Ezra’s Complete Guide to Fandom & Expectation
What is fandom? What does it mean to support a sports team?
To some, fandom is having unwavering support of an organization. For others, it includes questioning the status quo (Hello, my Philadelphians).
The bandwagon fan is quick to jump aboard the winning ride. And the “true” fan is quick to bash him?
The definition of fandom is quite subjective. But we can still have our own opinions. And you can bet your ass I have my own.
So without further ado, let me outline what it really means to be a fan, and how expectations play a pivotal role.
Expectance and Acceptance
How many basketball teams can reasonably expect to win the 2018 NBA Championship? A liberal five? A conservative two?
Whether or not you watch the NBA, surely you can understand what it’s like to go into a season with virtually no chance of winning it all. If that’s the case – and it is for the majority of professional and collegiate sports teams – is there a point to watching?
Perhaps you’d have to ask one of the many fans who continues to follow teams with no shot at ultimate glory.
Hey – I’m one of those fans!
In my lifetime – spanning roughly 108 seasons across Philly sports – there have been 29 seasons in which my team arguably had a shot:
- Philadelphia Eagles from 2000-2009
- Philadelphia Flyers from 1994-2004 and 2007-2012
- Philadelphia Phillies from 2007-2011
- Philadelphia 76ers from 2000-2001
Add in 22 seasons of Arizona State fandom (11 each for football and basketball), and 0.77% of those seasons ended with a parade down Broad Street.
Conversely, 78% of those seasons began with no chance of a trophy.
So what was I doing?
To me, a sports season isn’t all that different from a season of Game of Thrones. There are plot lines worth following, and (hopefully) development for future seasons. And that’s where expectation comes into play.
Did I become a bigger fan of the Sixers during The Process era because I love me a good Tankathon? Or do I appreciate a strategic plan?
How Sam Hinkie chose to plant championship seeds was riveting. And I was happy to watch that tree grow (or was it a bush?), even as media members from across the country bashed our plant in favor of ringless, fruitless, and thoughtless seasons. And now, as the Sixers have actual win-loss expectations, knowing the Process storyline is valuable context.
It’s easy to watch Pretty Little Liars and enjoy a little surface-level content (for the record, I’ve never seen it). But the producers and directors had no designs of winning an Emmy. There was no plan for greatness.
The greatest stories, though, they’re the ones with details and history that make Episode 4.9 all the more rich.
You don’t have to appreciate the nuances of Mad Men or Breaking Bad. You don’t have to be disappointed in Season 7 of GoT – in which many episodes were all action and little development.
But if you expect the nuance, you may not accept the surface-level content. If you expect some sign of future contention, you may not accept another mediocre season.
Hating or Believing?
There are .500 teams, and there are .500 teams. Context always matters.
If the 2017-2018 Sixers finish 41-41, they likely make the playoffs and the organization would deem the season a success (as would I).
If ASU football finishes 6-6 and 4th in the Pac-12 South again? Apparently, I’m the outlier who’s sick of placing 4th in a 6-team division, let alone the entire 12-team conference.
To some, that dissatisfaction is “hating.” And you want to know why I’m viewed as the “hater?” Because I believe the team can do more – way more.
I don’t see any reason why Arizona State can’t finish a season ranked in the top-25 more than twice in six years; or more than three times in 10 years. I aspire for more than the damned Fight Hunger Bowl.
I also believe in the Eagles’ ability to win a Super Bowl, Colin Coward.
Rather than being “so dopey, [that Philly fans] don’t like the word ‘Reid,’” maybe we believe that, while Andy Reid is certainly a fine coach, this organization needed change to break through that plateau.
(And for the record, Andy Reid’s Chiefs are 1-3 in the playoffs – that one win coming in the Wild Card round against a Brian Hoyer-led football team).
(Also for the record, Reid is 11-12 in his playoff career).
So if I’m a hater for being a believer, then so be it. But as a fan, I will unflinchingly question any coach or front office that’s produced mediocrity. And I will call for his pink slip when that mediocrity becomes a trend.
Because if you’re a fan – the way I define fandom – you don’t settle for stagnation. You’re not down with the status quo.
If you’re a true fan, you believe in the fairy tale ending. Otherwise, what’s the fucking point?