Blog #7--Football Fanaticism--Variations on a Theme

Blog #7--Football Fanaticism--Variations on a Theme, by Jack Tuttle http://dreamtime3.wix.com/jacktuttlebook

I have always loved most sports and respected the rest. In my youth, my waking thoughts were often consumed with team sports, and fall was the season for football. I had my favorite college and pro teams, and they won often enough to be respectable. They even won championships on occasion. I could accept occasional losses because my teams usually gave hope for better things down the road.

Of course, much has changed since then. Modern technology has allowed the average fan like myself access to our favorite teams far beyond anything possible in the past. And it has given soap boxes for disgruntled and contrary fans who now have audiences for their opinions. Each one of us has an opinion, and a significant number of us want others to both know our views and agree with them.

I worked for a sports website for nine years, and I “met” many football fans over the Internet. Some offered reasonable assessments for the ups and downs of their teams. But others exhibited what many psychologists and psychiatrists would describe as degrees of insanity. And some were using their anonymous posts to spread inaccurate rumors or rile the fandom for their own agendas.

Besides daily writing and publishing, I had to read and moderate all their thoughts, including the most negative ones. I must admit, it was a wonderful test of my ability to accept various types of people for the way they are. After all, we existed thanks to their subscriptions.

It wasn’t easy, but no matter how vile fans became, with practice it became hard to see only bad in them. For instance, many are highly intelligent, and some are amazingly clever at twisting others’ words to suit themselves.

I remember one fan who could be extremely reasonable and converse on an intelligent level part of the time. He could even be wise occasionally. But if the football team angered him in any way, he would create multiple posts from an extremely negative perspective. Swear words dotted his conversation. When he was in that mode, no amount of reason could appeal to his more relaxed self. He was banned from our website and others multiple times, but he couldn’t change his behavior.

Those who have read my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life” probably recognize the two opposite aspects of this man’s nature since it is described in detail there. Those with an understanding of astrology notice his two Gemini twins. In other words, this man was born with these personality quirks. No matter how badly those around him suffer, he hurts himself the most by his behavior. He can’t help it, so he has to accept it as who he is.

And that’s what I needed to do with him. If he can live with these repetitive outbursts and the impact they have on his wife and family, I can learn to accept him also. After all, I didn’t have to deal with him frequently, just intensely in short bursts. If he can learn to accept what he cannot change about himself, he will find himself growing spiritually. We can do the same toward him, which aids our growth as well.

All over the country, fans are demanding their coaches’ heads on a platter and irritating football journalists if they don't win. It may be even more intense now than ever. Yes, fanatic fans caused me considerable grief for a few years, moderating my strong interest in sports. Regardless, they are simply variations on a theme called human beings.

Football fans may be frustrated and angry, and they may take those feelings out on others. But they are trying to make their way in this confusing and difficult world. Just like the rest of us.

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