The Religion of Fandom and The Media

Fandom can be described in many ways. For some it’s simply the joy of watching sports, but for others it can almost be as sacred as religion. Since the dawn of sports there has been fans, whether it was the Greeks cheering on chariot races or the Native Americans playing to entertain the great provider in lacrosse. Sports strive off of fandom and without it there would be no sports.

Fandom is the universal language of all fans. No matter what sport, fans of every background are able to come together and talk about the subject that they all love. This fan communication creates bonds and similarities between people that can be stronger than any other. Sharing the same beliefs about sports and finding the connection that is sports lets people open up and express their feelings towards a topic that they love. The power of fandom allows people to be themselves and express in ways only fans can, much like the means of religion.


With the religion of sports however, the media is able to build and destroy teams off of almost anything. Because of this legacies will always be made and lost by the media and the fans.

There has always been and always will be the loved and the hated for different reasons like appearance or personality. Whether it’s Dennis Rodman who will always be known as the bad boy for the way he dressed and acted both on and off the court, or Marshawn Lynch who is surmised as the jerk for not speaking to the media, even though he has admitted to having a fear of public speaking. However, media can also create a player's legacy and raise a player from no one to a superstar over night. When Jeremy Lin began his breakout season many thought he was a phenomenal player but because of the media Lin became an overnight sensation known as “Linsanity.” The media has a way of deceiving fans into looking at players and teams as either heroes or villains, which can all lead back to the religion of fandom.

The religion of fandom perceives us to look at sports in ways of either love or hate. If you’re a fan of a sports team, no matter what, you love that team and they are unable to do any wrong. On the other hand, if a successful team or team you do not like does wrong, they are looked upon as evil and all their success is looked at as false. This has caused teams and players throughout history to be looked at in many different ways.

By creating the passion in which sports fans live, perfection is almost impossible, unless it’s your team. Being a fan of a sports team is like fighting a war you can never win, even when you do. No matter how well your team does other fans will always find flaws and ways to prove that they didn’t deserve it. Just like you will discredit teams who do better than yours. This doesn’t count for the fans that wear the jersey and watch the super bowl. This describes the fans that don’t miss a game and can name the entire offensive line from the 1995 team. These fans experience the thrills of winning and the pains of losing, and without that there wouldn’t be sports. Unfortunately, these fans will never lose. When a team wins the BCS National Championship they are crowned the best team in college football. However, when you ask a TCU fan if Ohio State deserved to win the national championship they’ll say no because TCU got gipped and didn’t make the playoffs. That is the why this war will never be won. Fans have this pride to prove that their team was the best team. These people will argue any sports topic until they are correct and never will be correct because the others arguing have the same mind set. That is what makes fandom great. Fandom is a religion that can postulate more passion than almost any other focus.

This religion of fandom and media is one of the most impassioned and historical parts of the world. With fandom comes fight and expression that cannot be shown in any other aspect, and is one that will always thrive. Fandom and media can build or destroy both players and teams, providing legacies of both good and bad. Within fandom is one of the greatest universal communications that can bring people of all backgrounds together. Fandom is and always will be the aspect that crafts the greatness of sports.