are best known as the bandwagoners. They like the team when they are successful, and when the team starts to do poorly they discard them and move on to the next winning team. These people really aggravate me because they try to get in your face about how good their team is when they know nothing about the team they root for. For example, my freshman year, one of my friends decided that he randomly liked the Colts. This happened to be the year that they made it to the Super Bowl. What a coincidence? When someone asked him who the quarterback was he didn’t even know his name or jersey number! The next season they didn’t play very well and he moved on to his new favorite team. He was a clear example of a bandwagoner.  Fair weather fans do exist, but there are those who ride out the storm and remain faithful. The types of fans you see on the very bottom row of seats of the stadium are known as the die hards. They shell out large amounts of money for season tickets and go to every game no matter what. There could be a hurricane and you will still see these fans at the game. They stay with their team through the ups and downs, not just when they are doing well. These fans know all the stats on every player on the roster and could tell you the history of the team. They don’t own just one jersey; however, they own a jersey for every day of the week. This fan base arrives hours early so they can tailgate and get ready for the game. They dress in crazy costumes and always have a foam finger with them like it is attached to their body. Even my pastor gets in on the action. For example, Sunday he wore a Redskins scarf and called it a prayer shawl and carried a Redskins hand towel with him to do the morning prayer and called it a crying towel! Talk about dedication! My stepdad is another fine example. He wants his ashes buried at Lambeau field, home of the Green Bay Packers. He doesn’t miss a game even when they are on the radio only. He checks their stats year round and always knows who is being traded and who is injured. He logs on to their website each and every day.  Although some go to the extreme, most of the football fans in the U.S. fall into the casual fan group. Don’t get the wrong impression, these fans may not go to the games and pay lots of money for jerseys and tickets but they still have a strong passion for their team. Even though they watch the games on a TV they still get emotional when there is an exceptional or devastating play. My uncle often yells at the TV when the Green Bay Packers do something wrong, like drop a touchdown pass. I would consider myself a casual fan. I watch the games and get very into it, but I would rather watch the game with a snack sitting comfortably in my own living room.  Football players get traded, superstars retire, and teams get sold, but one thing remains the same. As long as there is a football team to watch there will be fans watching. Whether switching to the team of the week, kicking back with a bowl of chili, or screaming their heads off in ten-below temperatures with no shirt on, they will all be cheering them on in their own special way.