Fandom

Anyone who knows me knows my love of football. I can easily waste a Saturday and Sunday watching, even if my Huskers or Saints aren't playing (that may be a reason some of those to do lists are harder to accomplish during the fall...hmmm).

Lately, though, there has been a lot of chatter about "true" fans versus "fair weather" fans making the rounds on social media. These conversations seem to turn normally logical people into raving maniacs, as the "true" fans try to disparage those they deem unworthy of being fans.

Here's my take:

If you consistently root for your team, win or lose, you're a true fan. If you constructively criticize the coaching staff, administration, or players for obviously poor play or strategy because you want to see the team get better, you're still a true fan. You can still love something and see its flaws. It doesn't mean you love it any less. 

If you only cheer for a team when they are winning and refuse to support them during the down times, then you're a fair weather fan. If you only care how a team does because of your fantasy team, you may be a fair weather fan.

And if you constantly run down other fans and call them fair weather fans because they dare criticize your team/coach, then maybe you need something else to do with your time. Root for your team, enjoy their success, commiserate with their losses, and know that other fans feel the same. They just may not express it in the same way you do.

But...if you go on social media and rip college kids or send them death threats, you're not a fan at all. You're just an asshole.

Fair Warning: It's Football Season

Or it will be, officially, in a few weeks. I live for football season. While it is bittersweet--football means the end of summer, and thus, the beginning of a new school year--there's nothing like watching my teams on the gridiron again.

Nebraska Cornhuskers. New Orleans Saints. On Saturday I bleed scarlet and cream with my Nebraska family and friends. On Sunday, my husband and I join (albeit remotely right now) the black and gold Who Dat Nation. I watch pre-game shows. Postgame. (Who the heck decided it's a good idea to interview coaches as they're running off the field at halftime, by the way? Ridiculous.) I yell at the tv, and though I've never thrown anything, I have been known to swear. Loudly. I tweet with fellow Saints fans during the game. I read stats and watch interviews during the week. I might be obsessed--ok, I am.

Oh, I'm female? I can't really know about a sport I haven't played? Sorry, that argument doesn't hold water anymore. Women make up almost 50% of the NFL's viewership right now, and I can tell you, those women are watching for the game, not for the player with the best tight end. Especially the Who Dat Divas. You don't mess with those women--they know their football! (The same can be said of women Husker fans--we've been raised on it!)

So, if I bow out of something this fall, it's nothing personal. I have a game to watch. You're always welcome to join me--but you've been warned!