Sports bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds and personalities that wouldn’t necessarily click in everyday life, all united by a common goal: victory. Because when you root for the same team, you suddenly become best friends for the duration of one evening. And no, for many, it’s not just a game. It’s a religion! Because, God knows, there are fans who take football to heart. Every Sunday, the world stops turning and it’s NFL Sunday!
The Ultimate Fan: Watching games on TV isn’t enough. They have season tickets, no retirement savings, but they own all imaginable merchandise from their favorite team. On victory days, they show up at work still painted in their team’s colors, making sure everyone knows they won. In their mind, they’re part of the team.
The Foodie: Some grow playoff beards, they grow a belly. Game day equals feast and abundance. They’re practically a football deity. They turn water into beer and veggies into chicken wings, much to the delight of their guests.
The Rager: You don’t invite this one over anymore because last time they threw the remote into the TV after a missed game-winning field goal. The upside is they feel bad about it and buy you a beer every time you meet up.
The Pest: They don’t really know much about football, but they intentionally root for the opposite team. And when their team wins, they act like a huge fan and bug you for the rest of the evening.
The Party Boy: When they buy tickets for a game, they show up 5 hours early to ensure they’re as rowdy as possible during the match. They missed all 4 touchdowns by their team because they went to buy beer. And they don’t come back with just two beers, but eleven – one for each finger and between their teeth. On game nights, they’re millionaires, money doesn’t exist. After all, what’s the point of having a credit limit? And yes, they call in sick to work the next day.
The Social Follower: They couldn’t care less about football. They tag along with their partying friend because they know they’ll have an emotionally charged, cost-effective evening.
The Worrier: On game days, they’re not talkative. As soon as the kickoff is done, they stand in front of the TV, ready to complain about every play and referee decision. And whatever you do, don’t walk in front of the TV, you’ll get an earful! In short, if you want to have fun, you simply don’t invite them.
The Intense One: They know every team’s and player’s statistics by heart. You wonder if they even have a job, because it’s impossible to work 40 hours a week and know so many useless things. “The quarterback, when it’s 23 degrees, a full moon night, with ambient humidity at 56.9%, has an 81.7% passing success rate.” They even know the name of the fourth-string substitute kicker. And they talk to you about it as if you’re interested. They know their college history, their mother’s maiden name, their favorite color, and what they had for breakfast.
The Shouter: If you’re shy, don’t sit next to them. They spend the whole match shouting insults at the opposing team, endlessly chanting “Olé, olé, olé,” and when their team scores a touchdown, cover your ears because they turn into a beast. Thankfully, you hid their huge trumpet before leaving.
The Arrogant One: They always show up at the stadium wearing the jersey of the opposing team, just to argue and bicker with local team fans. And they love it!
The Superstitious: They’re overjoyed! Seventh consecutive win, it’s great, but let’s just say you’re not too excited to invite them for the next match because they haven’t washed their jersey in exactly seven weeks! And to add to that, last time, the waitress messed up and brought them iced tea instead of beer. At their first sip, their team scored a touchdown after an interception. So now, they only drink iced tea on game days. And the worst part? They don’t even like iced tea! The upside is they don’t have to take Mondays off anymore.
And you, what kind of fan are you?