Photo courtesy of Kristen Carpenter.
At any sporting event there are always those “super fans.” The ones that paint their face, wear wigs or anything out of the ordinary to show their team spirit. When it comes to a favorite team, no matter how old, super fans will do just about anything. So are these over the edge fans too much, or just showing their love for the team?
Freshman Jordan Perez says he is a super fan when it comes to Duke basketball.
“I go crazy every time they play and every team they beat, especially Carolina,” Perez said.
The Duke super fan watches every game on TV, and says if he went to a game he would wear a crazy outfit to support his team.
“I would be dressed up with that Duke afro and my face painted with Duke painted across my chest. I would be one of those people; I would be that guy,” Perez said.
Another basketball super fan, senior Samantha Desiderio, says she loves her hometown professional basketball team the Miami Heat.
“I was born and raised in Miami. I love them so much, my parents just taught me to go crazy,” Desiderio said.
While watching professional or college sporting events occasionally there is a super fan getting arrested for fighting another fan. Last year during a baseball game, super fans got out of control when the Dodgers won against the Giants. Fans were threatening others and got in a fight. Two men were fighting and one had to go to the hospital for a brain injury.
Less seriously, but more commonly, is a fan running onto the field during a game; they can get arrested for doing this as well.
Freshman Kristen Carpenter says she is a super fan for her favorite football team the LSU Tigers. If she could run onto the field, Carpenter says she would hug coach Les Miles. But Carpenter believes that not just anyone should be allowed on the field.
“It depends because somebody crazy could run out on the field and attack one of the players. I don’t think you should get arrested, I think you should pay extra for it,” Carpenter said.
Superstitions make or break the game to some super fans. A pair of lucky socks or a t-shirt could determine whether a fans favorite team will win it all or lose it in one play.
Sophomore hockey fan Josh Donnald says he isn’t a “super fan” for his team the Detroit Red Wings. Donnald doesn’t have any superstitions for his team because he believes it is not needed.
“There is no need for superstitions because [the Detroit Red Wings] have a lot of skill,” Donnald said.
Some super fans however, believe that their lucky item can give their team just what they need to win the game.
“Every time [me and my dad] watch a game together we sit in the exact same spot we watched the last game in, I have lucky socks lucky underwear and lucky keys,” Perez said.
If superstitions are true, they have shown some good luck to super fans like Perez.
“When [Duke] made that winning shot [against Butler] me and my dad were jumping up and down going crazy screaming, ‘Yeah!’ I couldn’t even say anything I was just screaming.”
–By Taylor Maloch