Fanatics

Fanatics

Eminem famously coined the phrase "Stan" in his critically acclaimed and smash hit single Stan. Stan depicts a story of an overly obsessive and out-of-control fan that seeks the attention and acknowledgment of Em. Only to be enraged when he feels his idol is ignoring him. There seems to be a lot of stans in the sports world today. Hell, I almost feel like I was a Kobe stan for a significant portion of my own life. But nothing like what I see going on in today's sports world. Famous talking heads have latched their stan hood to one Lebron James. The ordinary everyday fans have done the same. But who am I to talk down on one for their claim to stan hood when I was a card-carrying member for so long?  Stans aren't bad for sports, and they are a vital aspect of each game. Think about how boring sports would be if you didn't have that one overly passionate fan to engage with when things aren't going so well for their favorite player or team. The enthusiasm alone makes your adrenaline rush to the point of listening further to see what more they have to say as they plead their case on why everyone else is wrong and they're right. I've had my daily battles with many people defending the GOAT, Kobe Bryant. Most of these argument slash debates ended in a heated discussion and personal attacks, but they were still fun! I remember the first time I told someone Kobe was better than Jordan, and oh, the toxicity that ensued. Let me tell you, comparing someone to the adored Michael Jordan damn nears seems blasphemous to most of his fans. But there I was, right in the thick of it, challenging the norm and telling them Jordan ain’t shit. I'm just kidding about him not being shit, but I really did do that, though. A lot! Stans are good. Stans move the needle. Stans, no matter how tough it gets, will ride for that player no matter what anyone has to say. And I love that. 

Fanatics, on the other hand, are something similar but very different. Fanatics are precisely what some "Fans" are. See, there are different types of fans in sports. There are the casual fans that listen to Sports Center in the background of their morning routine so they can shoot the shit at work with their co-workers and not feel left out. Your everyday fans closely follow their favorite teams and tell you each transaction and player involved deal. Then you have the crazies! The super fanatics. The ones who pledge allegiance to that hometown team. That team that signifies a piece of them, whether it be a childhood moment or a specific trauma they helped them overcome through triumph. Super fanatics, like Stans, are vital for the sporting world, but they can both take things entirely too far and too seriously. 

Recently fans have become completely unhinged and out of control. Blame it on the state of the world, post-pandemic, or just a breakdown in overall mental health that seems to be teetering on complete chaos. But what's happening in the NBA playoffs is not ok or fun to watch in the least bit. Players being attacked, spat on, and having objects thrown at them is just a despicable and embarrassing scene for anyone to watch. How can a grown-ass man pay for an NBA playoff ticket, sit in that seat, and then throw something or spit on another grown man essentially playing a game that you paid to watch? I'm embarrassed for you. I'm embarrassed for your parents. I'm embarrassed for your significant other. I'm embarrassed for your children. Imagine telling your son we can't go to another Celtics game because Daddy threw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving. Sounds ridiculous, right? Or say to your parents to come to the hospital because you decided to spit on someone and got your whole entire ass kicked, and now, you're in the hospital with multiple injuries. Because that's where it's headed if they don't get this under control immediately, I don't understand how anyone thinks players will just keep taking these things without retaliating. We are a long way from the Malice in the Palace, but don't be alarmed if it happens again. People have become entirely too comfortable with doing shit and not being held accountable or facing the consequences of their actions. To me, sports are often a microcosm of everyday society. Why is everyone so angry all the time. Have you noticed how much toxicity has become an accepted normality of life? Is the online presence of feeling untouchable that it has now blurred the lines between online and reality? Or are we just witnessing the acting out of immature entitled douchebags being played out right in front of us? What did Kyrie do that warranted a grown ass man throwing a water bottle at him? He simply called out your racist ass town, which we all know to be true, and what did you do? You went right on national TV and proved his point while the whole world was watching. As a society, we have to be better or not. But if we choose the latter, then we must be prepared to deal with the consequences of that choice. A person can only take so much before they respond. And I don't want to hear that be the bigger person shit either when it happens. You can only push a person so far before that react and give you what you have been asking for. As a former member of the Stans of America club (that's fake, by the way), I hope we get back to a place where we can at least keep it cordial enough to say my favorite player is the greatest of all time and yours ain’t shit! Nod in agreement and go about or day to argue it again tomorrow. Because if you spit on any player near me we are definitely going to have some words.